The Importance of Putting Pen to Paper in the Digital World
It’s the write stuff.
To prove the title of this post true… ya know, that we’re really not joking around about the importance of this post, I wrote it out by hand before I typed it. It felt tedious at first. A little finger crampy. Do I even know how to spell words like committee or entrepreneur on my own, I wondered. (Not a proud thought.) It was tricky, tricky, but yes.
Because look, the irony of typing a post about the importance of putting pen to paper, was not lost on me. Typing is definitely faster, easier to share with colleagues, but it’s not necessarily better.
Here are some reasons why, and our friends at Blue Sky are no stranger to this concept:
Slow Down, You Crazy Child.
If you caught on to our Billy Joel reference, you might also know that Vienna waits for you. What does that have to do with writing, pen and paper? A lot! We are TIED to our computers and our screens. No matter what kind of “healthy” relationship you have with your tech, humans aren’t meant to always move this fast. It’s crazy. The internet can wait for you while you make notes *gasp* in a notebook.
Writing slows you down, makes you think about what you really want to say, instead of what comes flying off your fingertips at 90 WPM.
The challenge: Next time you go into a brainstorming meeting, leave your computer closed. Take notes with your colleagues on paper and see what kind of magic you come up with. There’s so much note-taking variety out there – from personalized notebooks (in small, medium, and large sizes depending on your preference), to grid notes, lined notes and more. The options are virtually ENDLESS. (And if you don’t believe us, virtually (literally) personalize your very own here.) The ease of planning can start online – but the act of writing, pen to paper, is where you’ll see the benefit.
The Mid-Sleep Ah-HA!
It used to be common to wake up in the middle of the night and scribble an idea down on a piece of paper by your bedside. In the morning, when you awoke, it would be there, staring you in the face. More and more we hear of people doing this with their phones. However, there are two reasons this isn’t the *best* way to 2am brainstorm.
First, all of the science proves that the blue light from your phone disrupts good sleep. Opening your phone in the middle of the night to jot something down, is way more disruptive to sleep than a pen and paper.
Second, a note taken in your phone in the middle of the night is essentially buried. It’s buried beneath texts, IG scrolling, checking the news and your email. However, a note on your bedside table smacks you right in the face in the morning. That idea gets to be the first thing you consider upon waking. It might be the best consideration you have all day.
The challenge: Instead of writing a note on your phone and disrupting your sleep, write in on a pad of paper or notebook beside the bed. The personalized To-Do notebook by Blue Sky makes this feel like second nature for those thoughts that just need to be jotted down – at any hour, any day. Literally: just write your to-dos, must-dos and have-tos all in one reliable spot, and stop. your. worrying.
There’s a reason we like notes on the fridge.
A handwritten note or goal gives us clarity and focus. Typing goals is fine, dandy, and speedy, but by handwriting goals, you might slow down (see point #1) and find new insight. Writing down goals gives you a kind of direction that a laptop can’t.
The challenge: free write your goals--speed write if possible, and see what ends up on the bottom of the page. It might totally surprise you! The benefit of a Blue Sky personalized notebook? You have tons of white writing space for all of the goal-setting and forward-thinking you want. And the best part? Don’t just hit the ‘delete’ button when you’ve reached a milestone. Cross off each goal (literally) when you’ve accomplished it. And remember, Blue Sky was with you on the journey to that moment.
Have reasons you like handwriting vs. typing? Share in the comment section below!
MORE FROM OUR BLOG
How To Design Your Day and Plan Well In 4 Steps
Tips to design your life with productivity.
With Monday here, we know how busy life can get. Between meetings, appointments, set commitments, work or school and a social life, it can be hard to find the time to manage it all.
The Best Way to Balance? Plan Well, with Focus and Intention.
Our friends at Blue Sky create dated planners, calendars and notebooks that help people manage their time and organize their lives, effectively and fashionably. They were able to team up with Whitney English, creator of the iconic Day Designer & Create & Cultivate DTLA panelist, to create a collection of planners, calendars and accessories that offer stylish solutions to busy women all over the world. And if you didn’t notice, they brought the buzz to our Create & Cultivate DTLA gift bags too!
Whitney, who spoke this weekend on “She Means Business: The Balancing Act of Mother and Mogul” created the collection in response to her own desire for a planner that was both functional and beautiful.
“I envisioned a planner that would be simple to use yet robust enough to handle the modern woman's busy, chaotic, challenging - yet ultimately rewarding – life,” notes Whitney.
“An efficient planning system was truly the key to helping me, and busy women all over the world, find focus, create balance and live a more inspiring life.
Essential Steps for Living Your Best
Each Day Designer planner offers four easy steps (and special pages) for you to define your values, envision your goals and live your best.
Start with the Big Picture: Your big picture is a combination of your dreams, ideas about the life you want to live, and your vision of what the coming year could be. Use this space to brainstorm. Include thoughts about the people in your life and the kind of people you’d like to surround yourself with. Think about the non-negotiable activities and events in your days, weeks, months and years. Usually, you can start by thinking about what you spend your time and your money on as an indicator of what matters most to you. Challenge yourself to not only dream big on this page, but also to dream better. You can always come back to this page throughout the year and add to it, so don’t feel like you have to fill it out all at once.
Set Your Goals: Looking at your big picture list, ask yourself this question: what do I have the time, money, energy, knowledge, and network to start working on right now? That’s the question that tells you which of those big ideas are the most realistic to move forward on in this moment. Break your goals into categories to achieve a balanced life: family & friends; heart & spirit, business & finance, health & fitness, etc. Finally, assign dates to have your goal achieved by. If one goal feels too big, break it down into lots of little goals and space your milestone dates out to help you create progress and momentum toward achieving your goal.
Design Your Days: Be intentional. Each day is a unique reflection of you. Morning and evening routines should help you start each day energized, and finish with a sense of accomplishment. Your routine needs to work for you, but don’t fear challenging yourself to change it up every now and then.
Your routine needs to work for you, but don’t fear challenging yourself to change it up every now and then.
Stay on Course: Review your goals throughout the year. The checkpoint interval is not important. Some people review their goals daily, some review weekly, some choose the monthly or even quarterly option. The important thing is to remember to review them and make sure you’re on course, as well as celebrate successful milestones along the way.
Your Life, Well Designed
The line of planners, calendars and desk accessories empowers women to manage their busy daily lives with creativity and style.
The collection reflects Whitney’s sophisticated aesthetic with classic patterns, colorful floral accents, stripes and touches of gold to dress up any desk or life space. In addition to planners and calendars, the collection includes pencils, washi tape, a pen and clipfolio.
Each planner in the Day Designer for Blue Sky collection is designed to guide thoughtful, effective planning. Smart page layouts are available in weekly, monthly and daily formats to help you plan according to your needs and preferences.
With use, each Day Designer x Blue Sky planner becomes a reflection of the confident, empowered woman who designs her days and lives in balance.
Happy planning!