Do you still write notes with pen and paper?

1. a notebook and pencil in my shirt pocket are faster to open than a phone app

2. handwriting is faster than thumb typing

3. I can sketch an electrical diagram on paper way faster than anyone can with a stylus on some janky phone screen.

3.1) Even if there was a stylus/screen combination with the same haptics, fidelity, and input recognition speed as pencil on paper, it wouldn't be 0.78€

4. I can toss the notebook and diagrams to anyone working on a project with me with zero worry that they'll drop it, forget it, or look around in the rest of it

5. I can tear out a page and hand it to anyone instantly, instead of finding out what messaging app we have in common, copying (or screenshotting) the note and pasting it in an app

6. I can insert a note into a physical book, stick it to the inside of a toolbox lid, a wall next to an electrical junction, inside a breaker box, or any other surface, and always have location-aware reminders waiting for me when I need them.

7. With minimal environmental control, my notes are effectively immortal. I have notebooks of measurements and diagrams of most rooms, wall cavities, pipe runs, electrical runs, cable pulls, and dimensions of various equipment that have outlasted hard drives, backup tapes, and a few cloud storage companies.

I remember it better when I write it out. Typing doesn't do the same.

Because i can scrawl a note faster than opening an app and typing, and i can organise a notebook with a lot less fuss.

I’ll answer with a simple test. Do the following first on your phone and then on a piece of paper:

Design a thing, something physical; a box, a house, a chair, whatever. In addition to the diagram, this note must include a description of the item, the bill of materials, the dimensions and, if applicable, assembly instructions that you could confidently hand to someone else and have them follow. Ideally, you should include the dimensions of the object directly on the sketch itself.

Now give this to someone and see how accurately they can reproduce the item while you go off and make a phone call.

Dont need to charge a piece of paper

my notepad/book/paper doesn’t run out of battery and doesn’t lose reception …

EDIT: and my book will last longer than your cloud service

EDIT: and you remember stuff better by writing it down

I can't rely on a piece of electronics that might run out of battery, bug out, etc. Note taking on paper is much faster, you can draw anything with any sort of layout, it's completely free form. Of course it depends on your needs. I know I sketch down a lot because of my line of work, that may not be the case for everyone.

At work I do that exclusively. It’s faster to make punch lists for jobsites that way

Yes, of course. How can I leave a note for somebody in the living room, or pin it to the fridge if it's on my PC?

How can I scribble my plans and measurements down quickly without endangering my fancy expensive phone while I'm woodworking? Not to mention I need two hands and need to unlock the phone and find the application etc etc, or I could just pick up the pencil.

And what about my shopping list? Am I going to absent mindedly carry my phone in one hand while I push the trolley and pick up food, basically BEGGING somebody to come and snatch it from my hand and run off with it? Hell no. I use a written shopping list.

These are just some random examples, and I do use my tech to note some things down, most notably if I'm sat at the pc and it's a tech thing I'll probably load Notepad++ and save a quick .txt note, I have a lot of those. But for little around the house/going out things, my notepaper is always best :-)

Equations are a shitload faster to write: this is the main reason.

No fucking spell correction.

Every piece of writing is visually unique and looking back at handwritten notes brings back an additional layer of memory (diaries/personal journals eg).

Paper notes can be permanently destroyed with a high level of confidence and low cost if desired.

Written notes can be easily left for/handed to another person (for flirtatious purposes e.g.), or placed semi-permanently in a useful spot.

Electronic notes are great too, I keep my grocery list and whatnot on my phone, but the reasons above are why I also write things by hand.

My handwriting is the perfect encryption. Nobody else can understand it. Lol.

I do. Its much easier

For those of you that do, join us at [email protected] :)

Yep. My little Field Notes books don’t send me notifications about emails, and I can toss them around without breaking them. And use a lot of notation and drawing methods that are very slow when typing with my thumbs.

Scientifically speaking, writing with your hand helps a lot with memory and learning, while typing does not have nearly the same effect. Also, a lot of handwriting apps are still garbage. It's also nice for focusing to not be using a cell phone. Other than that, some people probably just like it

Because I like small diagrams and schematics. Doing that in an app, especially on a phone, is tricky. And I find that structuring my thoughts on paper just works better than doing it digitally straight away.

