Handwriting – more than just notes

We jot down one thought in our phone's notes. We add an appointment to our calendar. We save an important message in a chat, and photograph something else so we don't forget it.

After a few days, the next task begins – not to remember the information itself, but where it is hidden.

Was it in notes? In the calendar? In an email? Maybe among the screenshots?

The digital environment allows us to save almost everything. But sometimes, there's more information, and less clarity.

When notes are everywhere

The phone is fast, convenient, and almost always by our side. It reminds us of appointments, stores documents, and helps us quickly note down important things.

The problem begins when we use a different place for every thought.

Moreover, just opening the phone to write down one thing, and attention is already demanded by a new message, email, or notification. After a few minutes, we might not even remember why we picked up the phone.

With paper, it's different. Opening a planner or notebook, we don't have ten other apps in front of us. There's just the page, something to write with, and the thought we want to jot down.

Handwriting makes you stop

Writing by hand is usually slower than typing. But this slowness is not always a disadvantage.

When writing, we can't transfer everything word for word onto the page so easily. We have to choose what's most important, arrange the sentence, and formulate the thought in our own words.

Therefore, handwriting is not just about saving information. It is also a thought process.

The hand forms letters, the eyes follow what is written, and the mind simultaneously selects words and organises the thought. Handwriting involves movement, vision, language, and attention.

An EEG study published in 2024 observed broader brain connectivity patterns during handwriting than when typing on a keyboard. The study itself doesn't prove that a pen makes us smarter, but it does show that handwriting is a multifaceted process for the brain.

When thoughts become visible

As long as thoughts are only in our head, they tend to merge into one big list. Everything seems important, everything needs to be remembered, and it's not really clear where to start.

On paper, thoughts become visible.

We can circle one task. Cross out another. Write a question next to it, connect two ideas with an arrow, or realise that half of what we planned for today isn't even that urgent.

Sometimes it's only after writing everything down that it becomes clear why we feel overwhelmed.

A paper planner also helps to see the big picture. In one spread, we can review the entire week, notice the busiest days, and more realistically assess how much we can accomplish.

Also, in a 2021 study, people who wrote information in a paper calendar completed the task faster than tablet and phone users. Later, when recalling what was written, the paper group showed more pronounced activity in several brain regions associated with memory, language, and imagination.

Handwriting doesn't have to be perfect

Sometimes a beautiful notebook gives the impression that what is written in it must also be flawless – neat letters, straight lines, and no crossed-out words.

But a notebook is not a handwriting contest.

It can contain arrows, notes in the margins, mistakes, and words written in a hurry. That's often what a real thought process looks like.

It doesn't matter to paper how neatly we write. Its job is to help us not lose what's important.

Paper and digital environments don't have to compete

There's no need to give up your phone or digital calendar. The digital environment is excellent for reminders, storing documents, and sending information to others.

Paper, on the other hand, can become one main place for daily plans, priorities, and thoughts.

The phone can keep a reminder for a specific time. The planner can hold a weekly overview, to-do list, and what we don't want to lose in the daily rush.

The most important thing is not to choose only one format. The most important thing is to create a system where you don't have to search every time for where something was written down.

One week with paper

Try using one planner or notebook as the main place for your thoughts and tasks for one week.

Every day, write down:

• three most important tasks;
• one thought you don't want to forget;
• important dates and meetings;
• one thing you might not even manage to do today.

Without a complex system and the requirement to write perfectly.

Paper won't make the day longer. But it can help you see more clearly what you truly want to dedicate your time to.

And if you're looking for one place for your plans, thoughts, and ideas, check out Dainamax planners and notebooks.

But what about you – do you prefer to write down the most important things on your phone, on paper, or do you use both?

Sources used

Van der Weel, F. R. R. and Van der Meer, A. L. H. Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 2024.

Umejima, K., Ibaraki, T., Yamazaki, T. and Sakai, K. L. Paper Notebooks vs. Mobile Devices: Brain Activation Differences During Memory Retrieval. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2021.