Technology is great. In fact, I can’t imagine anyone not taking advantage of it!
But after all these years I’ve realized I still do like pen and paper. Whether it’s writing my To Dos or listing down my goals, there’s still nothing like using this old fashioned method!
2 Reasons Why It Works
For one thing, I remember things better when I write them down by hand. I find it especially effective for goal setting, since I feel that the words sink deeper in my brain.
Here’s another reason why I love pen and paper: I make better decisions using this method because I must think hard about each item I write down. It feels as if the words flow from my brain, to my hands, to paper.
While the same process seems to happen to me when I’m typing away at my computer, there’s the possibility that everything can be erased! And what about the iPhone that has a world of apps? (I mention this because a friend recently bought one and wouldn’t stop talking about it.) The productivity apps are amazing: timers, to do lists, calendars, etc. that we could all use to track, measure and schedule our time.
Still, I stick to my statement earlier: goal setting is more effective with the use of pen and paper.
And so today, even though I use some cool tools and apps for To Dos and goal setting, I still do it the old fashioned way. At some point I also tried Gmail Tasks, which I thought was a really cool task tool. I could add emails to my task list, which really uncluttered my inbox, but to get to my task list, I had to go to Gmail. And, that means that when I’m not online, I have no access to my tasks!
So you see, when you put pen to paper you turn your thoughts into something tangible. You can actually see it, touch it, and hey, even smell it if you want to! Goal setting becomes more exciting, and it’s easier to make the plans needed to reach your goals if you have something in writing.
How do you keep track of your goals and daily tasks? Do you still use pen and paper? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to share or bookmark! Thank you!
To Your Success,
Elmar Sandyck
October 8th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Hi Elmar, It’s funny, just as I was opening your blog to check it out I had the urge to put some order in my life. I always used to use a pen and paper todo list – ticking the boxes, clearing the decks. I also used to set goals using pen and paper. Nowadays I have them posted up on my desk having created them using the computer. But whichever way we do it, setting goals is an absolute necessity. For if we do not have a plan, we are planning to fail.
So thank you for your post. Loved it.
Best wishes
Peter
[Reply]
admin Reply:
October 8th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Hi Peter,
Nice to see you here!
I’m glad to hear you say you too use pen and paper to set goals! Strange isn’t it, we have all that technology available and are making use of it at this very moment, but we still prefer pen and paper to set goals! Must be something in our mind that makes it work better that way!
Thanks for your valuable comment and for stopping by.
Elmar
[Reply]
October 8th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Interesting because I just read an article today about how handwriting is key to learning, memory and idea-formation. Here is the article here for anyone interested: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518.html
[Reply]
admin Reply:
October 8th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Hi Steven,
Thanks for sharing this with us, really interesting stuff!
Talks soon,
Elmar
[Reply]
October 8th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Hi Elmar,
I tend to agree with you. There’s just something about physically picking up pen and paper and writing things down. For some reason our brain reacts different to that than using technology.
I still use an ‘old-fashioned’ calendar on the wall to mark important dates instead of using Outlook to remind me. Isn’t that crazy?
Have a great weekend!
Ilka
[Reply]
admin Reply:
October 8th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Hi Ilka,
“Guten Tag”
and glad to see you back here! Hope you are fine!
I have completely the same thing myself, I still use an ‘old-fashioned’ calendar to plan my work and set my goals.
At the same moment I’m blogging, using an autoresponder and article submission software and also learning the newest SEO techniques,… BUT I’m swearing to pen and paper to set goals…!
Steven shared a very interesting link from an article about how handwriting is key to learning, you see it above. It’s an interesting read about this subject Ilka.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
Elmar
[Reply]
October 8th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
@: Hallo Elmar, guten Tag
That was a very interesting article. Wish I had read it before my last comment. I figured there was a connecting between brain and hand when writing down something by hand. The article just confirmed it
Schoenes Wochenende!
Ilka
[Reply]
October 28th, 2010 at 6:48 am
As much as I love technology, I still love using a good ol’ fashioned legal pad and pen to write out potential blog post titles and work through my To Do List. Old fashioned? Sure. But it still feels good…
[Reply]
admin Reply:
October 28th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Hi Ricardo,
I do completely agree with you! Just using an ol’ fashioned legal pad works great!
We need the combination of both, old fashioned ways + also the most sophisticated!
Thanks for stopping by.
Elmar
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