I always have a notepad next to me while working. The notes on paper somehow guide my workflow.

I get a lot of scratch paper as part of my job entails troubleshooting printers (kill me) and so I have stacks of printer test pages, pages printed out with PCL and PS errors and what not. These make good canvases for sketching up quick network designs or diagraming things such as work flows. I usually scan them in a note taking app before shredding them to keep my desk clear but it’s much more convenient that having to use Visio or something on things that just need to be sketched out

My laptop died in June, so I had to write my entire master's thesis in a notebook with a pen. Typing on a phone is terrible for writing more than a few sentences.

Pen and paper don't need batteries. I'm pretty sure I can whip out my notepad faster than you can unlock your phone and open the notes widget.

Always pen/paper

A note on my phone is about as useful as no note at all. The physical presence of the note is much more important.

Much harder to get distracted with a pen and paper. Main reason I use it.

Writing with a pen is still more intuitive for me than typing, so I automatically grab a piece of paper and jot it down. Especially while talking to someone.

But I do use note taking apps a lot for more permanent things.

Yes, usually when in meetings. It's 99% a society/conventional thing, but looking and typing on your phone while talking to someone will often be perceived as rude. Taking notes in your paper notebook though usually will come off as being attentive and interested.

I prefer pencil, but yes, I find it faster and more freeform, and more portable to take initial notes on paper.

Yes, when i need to concentrate

Is owning 7 typewriters and 2 fountain pens a yes? Because yes, I love pen and paper.

I don't really find that a hassle to travel with a pen and notepads. I'm also quite fond of the reliability they offer me compared to electronic devices, hell sometimes I travel with a typewriter because of the joy typing on it gives me.

Computers aren't really the same, and typing on glass fucking sucks. Really, it gets painful to type on a smartphone for me real quick.

Also there is something more authentic and real about pen and paper, something material and existing. Something which I can hold and inspect, put up in different light, look at the grain of the paper the trail of the ink. Oh and if you have a particular way of writing it gets not only transmitted by how your letters look, but also by how quickly you wrote them, the paper you wrote that on, the ink and nib you've used. Just so many factors in how it looks in the end.

But the process itself, oh the process. It's just so much more restricting. And weirdly enough that feeling is liberating.

You are so much more focused on what you are writing, you have to sit down to it properly and think. Because redacting and changing anything is so difficult compared to computers, you have to be sure of what you write. You can't just let your thoughts flow without rime or reason.

It's truly a magical experience, something I'm not willing to give up.

At home I take notes on the computer. Timestamps, instant sync across devices, whatever editor I like to use, et cetera. If I get a random call and someone starts talking at me, I'll settle for scribbling on a fast food receipt if it is close to hand. I use my phone sometimes, but I generally take notes when I'm on a phone call.

When I'm at an in-person meeting with a client, pen and paper is the best option because it conveys some degree of respect. People still seem to be put off by people pulling out a laptop and typing during an emotionally charged meeting. If I pull out my cellphone and start poking at it in a professional setting, people don't think that I'm listening or taking notes. They think that I'm bored.

With so much note taking apps nowadays, I can't understand why someone should waste time to find their smartphone, power it on, input the pin for the sim, unlock the screen, find the right app in the app jungle, open it, find the "new note" option, which is hidden in a sub menu instead of using a short cut on your keyboard to bring up a terminal, which opens Vim and automatically saves the file as a note with the correct file name.

Yes, I do.

I enjoy handwriting and it is much faster for me. I like to have a couple of different coloured pens and have it organised. Usually I just end up with a scribbled mess but that is okay. At least only I can read it. If I need to I will type it up afterwards - I love typing as well.

I use many methods to collect and organize information. I take pics on my.phone, write notes on my phone, write outlines on my laptop, write notes in a notebook, and write post it notes for me or others. All are appropriate at various times.

