Do you still write notes with pen and paper?
With so much note taking apps nowadays, I can't understand why does anyone still write notes with pen and paper. You need to bring the notepad, book or that paper to retrieve that information, and most of the time you don't have it in hand. While my phone almost always reachable and you carry when you go out. For those still like to do handwriting, there's many app does that and they can even convert it to text notes.
So, if you still write notes with pen and paper, why?
a notebook and pencil in my shirt pocket are faster to open than a phone app
handwriting is faster than thumb typing
I can sketch an electrical diagram on paper way faster than anyone can with a stylus on some janky phone screen.
3.1) Even if there was a stylus/screen combination with the same haptics, fidelity, and input recognition speed as pencil on paper, it wouldn't be 0.78€
I can toss the notebook and diagrams to anyone working on a project with me with zero worry that they'll drop it, forget it, or look around in the rest of it
I can tear out a page and hand it to anyone instantly, instead of finding out what messaging app we have in common, copying (or screenshotting) the note and pasting it in an app
I can insert a note into a physical book, stick it to the inside of a toolbox lid, a wall next to an electrical junction, inside a breaker box, or any other surface, and always have location-aware reminders waiting for me when I need them.
With minimal environmental control, my notes are effectively immortal. I have notebooks of measurements and diagrams of most rooms, wall cavities, pipe runs, electrical runs, cable pulls, and dimensions of various equipment that have outlasted hard drives, backup tapes, and a few cloud storage companies.
This guy notebooks.
And your notes don't suddenly increase the price of your storage.
Digital text notes take up practically no storage space. You'll spend more on new notebooks to write in over a year than digital storage space for the exact same content
Uh, except for buying more notebooks and writing utensils, which, if your text files are large enough to suddenly increase the price of storage (or even need to pay for text storage), you're going to need a whole lot of.
No, it's more of a subtle, inflationary pressure.
For me, it's the act of writing, the memory it helps solidify, and... being an FP nerd.
Can I take notes on a phone? Sure, but I wouldn't use a personal device for work notes, ever. Between my privacy, customer privacy laws, and separation of concerns. I've no compunctions at all, though, about sharing an A5 notebook between journal, work notes, personal notes, and reminders.
This. Plus as a subjective thing: I personally remember stuff more easily when I write them down compared to typing. Also my written notes mix bullet points, regular writing, arrows and connections, without having to “switch mode” or install plugins.
I still use note-taking apps, sometimes as primary, sometimes as secondary tool.
This is the correct answer. I don't take many notes personally myself, but your comment made me think I really should carry around a small notebook in my pocket.
Also, notes taken with pen and paper never run out of battery, or need to be charged. They're powered by basically any light source.
On the flip side, they don't come up in a mass search. I have so many notes. If it doesn't come up in a search it mine as well not exist, I'll never find it.
I feel like you have to be exceptionally fast at handwriting or exceptionally slow at thumb typing for handwriting to be faster.
Because i can scrawl a note faster than opening an app and typing, and i can organise a notebook with a lot less fuss.
I’ll answer with a simple test. Do the following first on your phone and then on a piece of paper:
Design a thing, something physical; a box, a house, a chair, whatever. In addition to the diagram, this note must include a description of the item, the bill of materials, the dimensions and, if applicable, assembly instructions that you could confidently hand to someone else and have them follow. Ideally, you should include the dimensions of the object directly on the sketch itself.
Now give this to someone and see how accurately they can reproduce the item while you go off and make a phone call.
In addition, the mere act of giving that information to somebody else.
On a phone I can obviously text somebody, but what if I'm somewhere with bad signal (and yes, those places often exist), or the person doesn't have the phone in their pocket right that second (yes, this also happens in places with work where people don't want to risk the phone in their pocket breaking)?
With a mini notepad, I can rip a sheet of notes off and hand that diagram to somebody else. If it's work that will take some time doing while following a diagram, having a phone screen locking up because it isn't being touched is a hassle and going into the settings to change it back and forth is annoying.
I can't rely on a piece of electronics that might run out of battery, bug out, etc. Note taking on paper is much faster, you can draw anything with any sort of layout, it's completely free form. Of course it depends on your needs. I know I sketch down a lot because of my line of work, that may not be the case for everyone.
You know that tablets exist?
It's way easier to lose a piece of paper than a backed up searchable note. Not a problem if you're super organized but I'm not.
Last time I upgraded my phone, I looked at getting a Samsung Note: I've wanted pen input on a phone for so long. Then I considered the extra weight and bulk, and the poor condition of the second hand one I was looking at, and decided I can just just use pen and paper.
I like to be able to scribble things on paper, though my handwriting is terrible. For anything to last long for me, I want it digital, but random thoughts, calculations and stuff, I like paper and pen.
My handwriting is the perfect encryption. Nobody else can understand it. Lol.
@nutbutter The algorithm is especially harder to decrypt if you don't write that often. I can tell it from my personal experience, lol.
