I write most of my notes digitally in Obsidian, but there are times when you have to write — and I mean write, not type. There’s just something special about writing with a pen on paper. Maybe it’s the way we’ve evolved, so even though typing is a fast method to take notes, it just doesn’t have the feeling that a pen to the paper does.
Writing digitally is also limited. You have to follow a set pattern of writing usually. Unless you’re writing on a digital canvas where you can draw or write however you like. This limitation is good in its own way, but sometimes you just have to write on physical paper because it feels right.
There is no delete key, no autocorrect. You’re free to write however you like, It may be messier with unexpected connections, but that’s how we think and operate the best. Far from the “perfect” digital writing.
This is why I started carrying a small notebook with me almost at all times, and it has helped me a lot. I usually write down day summaries and tasks, but also things I’ve learnt that day. We learn a lot every day, but if you don’t write it down, it doesn’t take long for those thoughts to disappear from your head forever.
As you might already know, not all thoughts are important, but if you start writing the important ones every day, you realize that you’ve got more control over your life than you think, that you’re more creative than you think, that you’ve more choices than you think.
Clarity comes from putting your pen to the paper regularly. And as I see more people of my age start drowning themselves in social media, A.I., and other passive things, and they’ve become very prone to algorithmic manipulation. By spending some time reading and writing daily became an integral part of keeping my brain functioning properly.
So try to keep a pocket notebook with you. Write down random things in it. Don’t fear writing things down. You’ll enjoy it once you stop thinking too much about what to write and just write.
Use your pocket notebook as a place to write down your fleeting notes, thoughts, ideas. Then you can refine what you wrote later with tools of your choice — like for me it’s Obsidian; for you it can be another notebook.
Refining your writings gives you a better and clearer understanding of the things you wrote down about. I recommend looking into the Zettelkasten method to organize your thoughts and writings. No matter the goal or reasons for your writing, this process can help it.