I use paper for all my "at the moment notes" it's just easier because actually unlocking my phone and opening a note app then starting a note takes too long and a lot of the time I need to draw a diagram or something to go along with it. Anything important gets transferred into my onenote from the paper later on. I would like to find a good app to go completely digital but so far nothing I've found meets that need as well as just carrying a notebook around.

I do both. I use Obsidian to maintain lots of notes and links and such. But I also carry a fountain pen and a notebook in my pocket. I find when I write stuff down in there I tend to remember it more. I also carry an A5 notebook at work to take down work notes and track my todo's. More productive, looks better in meetings, and I'm less likely to get distracted by notifications or the draw of apps/social-media.

Lots of times I'll do a drawing of dimensions or an idea, then I'll take a picture of that and throw it in Obsidian later. Also if it's a note that I want to keep later I'll transcribe it into my digital notes.

I just enjoy the act of writing and getting to own a pen that I won't just lose or loan away. I'll also pick up old notebooks sometimes and be reminded of things I wanted to do or ideas I had that got missed, and the reminder is way more tangible and impacting that being reminded by found digital notes. It comes with the tactile memories as well.

Yep. I get distracted with my phone. I doodle on my notes. I enjoy writing in cursive, it's so loopy! I like pens, they're neat!

I also do bullet journaling, but not very strict to the original style. I just draw my own little boxes.

I pretty much only take notes with pen&paper. Never really thought about doing it otherwise. Seems like it would be much more inconvenient on my phone since I don't thumb type and I hate laptop keyboards.

I love the tactile feeling of writing on paper.

flowchart, brainstorming and drawing is always good with p&p

I'm a millennial and I still write notes with pen and paper simply because I can't be bothered to learn how to format in a notes app of any kind.

All of my notes are formatted in a bizarre way that makes sense to me. Applying that format in a digital space is always a giant headache.

I am switching to using Obsidian. Skipping the formatting all together and instead linking all my disjointed ideas to each other seems to be working pretty well.

I'm 53. Never got the hang of typing fast on the phone, so whenever I'm in a meeting and not having my laptop with me, it's pen and paper for me. 🙃

For anything I'll need to share or search, digital.

Everything else, I remember it better if I commit handwriting to it, and I use fountain pens, it's a nicer experience.

I used to have my shopping list on my phone. Replaced that by a whiteboard on the fridge, which is much less cumbersome to use (seriously, typing on a phone nowadays is almost worse than back in the T9 days). Before I go shopping, I just snap a picture with my phone.

During meetings, I find it easier to follow the discussion if I'm making notes on post-its or a notepad rather than digitally.

For longform notes, research etc I prefer to use a wiki program like Obsidian and a mindmap or diagramming tool. I will rarely sketch ideas on paper but being able to rearrange the shapes on digital canvas makes it great for whiteboarding as a software engineer.

Because writing it helps me remember. I'm never going to look at those notes again, because I'll remember, because the act of writing helps me remember.

Writing by hand requires me to condense whatever I'm trying to grok. That helps in my understanding of it.

A note that's pinned to the wall is harder to overlook and forget.

That being said, my note-taking app is set to start automatically when logging in, so I'm always aware of its existence. Wouldn't work otherwise.

Yes. It's faster and it doesn't end up getting lost on my phone or PC somewhere. I can also leave a page open on my desk if it's something I tend to forget (currently German prepositions).

Yes, at work. Healthcare --> HIPAA All notes shredded at the end of the shift or whenever the patient no longer is on your unit.

Yes. There's something about putting it in paper that makes me grasp the concept in a more personal manner.

Yes, typed notes don't stick as well as written ones

I love fountain pens so much and journaling with them. Extremely therapeutic.

I do a mix -- paper is for thinking, digital is for long-term saving.

I'll use paper (nice paper and a fountain pen, ideally) for a quick brain-dump, mind-mapping, planning out my week, figuring out the shape of a solution. There's something about working on paper that spatially makes more sense to me. I keep it all in a single notebook *usually A5 grid or dots like Leuchtterm 1917 or Rhodia webbie) so that I don't have loose pieces of paper. If I'm working or traveling, that notebook is in my bag.