@techconsulnerd
my notepad/book/paper doesn’t run out of battery and doesn’t lose reception …
EDIT: and my book will last longer than your cloud service
EDIT: and you remember stuff better by writing it down
Dont need to charge a piece of paper
At work I do that exclusively. It’s faster to make punch lists for jobsites that way
Same, so much quicker to make handwritten notes at work. I also just want to give my hands and eyes a break from using my phone.
Also I don’t have to contend with auto complete
Yes, of course. How can I leave a note for somebody in the living room, or pin it to the fridge if it's on my PC?
How can I scribble my plans and measurements down quickly without endangering my fancy expensive phone while I'm woodworking? Not to mention I need two hands and need to unlock the phone and find the application etc etc, or I could just pick up the pencil.
And what about my shopping list? Am I going to absent mindedly carry my phone in one hand while I push the trolley and pick up food, basically BEGGING somebody to come and snatch it from my hand and run off with it? Hell no. I use a written shopping list.
These are just some random examples, and I do use my tech to note some things down, most notably if I'm sat at the pc and it's a tech thing I'll probably load Notepad++ and save a quick .txt note, I have a lot of those. But for little around the house/going out things, my notepaper is always best :-)
Those are some really bad reasons tbh. A digital shared shopping list is the best invention btw. My wife adds stuff in it and I see it on my phone when I go shopping. Who the fuck is going to snatch a phone out of your hand when you shop? And isn't a phone a pretty useless item to steal anyway? Most of them can't be wiped these days.
Because I like small diagrams and schematics. Doing that in an app, especially on a phone, is tricky. And I find that structuring my thoughts on paper just works better than doing it digitally straight away.
Equations are a shitload faster to write: this is the main reason.
No fucking spell correction.
Every piece of writing is visually unique and looking back at handwritten notes brings back an additional layer of memory (diaries/personal journals eg).
Paper notes can be permanently destroyed with a high level of confidence and low cost if desired.
Written notes can be easily left for/handed to another person (for flirtatious purposes e.g.), or placed semi-permanently in a useful spot.
Electronic notes are great too, I keep my grocery list and whatnot on my phone, but the reasons above are why I also write things by hand.
Yep. My little Field Notes books don’t send me notifications about emails, and I can toss them around without breaking them. And use a lot of notation and drawing methods that are very slow when typing with my thumbs.
I do. Its much easier
And is somewhat satisfying, especially with a nice pen/pad.
Scientifically speaking, writing with your hand helps a lot with memory and learning, while typing does not have nearly the same effect. Also, a lot of handwriting apps are still garbage. It's also nice for focusing to not be using a cell phone. Other than that, some people probably just like it
I always have a notepad next to me while working. The notes on paper somehow guide my workflow.
For those of you that do, join us at !fountainpens@wayfarershaven.eu :)
My laptop died in June, so I had to write my entire master's thesis in a notebook with a pen. Typing on a phone is terrible for writing more than a few sentences.
A bluetooth keyboard might be helpful here.
At home I take notes on the computer. Timestamps, instant sync across devices, whatever editor I like to use, et cetera. If I get a random call and someone starts talking at me, I'll settle for scribbling on a fast food receipt if it is close to hand. I use my phone sometimes, but I generally take notes when I'm on a phone call.
When I'm at an in-person meeting with a client, pen and paper is the best option because it conveys some degree of respect. People still seem to be put off by people pulling out a laptop and typing during an emotionally charged meeting. If I pull out my cellphone and start poking at it in a professional setting, people don't think that I'm listening or taking notes. They think that I'm bored.
Seconded on the respect comment. It may not be fair, but I think people using their laptops in meetings are distracted by the myriad notifications constantly bombarding us, checking email, or otherwise not staying engaged. Harder to be present when your device keeps clamoring for your attention.
With so much note taking apps nowadays, I can't understand why someone should waste time to find their smartphone, power it on, input the pin for the sim, unlock the screen, find the right app in the app jungle, open it, find the "new note" option, which is hidden in a sub menu instead of using a short cut on your keyboard to bring up a terminal, which opens Vim and automatically saves the file as a note with the correct file name.
Ha ha, exactly! And all you did after that was add 'tomatoes' to a weekly shopping list. And then after turning it off and putting it down, remembered you forgot 'onions'.
for the shopping list I have a similar hot key and after saving the list, it will be automatically send to my android (over local network, not over the internet, sharing it with dozens of companies) and I can open it with SimpleTask having it sorted by the shelves how they appear in the supermarket to not run like a psychopath back and forth.
You have more people that know how to exit a note app tho, compared to vim.
That's true and it's worrying!
I get a lot of scratch paper as part of my job entails troubleshooting printers (kill me) and so I have stacks of printer test pages, pages printed out with PCL and PS errors and what not. These make good canvases for sketching up quick network designs or diagraming things such as work flows. I usually scan them in a note taking app before shredding them to keep my desk clear but it’s much more convenient that having to use Visio or something on things that just need to be sketched out
Because you remember it better when you actually write it out instead of just using a keyboard. And you can draw diagrams with ease. Most styluses are inaccurate and one dimensional, and buying a phone with actual proper stylus support in both the display and stylus itself is expensive. You could buy a separate technical device just for note taking with proper stylus support and have it upload notes to the cloud so you can access it at all times, but that requires a constant internet connection and mobile data is expensive. And then you have to carry this seperate device with you in the same way you'd carry a much cheaper physical notepad anyways.
