Is it time to return to old-fashion handwritten notes? Here are the pros and cons

By Virginia Hogan

As someone whose hand cramps easily, I get the struggle: I want to get off my laptop, but a notebook feels too painful. And slow! But there are some surprising benefits to this old-fashioned way of getting thoughts on paper. Here, I wanted to consider the cases for and against documenting all of life’s comings-and-goings on hand.

The case for handwritten notes.

1. You’ll remember it better
Writing by hand can significantly improve memory retention; studies show it. I can’t remember which studies; I typed them out. But I do know this! When you write something down, you engage more with it than when you type, and this helps you store it in your memory more effectively.

2. Improved Comprehension
If your hand cramps like mine does, then you definitely can’t write everything down. This means you have to summarize the content as you go, which forces you to comprehend the information as it’s being spoken aloud. When typing, it’s possible to transcribe verbatim (or even use a Scarlett-Johansson-type tool), which might not be as beneficial for comprehension. The act of condensing information into your own words helps you understand nuances and clarify your thoughts.

3. Fewer Distractions
You can’t check Instagram in a notebook; I’ve tried. Laptops are literal mines of distractions; there’s no way to avoid them. If you’re taking notes, you’re off the internet and away from often mindless distractions.

Then there are he downsides to handwritten notes.

1. The pace
Handwritten notes are undeniably slow. If you’re in a meeting where they’re talking at Gilmore-Girls-speed, you might not feel that they’re moving fast enough to keep up.

2. Organization
Digital notes are easily searchable and can be organized efficiently with tags and folders, if you’re the folder-tagging type. Personally, I just save everything to my laptop desktop and it’s a huge disaster, but I understand that other people have better habits than me. Handwritten notes, on the other hand, require a manual search, which is super time-consuming. So, taking notes digitally has a clear edge in terms of keeping yourself organized.

3. Sharing and Collaboration
In a collaborative work environment, the ability to share notes is crucial, and it turns out, people don’t love grainy photos of bad handwriting (I’ve learned from experience). Digital notes can be shared with a click, which leads to speedy quick collab-ing and feedback. Which is, of course, a downside, if you didn’t want to get the collaboration started immediately.

Given the benefits and drawbacks of both methods, the ideal approach might be a hybrid one. But either way, consider the possible pros and cons, and test out what works best for you!
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Credit: Forbes