Things that I need to remember land in Obsidian in cross-linked notes, usually tied together with a daily note. Some paper notes do land in Obsidian - that can be a photo/scan, but more likely a cleaned up, summarized version of my thoughts.

Yep.

I tried many times to "go digital" at work, using different apps and methods, but it comes down to 3 things: I take notes and jot down ideas nonlinearly. For example, I'll start taking a note from a meeting or lecture, then have an idea that I'll jot down elsewhere, but go back to the original note to finish it then go and complete the idea. It's stupid, but it works for me. The second is that I infrequently need to review my notes that are written since they get committed to memory. Unfinished ideas are different. Third, I can find notes faster when I wrote them vs typed them. I have a photographic memory. My desk is a huge mess, but I can usually find what I need because I remember it's physical location in the pile.

I use a tablet for most my notes but there's a pretty obvious reason for paper/pen - you don't have to charge a notebook.

I use a mechanical pencil. Pentel 205 for life baby.

I do both, and it’s heavily dependent on what the purpose of the note is for.

I keep a yellow legal pad and mechanical pen. Stuff that goes on the pad are usually the ultimate in throwaway notes. Scribbles that are wholly transitory.

Then I have a digital note management system (Obsidian.md) and use it to maintain a personal journal and Zettelkasten.

Some yellow pad notes might flow into Obsidian, but not always.

If I'm ever using my desktop at home, yes. I always have extra paper I can use as note paper for if I ever need to write something down, so I make use of it. I am never not around a mechanical pencil nor pen either, so that also helps.

Yes, it's very useful sometimes.

Unlocking the phone, looking at it, opening the app, then looking for the info is a hassle sometimes. Sometimes it's not safe either.

I agree with a lot of peoples take about the convenience of paper notes with the ability to handle them, physically share them and so forth. But I still never use physical notes any more. And 100% of the reason is that I'm always carrying my phone, but I never carry a pen and notebook. My need to take notes is spontaneous and unpredictible, so paper and a pen is never within an arms reach when I need to take a note.

Yeah of course. Especially if you’re in dirty or wet places a waterproof pad and pencil are fantastic.

But even in everyday normal life, having a little notebook is good.

I use sticky notes at home, and write by hand in an actual notebook when hashing things out. I also take notes in a text editor, though.

Simple sketches of very rough ideas are much simpler for me in a notebook. Its right there when i need it, and they’ve thought me how to use a pen ages ago so i’m pretty good at it. Noting down numbers or dimensions before i can enter them to cad in their proper places is something i do quite a lot too. The built in history feature is amazingly simple but search could be improved upon. Especially if the pages are filled with random things next to each other.

The notebook is pretty resistant to drops too and i can put plates or mugs on it without risking sratches

Somehow I notice how I think more 'structured' and focused about the things I write down by hand. Especially useful when I try to break down tasks into smaller bits or try to plan anything through step by step

Yes, for recipe.

Both, for different reasons. I use paper notes to stick them on my fridge so I won't forget about them.

For work I used to have an agenda with notes but over time I realized it's impossible to actually keep organized and have the most important things be the most easy to find. I moved to onenote and never looked back.

For personal notes I use a tablet with pen because it's fun to write by hand without wasting trees and it still being digital it's easier to organize and move information around.

yes, there is music in the sound of pen across paper and magic in the scratch of a pencil. I still use my phone to take quick notes but I love the sound and feel of paper.

Rarely. I usually have a laptop handy and I can type a lot faster than I can write. Even on my phone, I can swipe nearly as fast as a I can hand write. I occasionally hand write short notes, but mostly I use a pen to fill out receipts. And I love pens. :-)

Yes, but I use a rocket book to easily digitize these days. Tried a remarkable, but didn't quite like the process once many pages were involved (slow to flip through pages).

I also keep quite a few notes on the computer and phone via self hosted Joplin. Which is awesome too.

Yes

I do not trust things in my phone to stay private.

Yes

I work with a deaf guy.

Harder to draw diagrams on a phone.