I prefer pencil, but yes, I find it faster and more freeform, and more portable to take initial notes on paper.
Yes, when i need to concentrate
Pen and paper don't need batteries. I'm pretty sure I can whip out my notepad faster than you can unlock your phone and open the notes widget.
Is it your cakeday?
Pens need ink. Notepads need empty pages.
How often are you buying ink for your pen? Just buy a notepad? Regardless, both are cheap.
I don’t run out of pens because I record meetings with my phone or computer and get Otter AI to transcribe them. I already own a phone so it’s even cheaper than a pen or a notebook. And, here’s a pro tip, I keep it charged and have a power bank.
How is a phone cheaper than a pen? Electricity isn't free, sure charging them is a fraction of cent but still, every time you charge either or both, someone is paying for it.
If you already own a phone, a pen and notebook is an extra cost.
If you already own a pen, a notebook and a phone you can stop caring about what other people think and just be efficient in note taking.
People have different preferences, I take my notes on multiple places of different formats so I understand the appeal of a digital one and a written one. It is rare for me to take notes but the ones that I want to keep more permanently are written. Day to day stuff are typed up and checkmarked once completed.
For a lot of my job a lot of parts have to be hand written and there are no excuses for typed up stuff, the same goes for my colleagues, for people in other departments in my company, for my clients, for the client's client, the list goes on.
Your argument that if you already own a phone a pen and a notebook does come at a cost, yes it does, but your phone has a phone plan right? So you'll pay monthly for it? Unless you just have a phone and rely on WiFi connections?
Yes, I do.
I enjoy handwriting and it is much faster for me. I like to have a couple of different coloured pens and have it organised. Usually I just end up with a scribbled mess but that is okay. At least only I can read it. If I need to I will type it up afterwards - I love typing as well.
Yes, usually when in meetings. It's 99% a society/conventional thing, but looking and typing on your phone while talking to someone will often be perceived as rude. Taking notes in your paper notebook though usually will come off as being attentive and interested.
100% agreed, especially true with clients.
IDK why exactly but typing notes during a consult is impersonal.
I do consults with my notepad flat on the desk so clients can see what I'm writing. I often draw diagrams for them.
Writing with a pen is still more intuitive for me than typing, so I automatically grab a piece of paper and jot it down. Especially while talking to someone.
But I do use note taking apps a lot for more permanent things.
Much harder to get distracted with a pen and paper. Main reason I use it.
Always pen/paper
A note on my phone is about as useful as no note at all. The physical presence of the note is much more important.
flowchart, brainstorming and drawing is always good with p&p
I use many methods to collect and organize information. I take pics on my.phone, write notes on my phone, write outlines on my laptop, write notes in a notebook, and write post it notes for me or others. All are appropriate at various times.
I used to have my shopping list on my phone. Replaced that by a whiteboard on the fridge, which is much less cumbersome to use (seriously, typing on a phone nowadays is almost worse than back in the T9 days). Before I go shopping, I just snap a picture with my phone.
This is brilliant and I am going to use it.
A home assistant is great for that too.
But pen and paper work fine if you dont need your shoping list to connect to wifi
A note that's pinned to the wall is harder to overlook and forget.
That being said, my note-taking app is set to start automatically when logging in, so I'm always aware of its existence. Wouldn't work otherwise.
I use paper for all my "at the moment notes" it's just easier because actually unlocking my phone and opening a note app then starting a note takes too long and a lot of the time I need to draw a diagram or something to go along with it. Anything important gets transferred into my onenote from the paper later on. I would like to find a good app to go completely digital but so far nothing I've found meets that need as well as just carrying a notebook around.
Taking notes with pen and paper is more effective for information retention. I frequently keep a bullet journal to help me stay in the moment and on task. I don't digitize it because I find it to be a waste of time. I want to take my notes and then turn them into action. Turning them into a digital blip in a database is me faffing about not taking the action
Because writing it helps me remember. I'm never going to look at those notes again, because I'll remember, because the act of writing helps me remember.
I do a mix -- paper is for thinking, digital is for long-term saving.
I'll use paper (nice paper and a fountain pen, ideally) for a quick brain-dump, mind-mapping, planning out my week, figuring out the shape of a solution. There's something about working on paper that spatially makes more sense to me. I keep it all in a single notebook *usually A5 grid or dots like Leuchtterm 1917 or Rhodia webbie) so that I don't have loose pieces of paper. If I'm working or traveling, that notebook is in my bag.
Things that I need to remember land in Obsidian in cross-linked notes, usually tied together with a daily note. Some paper notes do land in Obsidian - that can be a photo/scan, but more likely a cleaned up, summarized version of my thoughts.
