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I went with paper and pen precisely because there was always more I wanted to do with my computer work flow.
by cgriswald 4mo ago
I went with paper and pen precisely because there was always more I wanted to do with my computer work flow.
- obsidianbases1 4mo agoPen and paper for writing. Computer for editing.
- sixtyj 4mo agoPaper notebook. I wouldn’t recommend loose sheets of paper. :) After 15 years of writing notes on loose sheets I would start differently :) Go Tim Ferris way - notebook where the first page is left for the table of contents, and number all even-numbered pages as first step.
- obsidianbases1 4mo agoMy thoughts are so all over the place that I've settled on 3x5 note cards. It also makes the transition to the computer much easier, because I can re-arrange them in a way that is somewhat organized before taking a picture that gets transcribed
- SanjayMehta 4mo agoYou might want to check out Scrivener (Mac and Windows). I use that in lieu of note cards. The cork board function lets you re-arrange text and media to your hearts content and then compile the final output to Word, PDF whatever. It's designed for non-linear writing. https://literatureandlatte.com https://literatureandlatte.com
- sixtyj 4mo agoThe point here is imho that you intentionally remove the computer from the path (in some part of your work) if you want to achieve some focused deep work (in case that you aren’t coding ofc :)
- SanjayMehta 4mo agoI started out using the back of punched cards, when those ran out, made my own out of scrap paper. Scrivener just matched my workflow - usually for technical reports. Lot of cut/paste from a variety of sources.
- obsidianbases1 4mo agoI agree with this. It's not that the digital tools don't exist, it's that my best think gets done when I go for a walk with nothing but a pen and a stack of blank 3x5s.
- sixtyj 4mo agoPossibility to re-arrange is ofc good when working on something in progress. But how do you archive these cards? That always drove me mad so I use them only for something “encyclopaedical” otherwise it is too much messy.
- obsidianbases1 4mo agoAt one point I had a physical filing system, but now they get converted to digital pretty quickly since I don't have to pay 10/hr to get it done. I also usually keep a daily card, and sometimes a few weekly/current lists on the note cards and just carry them around until I'm done with them. It's mainly the capturing of the ideas that I prefer writing physically. After that, being able to move them around my digital system makes them most useful because I can have dynamic views that surface priorities and related notes without having to physically sift through the stacks.
- cortesoft 4mo agoI hate handwriting with a passion. I have my whole life. I have horrible handwriting and my hand gets sore 5 seconds after I start writing. I am sure it is because I don't hold my pen/pencil correctly, but I think after 43 years I am not going to suddenly fix that.
- NathanielK 4mo agoI am similar. If I physically write a couple times a week, my hand adapts though. It's a skill like any other. Fountain pens are nice too since you don't need any pressure. My writing looks a lot better if I just force myself to slow down and be deliberate, but honestly it's a constant battle. I'd definitely benefit from practicing penmanship on it's own.
- dv35z 4mo agoWorth mentioning - for a long time, I found my handwriting messy AND my hand would tire out. When I was about a teen-ager, I decided to write in call-caps, very clearly. I've been doing that for a long time now, and worth giving a try.
- gnabgib 4mo agoteen-ager? call-caps? Cursive (several hundred years old) fixes this.. all-capitals(caps) or block-caps makes writing more laborious, possibly easier to read (which is why it used to be requested on hand-written forms?)
- lproven 4mo ago> (several hundred years old) Several thousand more like.
- syntheticnature 4mo agoYou sound likely to have dysgraphia, based on the fact I have all the same aspects and a dysgraphia diagnosis.
- nine_k 4mo agoWhen I need to write something, and I have a computer, and something is inconvenient, I can quickly (well, within minutes, maybe 30 of them) alter it to my liking, and return to writing. When I only have a pen and paper (which I used extensively for writing at school), many things may be inconvenient, but there's no way to fix it. This may turn into a source of a low-key stress, and interfere with my writing much more than tweaking a computer would. I use Emacs, an ultimate tweaker's tool, for writing every day. Last time I had to tweak something in it was a few weeks ago, and it took maybe 2-3 minutes. It's a small price to pay for a tool that just does what you need, when you need it, with zero mental load, and zero frustration.
- cgriswald 4mo agoFor my two main uses pen and paper has two opposite effects. For creative writing it is freeing because it isn’t the last stop but I don’t have to worry about format or placement or anything. I can just go. Typing has a sort of “technical” feel for me, probably due to code, email, and to some degree comments. For notes during study pen and paper are constraining and force me to organize the thoughts in my mind first and then commit them. Mistakes needing to be corrected here is good: It reminds me what I misunderstood. But, like the sibling poster, the writing goes onto the computer for later editing.
- jimbokun 4mo agoWhat in the world do you need to be able to write with pen and paper? It’s pretty much the single function of pen and paper.
- laweijfmvo 4mo agohow did you decide which pens to go with?
- cgriswald 4mo agoSlow down. I’m still deciding on what size of notebook and whether I go dotted or blank.