The Lost Art of Pen and Paper: 11 Entrepreneurs Weigh In
Since I was a child, I’ve lived a digital life. Prodigy, AOL, Mosaic, dial-up modems, Casio Databank Watches, Sharp Wizards and more. I’ve been digital for a long time. However, I always carry a notepad and pen with me, to take notes, capture thoughts, doodle.
I find that no matter how digital my life is or how cool it is to use a computer, nothing beats the feel of pen and paper and the warm feeling of writing. My thoughts just flow.
It turns out, I’m not alone. I asked members of the Smart Hustle Magazine Facebook Group to chime in and here are their thoughts.
Adrian Miller – Love pen and paper. I wrote my book on a lined pad with a good old fashioned Bic. Writing helps me to slow my thoughts, make sense of chaos and sometimes be more coherent! Love my tech too!
Jeff Standrige (Acxiom)- I use both. When I walk into a meeting, I carry a leather journal and an iPad. I keep my calendar and documents on my iPad, but I use my journal to take notes, to create “Key Actions” lists and to write out and track my weekly objectives. When you physically write down your goals/objectives … magic happens.
John Hickey – I agree. Leather journal for the master task list and key notes. I don’t use a legal pad or ring bound notebook due to other people taking them and ripping pages out. I love my Microsoft Surface Pro but have not yet learned to use it for great note keeping.
Nicole McCullum – I love pen and paper. I’m big on journaling; I have been using the same brand of Journals for the last ten years. I love sitting at my desk to start my day and write down my to do list and scratch off my finished task; it makes me feel accomplished. It’s not the same feeling digitally. I also love Evernote.com; I use it for things that I may need for a later date. I add my goals to it as well, so I always have them with me, it’s easy to read on the train or anywhere else. I also love that it is searchable and I can set reminders.
Shashi Bellamkonda – I believe only when I write it down, I get it done with clarity. Same with presentation outlines and workflow outlines.
Heather McCarthy – I feel like I can mindmap and brainstorm better through pen and paper. All of my rough ideas, streams of thought, and notetaking are with pen and paper. Technology is saved for more finalized thoughts.
Shanniki Green – I’m old school, will always love pen and paper. I write everything down. I always have pad & pen at meetings but will transfer to my laptop if needed. My ebook was written in a notebook then typed. If my computer crashes, lost, etc. I will always have back up.
Beth Granger – I LOVE both. Despite so much of what I do being online, I love a paper calendar and a paper notebook. Why? It’s a combination of things. First, I form my thoughts more easily on paper and find I remember what I have hand written. For the calendar, it’s the ability to see a month as one unit and see where the empty times are in one view. And then there is the fact that I am a doodler… it helps me listen.
Crista Cloutier – I write to know what I think, and I’ve found a more direct connection between my hand and a pencil than a keypad. I carry a small notebook with me where ever I go to capture ideas and inspiration. Though I embrace tech, that lives more in the “work” side of my brain where paper is in the creative.
Eric Buhl – Almost gave up on pens back in 2008. They didn’t write well. Was going back to a pencil when I bought one last pen. Pilot Precise v5rt for the win. The only pen I’ve used since then. I just switched to Microsoft One Note which is synced to my phone, PC and online via Chrome bookmark. Had too many issues with lost data on Google. Pen is for daily. Tech notes are for long term.