Writing by hand requires me to condense whatever I'm trying to grok. That helps in my understanding of it.
Yes. There's something about putting it in paper that makes me grasp the concept in a more personal manner.
I pretty much only take notes with pen&paper. Never really thought about doing it otherwise. Seems like it would be much more inconvenient on my phone since I don't thumb type and I hate laptop keyboards.
Yeah of course. Especially if you’re in dirty or wet places a waterproof pad and pencil are fantastic.
But even in everyday normal life, having a little notebook is good.
Both, for different reasons. I use paper notes to stick them on my fridge so I won't forget about them.
Yes. It's faster and it doesn't end up getting lost on my phone or PC somewhere. I can also leave a page open on my desk if it's something I tend to forget (currently German prepositions).
Hell yeah i do, i’ve been keeping a notebook for scheduling and journaling for the last 5 years and it helps my thought process so much.
The biggest thing for me, i dont control the apps, so if an update breaks my apps, i’d be out of luck, but that cant happen with a notebook. My notes will always been as i wrote them.
I’ve even gone through writing with gel pens, to fountain pens, and now i just use pencils cause it’s just better over all.
I could get philosophical about it too. I remember what i write, my mind paces itself better as i commit to paper vs typing on a keyboard or screen. We have that primordial need to scribble on something, and i get to indulge it when i write:
Everyone should try it, with a simple caveat: keep it cheap. Write in cheap books with cheap pens and paper, then buy better as the cheap shit starts to fail on you. Some paper is really bad for ink, some are bad for pencil, somehow there’s some that worse for both. Some pencils have terrible erasers, but dont dwell on those choices.
Unfortunately nobody makes a cheap spiral bound, square ruled notebook. Certainly not one which stands up to 0.5mm pencils well.
I spent the money on the Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks after trying to make moleskines work. I do not regret it, nor the work that brought me there.
I’m left handed so spiral bound is out for the most part
+1 for pencils, I'm a Dixon Ticonderoga man for life
They used to be so good. I think the Sanford people bought them. Cant say how it affected quality tho as I’ve moved to metal barreled mechanical pencils and am in love with the Pentel Kura Toga rn
Yes, typed notes don't stick as well as written ones
I do both, and it’s heavily dependent on what the purpose of the note is for.
I keep a yellow legal pad and mechanical pen. Stuff that goes on the pad are usually the ultimate in throwaway notes. Scribbles that are wholly transitory.
Then I have a digital note management system (Obsidian.md) and use it to maintain a personal journal and Zettelkasten.
Some yellow pad notes might flow into Obsidian, but not always.
I do both. I use Obsidian to maintain lots of notes and links and such. But I also carry a fountain pen and a notebook in my pocket. I find when I write stuff down in there I tend to remember it more. I also carry an A5 notebook at work to take down work notes and track my todo's. More productive, looks better in meetings, and I'm less likely to get distracted by notifications or the draw of apps/social-media.
Lots of times I'll do a drawing of dimensions or an idea, then I'll take a picture of that and throw it in Obsidian later. Also if it's a note that I want to keep later I'll transcribe it into my digital notes.
I just enjoy the act of writing and getting to own a pen that I won't just lose or loan away. I'll also pick up old notebooks sometimes and be reminded of things I wanted to do or ideas I had that got missed, and the reminder is way more tangible and impacting that being reminded by found digital notes. It comes with the tactile memories as well.
Yes, at work. Healthcare --> HIPAA All notes shredded at the end of the shift or whenever the patient no longer is on your unit.
For anything I'll need to share or search, digital.
Everything else, I remember it better if I commit handwriting to it, and I use fountain pens, it's a nicer experience.
Yep. I get distracted with my phone. I doodle on my notes. I enjoy writing in cursive, it's so loopy! I like pens, they're neat!
I also do bullet journaling, but not very strict to the original style. I just draw my own little boxes.
I use a mechanical pencil. Pentel 205 for life baby.
I love the tactile feeling of writing on paper.
During meetings, I find it easier to follow the discussion if I'm making notes on post-its or a notepad rather than digitally.
For longform notes, research etc I prefer to use a wiki program like Obsidian and a mindmap or diagramming tool. I will rarely sketch ideas on paper but being able to rearrange the shapes on digital canvas makes it great for whiteboarding as a software engineer.
I'm a millennial and I still write notes with pen and paper simply because I can't be bothered to learn how to format in a notes app of any kind.
All of my notes are formatted in a bizarre way that makes sense to me. Applying that format in a digital space is always a giant headache.
I am switching to using Obsidian. Skipping the formatting all together and instead linking all my disjointed ideas to each other seems to be working pretty well.
I'm an older millennial, and I'll tell you how I format my notes: in text files. Markdown if I'm feeling fancy.
