The book "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy discusses how to eradicate bad habits that derail your progress, teaches how to instill a few key disciplines that help you make some big breakthroughs, and helps motivate you to do things that you don't feel like doing. It's a good read.
But when I bought the book, it was like déjà vu: the book seemed hauntingly familiar, but I only had one copy of the book. And then it dawned on me.
I looked on my iPad and sure enough, there it was. A digital copy of "The Compound Effect". I'd read the whole book nine months before, and remembered nothing of it - until I reread the paper copy.
It turns out this lack of integration and comprehension is not uncommon. Because I first read the book in digital form, the concepts didn't sink in the first time. Over time, more and more studies came forward, showing that students of all ages across the world were able to learn and retain information better by using physical books and taking notes on paper.
And that's exactly why I take all notes, work out all ideas, and proof all writing on paper. With pen in hand. It sticks. Paper, and paper quality does matter.
So let's examine the value of (old-fashioned) paper notebooks. High quality paper notebooks. Let's use Moleskine for our example - the highest quality paper notebooks of all.
A Quality Paper Notebook
If you're not familiar with Moleskine, prepare yourself for amazing quality. Molskine ensures virtually no show-through, whether you're using a fountain pen, ball point pen, or pencil. Its ivory-toned, acid-free paper reduces eye strain, and the paper oozes both comfort and quality.
The Moleskine notebooks also lie flat, opening at 180º thanks to sewn bindings. No struggling with pages as you're trying to write, diagram, or sketch.
This blog post offers an interesting comparison between Moleskine and another notebook manufacturer. (Spoiler alert: Molskine wins due to superior opacity and less bleed-through of ink.)
Benefits of Paper Notebooks
There are lots of benefits of using paper notebooks, such as:
- They don't cost much. They're a heckuvalot cheaper than anything digital.
- Security - absolutely no cyber threats! (A paper notebook is the best place to store computer passwords!)
- You can use single-topic notebooks to compartmentalize concepts. This helps stay organized.
- A hard cover notebook is quite durable - it won't shatter if you drop it, unlike your phone screen.
- Location - most people can recall the side of the page, and the location on the page, where a specific piece of information is located.
- Writing longhand helps with memory retention.
- Paper notebooks improve memory retrieval.
Potential Cons?
- You can't do a word or phrase search in a paper notebook.
Answer: Very true, but notebooks are also about promoting deep and thoughtful work. If you want to think well and think deeply, then this all takes time. Not everything in life is about being faster.
- I have to carry it around. Whatta pain.
Answer: You don't have to carry it around if you don't want to. Your high quality paper notebook can do whatever job you want it to do.
- I tried, but organizing it was a disaster.
Answer: Use this trick - instead of having a table of contents in the front of the notebook, go 1) to the last page of the notebook, and 2) turn the notebook upside down. NOW start your table of contents. You'll be able to fill up the table of contents as you go along, and you'll never run out of space.
I'm not saying digital things are bad. Not at all. But perhaps paper notebooks - a nice quality paper notebook or two - have a place?
If you like digital note taking and it works for you, great. But if you want to explore the world of paper notebooks, handwriting, and note taking, then give it a try. And check out this YouTuber to learn more about the finer points of using paper notebooks.
Thanks for reading, and visit the column again in December, when we cover Human Resources. |