Hi Steve! How are you doing?... Good!...No last night was great! , yes I'm in the office...I need to pick up the stuff for the birthday party? Ok no problem, can you send me the address? ...oh you driving, okay let me write it down... Hold on, I will put you on the loudspeaker so I can open my notes application... please don't say anything embarrassing, I have like 10 co workers around me... Uh-um...

I enjoy writing with fountain pens, and I've got to justify the numerous pens and inks I have. I also find it helps me with recall and focus. So I take notes by hand most of the time.

Sometimes i need to hand info to someone, or paper is just nearby, or i need to draw a diagram.

I do have an ipad, but if you are brainstorming with other people, they don't always know how to use it/touch the wrong thing.

All other notes are digital, because i am bad at keeping track of pieces of paper.

Yes! Pen and paper is much more flexible compared to writing-software. It's easy to draw around or write on the margins when needed. I've tried writing with a stylus but I find it harder to use. I usually use this for class and if I have to jot down something quickly.

The only thing I don't put on paper is my todo list. Software manages that so much better than pen and paper. I also don't print out reading material anymore as it gets expensive and very bulky. I use xournalpp for annotation instead.

I hand write to-do list because I can remember , my phone is a distraction machine.

Aesthetics mostly, but also it feels more tangible when expressing myself physically, not digitally. Like, I can better recognize what I wrote, because there were more senses involved in writing than there are with typing

Nah, tablet and stylus

Since I got a Remarkable 2 tablet I don't write on paper anymore. It's still handwriting so it's kind of the best of both worlds.

Yes. It's faster, I have an easier time remembering stuff that I wrote by hand instead of using a keyboard, I can't be arsed to use a phone most of the time, and I can even apply some primitive "encryption"* to keep a certain overly curious person around me from messing with my notes. I can also use them when I'm designing writing scripts for constructed languages, way faster than doing it in Inkscape.

The big con is that one of my cats thinks that paper is toy, and the other thinks that any large enough sheet is a bed.

*it's just Italian with ad hoc Cyrillic. Good enough for handwritten notes.

I use my phone for quick notes on the go, or creating lists of information I want to be able to re order and edit.

I use pen and paper mainly for brain dumps. Getting a stream of thoughts out of my head and on to paper. I find trying to use a phone for this will lead to some distraction and the thought will go before I capture all of the info.

I also use pen and paper when studying a topic, especially for a test, I find the simple of act of writing the information down is enough to cement it in my brain, even if I never go back and read those notes.

a mixed of digital + pen/paper notes. The latter especially when I need to sketch out ideas, diagrams, equations and a bunch of arrows between them.

I kinda meet in the middle and just digitally scan my handwritten notes. It makes for easier backups and still have all the benefits of writing paper notes

I did take all my notes for university on pen and paper because I don't have a laptop with a touchscreen and pen. But I was never quite happy, since I would lose some notes or not find something specific that I knew I wrote down somewhere. This semester I tried using Obsidian and I and it has been great so far. I am now able to search my notes by text and I can back them up somewhere safe. When I'm not on my laptop I take quick notes on my phone but the important ones will then later be transferred to Obsidian.

If you have to write equations and drawings, pen and paper is still better for me. I'll scan it to onenote afterwards.

I do that for work, for instance when evaluating students and sharing my desktop, it is just more convenient and private to do it on a paper. Maybe also nostalgia plays a factor here, since even in uni not that long ago, I still used notebook and pen.

yep, still doing it

As a uni student I do both. I generally type notes during lectures and live meetings, and handwrite notes for prerecorded videos and other general study.

I still handwrite because my exams are going to be handwritten and I don't want to lose my ability to handwrite fast lol.

You can also doodle/draw diagrams when you handwrite. It's harder to do that on a phone/computer.

I still use pen and paper because it just feels better than handwriting on a screen.

I use paper for shopping lists, to keep track of dimensions etc, and to-do lists for work.

I tried multiple note taking or to do list apps over the course of a few years before going back to paper.