I tried many times to "go digital" at work, using different apps and methods, but it comes down to 3 things: I take notes and jot down ideas nonlinearly. For example, I'll start taking a note from a meeting or lecture, then have an idea that I'll jot down elsewhere, but go back to the original note to finish it then go and complete the idea. It's stupid, but it works for me. The second is that I infrequently need to review my notes that are written since they get committed to memory. Unfinished ideas are different. Third, I can find notes faster when I wrote them vs typed them. I have a photographic memory. My desk is a huge mess, but I can usually find what I need because I remember it's physical location in the pile.
Yes. It's faster, I have an easier time remembering stuff that I wrote by hand instead of using a keyboard, I can't be arsed to use a phone most of the time, and I can even apply some primitive "encryption"* to keep a certain overly curious person around me from messing with my notes. I can also use them when I'm designing writing scripts for constructed languages, way faster than doing it in Inkscape.
The big con is that one of my cats thinks that paper is toy, and the other thinks that any large enough sheet is a bed.
*it's just Italian with ad hoc Cyrillic. Good enough for handwritten notes.
One thing paper helps me with is free-form thought externalizing.
When you limit yourself to text, markdown, or sometimes even a digital pen/drawing app, I feel like it requires a bit of effort to use which allows ideas to slip from my mind.
With a pen/pencil and paper, I can write, draw, and connect about as fast as I can think. I can crumble the page and refine the idea over and over until something I like is there.
Yep.
I'm a zoomer and my middle & high school had us do a large majority of stuff on a computer, so my handwriting kinda sucks now
whenever I use pen & paper now, I look at what I wrote and realize I still have the handwriting of a fucking 12 y/o. I also type a lot faster than I write
Ive been writing my whole life and my notes still look like the scribblings of a madman.
I love fountain pens so much and journaling with them. Extremely therapeutic.
Today's my first Lemmy spotting of a fellow fp user! I don't feel like many of us made the hop from Reddit, welcome!
Make sure to check out the fountain pens community on wayfarershaven! :)
Done! They have pen swap too!
I hand write to-do list because I can remember , my phone is a distraction machine.
I agree with a lot of peoples take about the convenience of paper notes with the ability to handle them, physically share them and so forth. But I still never use physical notes any more. And 100% of the reason is that I'm always carrying my phone, but I never carry a pen and notebook. My need to take notes is spontaneous and unpredictible, so paper and a pen is never within an arms reach when I need to take a note.
For work I used to have an agenda with notes but over time I realized it's impossible to actually keep organized and have the most important things be the most easy to find. I moved to onenote and never looked back.
For personal notes I use a tablet with pen because it's fun to write by hand without wasting trees and it still being digital it's easier to organize and move information around.
I use a tablet for most my notes but there's a pretty obvious reason for paper/pen - you don't have to charge a notebook.
I have a phone with a stylus built in and it's great- but sometimes I don't want to stare at a screen.
If I'm Journaling I stick with pen and paper because I dont want the distraction. There is also something nice about the feedback of ink on a page.
If the note is important I'll put a sticky note on my desk and copy it to obsidian or take a photo of it.
Yep.
I just like having something physical as opposed to something on a computer screen or phone or something. I suppose I could just type them up and print them out but eh. 🤷♀️
I use sticky notes at home, and write by hand in an actual notebook when hashing things out. I also take notes in a text editor, though.
So I have this OCD thing where I just have to have a perfect order of things to do, I'm talking about things like what to watch, what to read.
It's helpful for me to list them all on paper cuz the excel app on my phone sucks and we have load shedding where light goes every 2 hours a.ccording to schedule and comes back after 2 hours.
Yeah, I can type faster than I can write, but I can write faster than I can type on phone. The note winds up in a physical location, which helps me with both retrieval and remembering (say, this section of my desk-cube-thing is for project notes in my garage, this section is events, this is things I need to buy from the shops etc). I can draw little images pretty easily as well, have not habituated to digital art unfortunately. While not insurmountable with apps, is it really worth the additional effort shopping around when I keep inheriting post-it notes and data cards from various sources (idk why).
Also, I get bonkers distracted on the phone. I sometimes forget I am just checking the time.
Somehow I notice how I think more 'structured' and focused about the things I write down by hand. Especially useful when I try to break down tasks into smaller bits or try to plan anything through step by step
Sometimes i need to hand info to someone, or paper is just nearby, or i need to draw a diagram.
I do have an ipad, but if you are brainstorming with other people, they don't always know how to use it/touch the wrong thing.
All other notes are digital, because i am bad at keeping track of pieces of paper.
not to sound like a boomer, but i just like to write with pen once in a while so i dont forget how to
yes, there is music in the sound of pen across paper and magic in the scratch of a pencil. I still use my phone to take quick notes but I love the sound and feel of paper.
If I'm ever using my desktop at home, yes. I always have extra paper I can use as note paper for if I ever need to write something down, so I make use of it. I am never not around a mechanical pencil nor pen either, so that also helps.
I don't write anything down because the sophon is watching me.
Yes, it's very useful sometimes.
Unlocking the phone, looking at it, opening the app, then looking for the info is a hassle sometimes. Sometimes it's not safe either.
