this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2023
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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?

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[–] [email protected] 102 points 1 year ago (6 children)
  1. a notebook and pencil in my shirt pocket are faster to open than a phone app

  2. handwriting is faster than thumb typing

  3. 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€

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago

This guy notebooks.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

And your notes don't suddenly increase the price of your storage.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

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 β€œswitch mode” or install plugins.

I still use note-taking apps, sometimes as primary, sometimes as secondary tool.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I feel like you have to be exceptionally fast at handwriting or exceptionally slow at thumb typing for handwriting to be faster.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I remember it better when I write it out. Typing doesn't do the same.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The reason is often that writing forces you to already process and abstract the information. Especially if you are taking notes real-time like in a lecture. You will naturally want to shorten the info to write less so you have to process and understand what is the important info, you have to take the info in context of previous knowledge etc. Typing is often much more mechanical, you just need to process the info as it is coming in and transform it into mechanical keypress.

I also remember something about handwriting processing being a nuanced and very separate process from typing, although I am not certain on this. There was also some stuff about reading your handwritten notes triggering memories better than typed notes.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago

Because i can scrawl a note faster than opening an app and typing, and i can organise a notebook with a lot less fuss.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My handwriting is the perfect encryption. Nobody else can understand it. Lol.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

Dont need to charge a piece of paper

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

At work I do that exclusively. It’s faster to make punch lists for jobsites that way

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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 :-)

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

For those of you that do, join us at [email protected] :)

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

I always have a notepad next to me while working. The notes on paper somehow guide my workflow.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I prefer pencil, but yes, I find it faster and more freeform, and more portable to take initial notes on paper.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Yes, when i need to concentrate

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Much harder to get distracted with a pen and paper. Main reason I use it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

flowchart, brainstorming and drawing is always good with p&p

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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.

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