Paper Notebooks Are Here To Stay

It’s easy to see more and more people using their phones, tablets, and computers to take notes and pen down thoughts. Productivity is key in the fast-paced era we now live in, so coming to rely on note-taking apps to store our ideas and stray thoughts seems only natural.

However, paper notebooks still seem to keep their place in society today, not as easily erased as some might expect. Personally, we think it’s because paper is intuitive – something people will always use because of its sheer simplicity.

Here are four reasons why we believe paper notebooks are here to stay.

Reason #1: It improves your memory.

A screen gives you a limited sensory experience, leading to a higher chance of mindless note-taking. Due to this, your brain has less cues to refer to when it needs to recall this information later.

On the other hand, writing on paper triggers your senses. You see the words you’re writing, form each stroke of every written word, and hear the rustling of the paper as well. Not only does this create more cues for your brain, it also promotes a more effective learning experience in general.

Reason #2: It helps you to improve your learning.

Although writing on paper can seem counterintuitive, taking more time and effort, it makes you an active listener and trains you to pick and synthesise information at a moment’s notice.

Research shows that students who take down their notes by hand have a better understanding of concepts compared to their peers who used laptops to take notes. This is due to the fact that taking notes by hand exercises the ability to digest and process knowledge consciously, helping you learn better.

Reason #3: There are no distractions.

You have a brilliant idea and immediately rush to your phone to open your notes app. But before you can make it past your lock screen, you see an unread email. The message may be urgent, so you open it, only to find that it was a promotional email. Relieved, you lock your phone and absentmindedly wonder if there was anything you had wanted to note down.

Sound familiar?

It’s easy to get distracted when so many apps try to catch our attention with a constant flow of notifications. Thankfully, a notebook has none of that.

Reason #4: It’s efficient.

If your note-taking process involves a device, chances are you’ll have to deal with an app’s fire-up time, find internet connection, or come across other small, pesky problems which stall your note-taking process.

Countless creative people have had the habit of keeping a notebook close with them, even up till today, understanding the importance of capturing an idea before it vanishes. It can be just as easy for you to retain an idea – all you need to do is find your notebook, open it, and write.

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Even with the hype of countless note-taking apps that promotes productivity and efficiency, nothing can quite replace the meditative feeling of writing on paper.

Does note-taking with pen and paper improve the process for you? Do you prefer to use apps or physical notebooks? Tell us in the comments section – let’s talk about it.