Simple sketches of very rough ideas are much simpler for me in a notebook. Its right there when i need it, and they’ve thought me how to use a pen ages ago so i’m pretty good at it. Noting down numbers or dimensions before i can enter them to cad in their proper places is something i do quite a lot too. The built in history feature is amazingly simple but search could be improved upon. Especially if the pages are filled with random things next to each other.
The notebook is pretty resistant to drops too and i can put plates or mugs on it without risking sratches
As a uni student I do both. I generally type notes during lectures and live meetings, and handwrite notes for prerecorded videos and other general study.
I still handwrite because my exams are going to be handwritten and I don't want to lose my ability to handwrite fast lol.
You can also doodle/draw diagrams when you handwrite. It's harder to do that on a phone/computer.
I still use pen and paper because it just feels better than handwriting on a screen.
I use paper for shopping lists, to keep track of dimensions etc, and to-do lists for work.
I tried multiple note taking or to do list apps over the course of a few years before going back to paper.
Benefits: No risk of scratching/dropping my phone because I have it out. Can easily emphasize text, star/cross off items, and mix diagrams and text. Can quickly scan many items by eye. Works when my phone battery dies. Works when no cell service (unlike some collaborative to-do/list apps) Can hand the list to my partner. Instant sync. Satisfying to physically toss out completed lists. Can reference the list while on the phone. Not distracted by phone alerts. Never get spam email or pop ups urging me to pay for an app, or rate an app; no terms of service or privacy policy!
I'm 53. Never got the hang of typing fast on the phone, so whenever I'm in a meeting and not having my laptop with me, it's pen and paper for me. 🙃
Yes, but I use a rocket book to easily digitize these days. Tried a remarkable, but didn't quite like the process once many pages were involved (slow to flip through pages).
I also keep quite a few notes on the computer and phone via self hosted Joplin. Which is awesome too.
Sure do.
Fiddling with my phone has extra steps and sometimes it's good to have something written within viewing distance that I wrote with my own hands, which adds to the memory retention of whatever it is.
No.
Surprised no one here answered with just a "no". I can't remember the last time I even held a pen for signing something, even my last job contract and rental agreement etc were all digital.
AMA, all you pen and pencil people.
Yes, mostly university and work though. I don't have a tablet and the drawing tablet is at home most of the time. Pen and paper just gives more flexibility than text. Though I instantly scan them and upload them to my paperless instance.
I use my phone for quick notes on the go, or creating lists of information I want to be able to re order and edit.
I use pen and paper mainly for brain dumps. Getting a stream of thoughts out of my head and on to paper. I find trying to use a phone for this will lead to some distraction and the thought will go before I capture all of the info.
I also use pen and paper when studying a topic, especially for a test, I find the simple of act of writing the information down is enough to cement it in my brain, even if I never go back and read those notes.
I did! And then didn't use them. I finally had some Internet via WiFi so I downloaded a notes app and actually used them!
Nah, tablet and stylus
Yes, for recipe.
Aesthetics mostly, but also it feels more tangible when expressing myself physically, not digitally. Like, I can better recognize what I wrote, because there were more senses involved in writing than there are with typing
Yeah, it's the best way to study.
I have an A6 pocket notebook that I carry around in my pocket and I keep notes in there.
Mostly I just map out the next few weeks at a glance and then note down things I have to do day by day. Sometimes I make an extra entry to take notes on and plan things in more detail as needed, e.g. my upcoming holiday, the itinerary, my flights and visas and accommodation and transport and a few things to do in each place, or the wifi password of a place I'm staying, or notes and thoughts on something I'm researching.
My notebook never distracts me the way my phone might, and it's easier to keep my notes accessible over the term of a few weeks, because they're just there.
I still use an online calendar and obsidian for more long-term notes.
Edit: I also sometimes use my notebook, which cost about 0.50 €, to stabilise a wonky table. I wouldn't do that with my phone.
I do not trust things in my phone to stay private.
I enjoy writing with fountain pens, and I've got to justify the numerous pens and inks I have. I also find it helps me with recall and focus. So I take notes by hand most of the time.
Yes
Just on phone. They're not important notes though. Just random stuff. I don't even remember the context for 80% of that.
:::spoiler Some examples:
Yeah, what's Slimport?
Never did. Too much lazy, and dump1090 works.
You get the idea.
I usually have a dozen sticky notes on my desk - some i write and some other people leave for me. An email from three days ago is easier to forget than the sticky note.
Speak for yourself.
Pros of pen and paper: always in my pocket, very fast to open up and read and write notes. Never runs out of battery. Readable even in brightest sunlight.
Cons of phone: must remember to take it with you or search your apartment to find where you place it and hope you have remembered to charge it during past couple of days. Additionally you have to unlock it and flick through the menus to find the note app. Additionally additionally you have to remember to take a charger where ever you go.
