My Remaining Use for Pen and Paper
The author reflects on the practicality of using pen and paper in a digital age. While digital tools are preferred for storing and sharing ideas, pen and paper serve as a valuable medium for brainstorming and early-stage thinking. The tactile experience of writing on paper allows for a more engaging and focused creative process.
- ▪The author prefers digital tools for most tasks but finds pen and paper useful for brainstorming.
- ▪Pen and paper allow for a distraction-free environment to explore new ideas.
- ▪The author believes that physical writing is more engaging for early-stage thinking compared to digital alternatives.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
MY REMAINING USE FOR PEN AND PAPERI care about practicality. I read books on an iPad and take notes on my laptop; in general, if I can avoid having another thing by replacing it with a digital copy, I’ll use it digitally. For many of their historical uses, pen & paper just aren’t practical anymore compared to computers. A nicer experience, sure, but for my day-to-day work, not practical.Only recently did I realize the role of pen and paper in my digital life: not as a storage medium, but as a thinking surface.Computers are better for retrieving, refining, storing, and sharing ideas once they have shape, but paper is better for playing with new ideas.1 For designing non-traditional software architectures or exploring research ideas, I still do my best thinking on paper, where I draw boxes…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Jarbus.
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