As you may have known by now, writing down my TODO list in a notebook has been part of my life since I was in school. Even when mobile phone calendar and applications were growing in popularity in 2007, I opted to use my notebook/organiser instead of switching to technology. This idea may seem outdated to many, but there are always good reasons to keep to the primitive method.
Easy access
Open the book and there you are, your TODO list staring at you. Of course one may argue that a phone is more accessible since we are staring at it 24/7. However, I find it faster to flip pages than to scroll through the different days to arrange my timing.
Easy edit
Change time? Cancel, write.
Change day? Circle, draw an arrow to another day.
Compare this to highlighting a bunch of text, cutting, placing the cursor at another place, pasting. All using a finger.
No distraction
Once the mobile phone is in our hands, most people have the tendency to delete emails, to read Facebook update and to reply messages. Few people can resist the temptation of all the notifications.
Write ideas immediately
There are many times when ideas just come to our mind, be it the answer to a Math question or a solution to a programming problem. Take out the notebook and scribble. It is not easy to record ideas and mathematical formulae using a mobile phone, and many times a computer too (at least for me).
Creativity juice
Somehow, I find that I feel smarter and more creative using pen and paper. I am able to write, cancel and draw all sorts of diagrams and flow charts immediately. I guess there is no need to further explain why this is faster than using an electronic device.
Record important notes
The notebook can be used to write down the important notes for a subject which we are taking. Whenever we feel bored, take out and review the notes. Before the exam, take out and go through it once.
A one-for-all notebook can serve many purposes. However, as we are living in the electronics world, take a step back and embrace the old style. We might get more from it than we would ever imagine.
Easy access
Open the book and there you are, your TODO list staring at you. Of course one may argue that a phone is more accessible since we are staring at it 24/7. However, I find it faster to flip pages than to scroll through the different days to arrange my timing.
Easy edit
Change time? Cancel, write.
Change day? Circle, draw an arrow to another day.
Compare this to highlighting a bunch of text, cutting, placing the cursor at another place, pasting. All using a finger.
No distraction
Once the mobile phone is in our hands, most people have the tendency to delete emails, to read Facebook update and to reply messages. Few people can resist the temptation of all the notifications.
Write ideas immediately
There are many times when ideas just come to our mind, be it the answer to a Math question or a solution to a programming problem. Take out the notebook and scribble. It is not easy to record ideas and mathematical formulae using a mobile phone, and many times a computer too (at least for me).
Creativity juice
Somehow, I find that I feel smarter and more creative using pen and paper. I am able to write, cancel and draw all sorts of diagrams and flow charts immediately. I guess there is no need to further explain why this is faster than using an electronic device.
Record important notes
The notebook can be used to write down the important notes for a subject which we are taking. Whenever we feel bored, take out and review the notes. Before the exam, take out and go through it once.
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| A notebook which I used to write important formulae |
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| I also solved some tutorial questions while in the train. |