I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who leaves the phone at home, or forgets to charge it. 90% of my time using the internet it's from an actual computer.
a mixed of digital + pen/paper notes. The latter especially when I need to sketch out ideas, diagrams, equations and a bunch of arrows between them.
I work with a deaf guy.
Harder to draw diagrams on a phone.
Since I got a Remarkable 2 tablet I don't write on paper anymore. It's still handwriting so it's kind of the best of both worlds.
I do physical and digital notes both, just so that information is available in as many places as possible. I need a number to refer to a thing in an email? It's in a word doc, on a post-it note on my monitor, on my physical and digital calendar probably, and in a spreadsheet. No matter what, I can find the info I need.
And I feel like the actual act of handwriting helps me remember what I'm writing. I'll take notes during a meeting or a class, never look at them again, and remember the important info. If I don't take notes, I might as well have not been there lol.
Yes! Pen and paper is much more flexible compared to writing-software. It's easy to draw around or write on the margins when needed. I've tried writing with a stylus but I find it harder to use. I usually use this for class and if I have to jot down something quickly.
The only thing I don't put on paper is my todo list. Software manages that so much better than pen and paper. I also don't print out reading material anymore as it gets expensive and very bulky. I use xournalpp for annotation instead.
Depends. Usually I avoid relying too hard on my handwriting since it sucks ass, but sometimes I need to annotate schematics for 30 year old computers
I don't write notes most of the time. If I do I'm in a meeting and just use vscode or whatever task management system (jira, trello, etc) we have.
Rarely. I usually have a laptop handy and I can type a lot faster than I can write. Even on my phone, I can swipe nearly as fast as a I can hand write. I occasionally hand write short notes, but mostly I use a pen to fill out receipts. And I love pens. :-)
most of my notes i take digitally, but if i'm working on something i'll use pen and paper so i don't risk damaging my phone.
generally no, but sometimes yes - mostly jotting down phone numbers, or if one of my many different passwords change until I can memorize it, (ie: at work), etc
other than that, the only time pen touches paper is when I write a check.
If you have to write equations and drawings, pen and paper is still better for me. I'll scan it to onenote afterwards.
Writing with a notepad is better for those who need to be freeform, want the ease of opening it up, and/or have privacy concerns (a phone of any security can be hacked, but a notepad can’t if you write in a code only you can understand, which can’t be done on a phone without an unlimited resource of special characters). As for reachability, it’s what you make of it.
No. Handwriting is slow and makes my hand sore. Keyboards are way more comfortable.
I kinda meet in the middle and just digitally scan my handwritten notes. It makes for easier backups and still have all the benefits of writing paper notes
No, but I'm using the reMarkable 2 instead as a designated digital notepad, so you would probably argue I still have to carry stuff around.
As to why - I can write fast than I type (in meetings etc.) without losing focus.
I’ll one up ya!
I am a pen and paper guy…for initial notes.
If I deem a certain note or set of notes is worth keeping long term, then I recreate them in Joplin. All about the extra work.
95% digital. Work journal is in Tiddlywiki and that's basically it. Todo lists I do tend to do with pen & paper.
I like pen and paper but searching is always such a fucking hassle and my hand writing is garbo. If I know I don't need to actually find anything later then it's great (doodling and thinking about something). I guess I could do pen and paper and layer save into digital but meh.
Have you tried using different colors to highlight certain content? This way, you can somehow remember what is going on and where, and you remember to look for certain keywords. You can sometimes put certain words in a square, so you won't develop a habit and actually remember what you wrote.
Not really. But it would be difficult because I have many things I need to keep track of. If I need to later figure out if I did X for Y then I need to be able to find it. Or if I quickly need to find every step I've done relating to Y it gets difficult. Only way would be to write everything basically twice, to a notepad (or page) about Y, and also to my journal where I quickly jot down what I have done today.
I've thought about digitizing notes and using something like hashtags which I could then search for but it was way too much of a hit and miss to covert handwriting to a searchable format.
Of course having a good index would make things easier but dunno. Maybe I'll take another shot at it at some point.
Typing is better than writing in a solid 75% of cases in my opinion. I agree that you tend to remember things that you physically wrote down better than things you type, but that can be mitigated against if you're in a situation where you need to remember things with strategies like spaced repetition.
In a lecture setting I would prefer to physically write things down, but you also have to be careful with this and only try and summarize because many people have the wrong strategy and try and transcribe slideshows or the lecturer's words verbatim, get halfway through a sentence, the lecturer moves on to the next page, you then have to try and remember the rest, probably get bits wrong, and by the time you've finished that then they're on to the next page and you're just not having a great time. If you get good at typing then you can keep up much better but that's still not the right thing to do in the lecture hall, unless your lecturer doesn't give out the notes or slideshows afterwards or record the lectures. then you're just kinda shit outta luck.
In just everyday settings, like writing a shopping list, keeping reminders? probably on my phone or laptop.