Benefits: No risk of scratching/dropping my phone because I have it out. Can easily emphasize text, star/cross off items, and mix diagrams and text. Can quickly scan many items by eye. Works when my phone battery dies. Works when no cell service (unlike some collaborative to-do/list apps) Can hand the list to my partner. Instant sync. Satisfying to physically toss out completed lists. Can reference the list while on the phone. Not distracted by phone alerts. Never get spam email or pop ups urging me to pay for an app, or rate an app; no terms of service or privacy policy!

95% digital. Work journal is in Tiddlywiki and that's basically it. Todo lists I do tend to do with pen & paper.

I like pen and paper but searching is always such a fucking hassle and my hand writing is garbo. If I know I don't need to actually find anything later then it's great (doodling and thinking about something). I guess I could do pen and paper and layer save into digital but meh.

I write with pen and paper because its faster for me and it's much more tactile.

I don’t think I have touched a pen for much other than signing my name since Covid hit

Just on phone. They're not important notes though. Just random stuff. I don't even remember the context for 80% of that.

You get the idea.

Writing on paper helps me to make sense of the chaos in my head.
I have a big notebook in which I write out a first draft of new projects in as neat a handwriting as I can manage. It takes time, but it helps me to order my thoughts into something more coherent. And while writing, my subconscious usually comes up with other points that I might have missed earlier.
I enjoy making my notebook look as nice as possible, using a ruler for lines and tables, adding little illustrations in the margins when idling, etc. I want it to be something I’ll keep after it’s full, because it’ll represent a big chunk of memories from my professional life.

Haha no. I make all my notes in markdown, or if I have to write something Math fast like in university lectures, with xournal++.

If it has to be a proper document: LaTeX or real fancy Markdown.

I only sometimes do kanji writing practice (I'm learning japanese), and for that, I'm using paper. Xournal++ would work just as well through.

what do you mean "still"?

i never did. i have an ugly hand writing and writing a lot, hurts my fingers. not sure why - i guess i have weird hands.

i also suck at going back at looking at the notes - so i write stuff down, in obsidian. i can add photos, drawing, sketches, links, audio bites, videos etc.

Often times I keep a notepad beside me. It is my preferred way to store ridiculous length passwords for stuff I care about. I'm usually on a laptop and I may switch it up and use another device to look up stuff. I don't mix my workstation with socials or shopping. Those three activities are all done on different devices, with different networks. So I don't care too much about what can be scaped from here. I don't see value in a small amount of convenience exchanged for connecting my devices, I'd rather just jot down a note and look up the item when I need it.

So rarely that one time when I had to write something short on a guestbook, for a second or two, I didn't remember how.

No.

Surprised no one here answered with just a "no". I can't remember the last time I even held a pen for signing something, even my last job contract and rental agreement etc were all digital.

AMA, all you pen and pencil people.

No, but I'm using the reMarkable 2 instead as a designated digital notepad, so you would probably argue I still have to carry stuff around.

As to why - I can write fast than I type (in meetings etc.) without losing focus.

I’ll one up ya!

I am a pen and paper guy…for initial notes.

If I deem a certain note or set of notes is worth keeping long term, then I recreate them in Joplin. All about the extra work.

Scratch notes all the time. I know I should keep longhand notes of my professional interactions, as they can be priceless legal records, but I've never been any good at it.

Yes, mostly university and work though. I don't have a tablet and the drawing tablet is at home most of the time. Pen and paper just gives more flexibility than text. Though I instantly scan them and upload them to my paperless instance.

Here’s the biggest reason: we are evolved from savannah primates for whom the ability to make eye contact and hold it was a signal of “you can trust me, I’m not about to bite you.” Paper and pen don’t signal “I have decided to break this evolutionary/social contract” in the same way a phone or open laptop does.

I help mentor a lot of young people in early career and their generation with a phone is an excuse for an x-er/boomer interviewer to punt them waiting to happen. It’s career and comp limiting, right or no.

Also if one finds a taken note is missing something, contact the original party. A conversation that begins with: “you got me thinking about this more deeply and I think I may have missed something…” is the key to mentorship, advocacy, and growth.

In short from a transcoding of bits perspective, other media may be better. But for those they acknowledge human constraint and opportunity a nice notebook and (a cheap shill from me) a Lamy Safari medium nib fountain pen will do you quite well.