---
title: Why You Should Use a Pen and Paper for Note Capture
source: https://medium.com/@fundamentalised/why-you-should-use-a-pen-and-paper-for-idea-capture-7f5aa36a0c76
tags:
  - Methoden/NoteTaking
  - Methoden/Kalender
  - Methoden/BulletJournal
---

> [!info]
> ![](1_FR4cUQYuNeoefyZ0dh9TPQ_70e9bb0868e74d97b0eb15647.png)
> Theo Stowell


![](0_rw6aG3l8ny3zpYTw_79c68e6081764ae3bca1b50ac14d72d.jpg)
Photo by [Krisztina Papp](https://unsplash.com/@almapapi?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral)

I have been journaling on paper on a daily basis for around a month and a half ([this article](https://medium.com/@tstowphoto/how-to-quit-a-digital-task-management-system-to-start-bullet-journaling-42476a3fa0e9)), using the principles from Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal Method as the system for managing my tasks and thoughts. I journaled in a Traveler’s Notebook, which was too large to remain on me all the time, so I found myself conflicted by uncertainty around using a digital system to capture my ideas as well.

Recently I took the plunge and purchased a passport-size Traveler’s Notebook. This was small enough to fit in my pocket, and became my new means for keeping track of my tasks and capturing my fleeting ideas, while my larger notebook lived on as a place for longer-form personal notes and journaling. I wanted to talk about the effect that this purchase had, and why I now think that capturing notes with a pen and paper is the way to go for clarity and functionality within your system.

## 1\. There’s less distraction

There is an obvious distraction barrier that comes with using your mobile device to capture notes. Because you have connection to virtually anything in the world in your pocket (or your hand if you are taking a note), there is an unlimited number of opportunities for your mind to generate a thought to do with anything in the world that is going to pull you into your phone, wasting your time. With a notebook, you can only look at a blank page for so long before it becomes boring, therefore the stimulation comes from actually making the note, not from a source that is trying to prise your attention away from making a note.

After spending longer without access to a mobile device, I found that the quality and frequency of the ideas that I was generating and writing down improved. You will have more headspace, because of the reduction in stimulation that comes from embracing this physical system, allowing the things on your mind that truly matter to gain some exposure. This is a useful practice when it comes to goal-setting and determining your purpose, because your mind is intuitively aware of what the priority in your life is right now. Cutting away the noise caused by digital sources allows you to be mindful of these thoughts, which leads you to better being able to dedicate what precious little time we have to worthwhile tasks.

## 2\. There’s no more friction than digital means

This point was surprising to discover — one of the main reasons that I was holding off from capturing notes in an analogue way was because I believed that it was so much more efficient to take out my phone and capture through typing the idea into my Todoist inbox. I was worried that my fleeting ideas would disappear, lost forever, before I could render them on paper. There hasn’t been any instance where I’ve found that it’s taken longer to pull my notebook from my pocket and jot a note than if I were using my phone. I haven’t forgotten any ideas this way, and I convinced myself before the purchase that it wouldn’t matter if I did, seeing as the best ideas will always come back around.

## 3\. Your notes are easier to review

I never really reviewed my journal when it was kept digitally. Each day’s notes were on a separate file, causing friction through having to flick through multiple documents. When I look at a spread in my notebook now, I’m greeted by several days’ worth of tasks and notes, without having to flick between pages. This provides greater perspective and context when it comes to reviewing certain times in my life, without the friction of having to trawl through my digital environment. I can comfortably see how my habits and productivity (task completion) fluctuate, allowing me to use this information for optimising my behaviour to improve my capacity for important parts of my life, such as working on starting a business, and social activity.

## Conclusion

The best tools are always the ones that reach such a low level of friction in your life that you are barely mindful of the fact that they are being used within your system. I was never able to find anything close to that with task management until I started using a physical notebook and pen that I could carry with me everywhere. Even just a short time into using the system, I am embracing the freedom from the digital services that I was using previously. With further ingraining of my new task management habits, the process of managing my tasks will hopefully become even more automatic, freeing up my capacity for producing meaningful and original work. I hope you experience the same benefits, should you choose to try this method of task and idea capture yourself.