Most of my writing is in pen and paper, I eat through a 200 page composition book about every year. I also do writing on shared drives, like Google docs mostly, and I have grapheme notepad installed on ever electronic device that I own, and I use it fairly often. Something about handwriting makes it easier to get started, maybe its my art/drawing background. I also write in cursive, and people seem to think my handwriting is nice. Admittedly I have practiced letters since grade school, which is kind of unusual I think. Maybe not, I just don't have as many type/font/lettering conversations as I might like
When I need to learn something and think it over I use pen and paper. If it’s noting stuff down to read later or record somewhere, then it’s digital.
Haha no. I make all my notes in markdown, or if I have to write something Math fast like in university lectures, with xournal++.
If it has to be a proper document: LaTeX or real fancy Markdown.
I only sometimes do kanji writing practice (I'm learning japanese), and for that, I'm using paper. Xournal++ would work just as well through.
Often times I keep a notepad beside me. It is my preferred way to store ridiculous length passwords for stuff I care about. I'm usually on a laptop and I may switch it up and use another device to look up stuff. I don't mix my workstation with socials or shopping. Those three activities are all done on different devices, with different networks. So I don't care too much about what can be scaped from here. I don't see value in a small amount of convenience exchanged for connecting my devices, I'd rather just jot down a note and look up the item when I need it.
Hi Steve! How are you doing?... Good!...No last night was great! , yes I'm in the office...I need to pick up the stuff for the birthday party? Ok no problem, can you send me the address? ...oh you driving, okay let me write it down... Hold on, I will put you on the loudspeaker so I can open my notes application... please don't say anything embarrassing, I have like 10 co workers around me... Uh-um...
yep, still doing it
I did take all my notes for university on pen and paper because I don't have a laptop with a touchscreen and pen. But I was never quite happy, since I would lose some notes or not find something specific that I knew I wrote down somewhere. This semester I tried using Obsidian and I and it has been great so far. I am now able to search my notes by text and I can back them up somewhere safe. When I'm not on my laptop I take quick notes on my phone but the important ones will then later be transferred to Obsidian.
I write with pen and paper because its faster for me and it's much more tactile.
Important notes yes. I have like a billion notes on my computer. I don't want to grep that.
So rarely that one time when I had to write something short on a guestbook, for a second or two, I didn't remember how.
Writing on paper helps me to make sense of the chaos in my head.
I have a big notebook in which I write out a first draft of new projects in as neat a handwriting as I can manage. It takes time, but it helps me to order my thoughts into something more coherent. And while writing, my subconscious usually comes up with other points that I might have missed earlier.
I enjoy making my notebook look as nice as possible, using a ruler for lines and tables, adding little illustrations in the margins when idling, etc. I want it to be something I’ll keep after it’s full, because it’ll represent a big chunk of memories from my professional life.
Here’s the biggest reason: we are evolved from savannah primates for whom the ability to make eye contact and hold it was a signal of “you can trust me, I’m not about to bite you.” Paper and pen don’t signal “I have decided to break this evolutionary/social contract” in the same way a phone or open laptop does.
I help mentor a lot of young people in early career and their generation with a phone is an excuse for an x-er/boomer interviewer to punt them waiting to happen. It’s career and comp limiting, right or no.
Also if one finds a taken note is missing something, contact the original party. A conversation that begins with: “you got me thinking about this more deeply and I think I may have missed something…” is the key to mentorship, advocacy, and growth.
In short from a transcoding of bits perspective, other media may be better. But for those they acknowledge human constraint and opportunity a nice notebook and (a cheap shill from me) a Lamy Safari medium nib fountain pen will do you quite well.
Funny. Cats are the opposite. To them, unblinking eye contact says “I don't trust you. I'm keeping my eye on you.” Hence the slow blink they're famous for.
Why not? Either way, you're breaking eye contact. When paper first became commonplace, people probably made the same argument, and there are photos of people on trains all looking at their newspapers and ignoring each other.
what do you mean "still"?
i never did. i have an ugly hand writing and writing a lot, hurts my fingers. not sure why - i guess i have weird hands.
i also suck at going back at looking at the notes - so i write stuff down, in obsidian. i can add photos, drawing, sketches, links, audio bites, videos etc.
Depends on the situation, but yes, I still keep notes with a mechanical pencil and an A5 spiral graphing paper notebook. I do use an electronic notebook (Joplin) for some things, especially if what I am working on will end up in a document or if I need to include screenshots, links, or other embedded items, but for general notes, paper. And, there are places I go that do not allow technology, so having the smaller notepad has come in very handy.
I don’t think I have touched a pen for much other than signing my name since Covid hit
Scratch notes all the time. I know I should keep longhand notes of my professional interactions, as they can be priceless legal records, but I've never been any good at it.
I do that for work, for instance when evaluating students and sharing my desktop, it is just more convenient and private to do it on a paper. Maybe also nostalgia plays a factor here, since even in uni not that long ago, I still used notebook and pen.
Yeah, but it's more like when I just don't have my phone or I'm at my desk and have a pen and paper more handily available than digging it out of my pocket. Most of the time, I use the phone. Especially since I can have my note app remind me about the notes.