In Defense of Pen & Paper

Can writing it down in a notebook help you find new productivity?

I’ve always been a note taker. I keep a Leuchtturm 1917 dot matrix 145 x 210 mm notebook with me everywhere I go — I’m never without it. I fill one notebook approximately every two months, and the past ones are stacked in order in my office, like rings on a tree.

I recently read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo da Vinci, which is based on the multitude of notebooks carrying the questions, ideas, drawings, and lists that belied Leonardo’s insatiable curiosity. It made me realize how central my own pen-and-paper habit has become in my life.

Years ago, I got really complicated about my notebooks, keeping one for work and one for personal; color coding them with multiple Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens. Now, I’m down to a single notebook and one black Staedtler (still the finest pen one could ask for). Here’s the system that works well for me:

1. One notebook for everything. I kind of like that my half marathon training plan lives right next to a strategic planning note for work — any page serves as a glimpse into all of the roles I play in any given day. Also, a heck of a lot easier to reference if you need to in the future — just store them in chrono order.

2. Topic and Date in a box, top left. This makes your notes incredibly easy to search, and I find that seeing them in chronological order helps me remember the context of what else was happening when I wrote the note.

3. Dog-eared bottom left pages. For things I reference often (a training plan, a list I am working through), a tiny fold in the bottom left gets me back to it quickly. I use the notebook bookmark to note today’s date.

There are a multitude of studies touting the comprehension and recall benefits of writing things down. But for me, the comprehensive and time-based visual record of what I’m learning, what questions I’m asking, and what’s taking up my time gives me more feedback and clarity than anything else. That feedback fuels changes, tweaks to the schedule, and eventually more small wins.