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Paper is the real 'killer app'

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31–40 of 346 posts

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#31
post #21

It can be much better to write down notes, rather than typing. The reason, is that writing is slow and therefore forces one to analyse and summarize at origin, rather than just blasting it out, almost verbatim by typing.

I (largely) agree with your point, that doing things by hand limits your capacity to record lots of things, and brings the mind-set of "I can only write down so much, how can I distil it?"

There's decreasingly less time pressure on learners - in and out of formal education. Note-taking from written sources, or recordings (video or audio) means there's less rush to take notes right there and then.

The processes of analysis and comprehension are slow, and so probably aren't best considered at one event, e.g. taking notes. The average person isn't writing something down once, then fully understanding it, no matter how slowly they write. Even improved retention requires revisiting material, and comprehension or synthesis require application and evaluation of the material.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#32

Not really technology-free; retrogressive rather.

Yeah, it's always interesting how we stop considering certain things as "technology" once enough time passes. Yet anyone reading I, Pencil would be hard pressed to consider it an unprocessed product of the Earth.

You have to read a book to not think a pencil is like a fruit from a tree or something. If I didn't know better I'd be sure your fucking with me on purpose. The stupid has no fucking limits.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#34
post #9

I recently adapted bulletjournaling (from OmniFocus) and absolutely love it. Writing my journal is very relaxing and became a daily ritual of mine. Once a week i escape with my notebook to a cafe (without any tech gadgets) and review my entire system, cut out some tasks that are no longer relevant and plan for the next week. Paper also allowed me to confront imperfections and mistakes more directly. I made a ton of w…

http://bulletjournal.com/get-started/

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#35
I've found journaling on paper to be one of the best morning rituals for calming anxiety. It really is amazing how just writing a few sentences creates a sense of awareness of what's going on in your head.

I also tried bullet journaling as my 'system', but quickly abandoned it. It is great if you're not a compulsive to-do list maker, but if you follow a GTD-like system where you frequently capture, it becomes onerous to answer the question 'what do I do next?' You either have to constantly flip through pages to review your full list, or regularly copy your to-dos to a master list, which becomes quite tedious, especially if you have a long list.

What works for me is using org mode as my to-do system, with paper for the brainstorming and planning. I always start with paper, then once I have clarity on what to do, I move it to org.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#37
I never liked all the multitude of list making apps - Evernote, Todoist, Omnifocus, etc.

I prefer org-mode[1] on emacs. It's simple, flexible, distraction free and for some reason reminds me of writing on paper. You get the simplicity, while also making it as powerful as you want.

1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJTwQvgfgMM

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#38
This is ridiculous. Are people this short-sighted? I keep hearing about people going back to paper agenda or simple text files for todos. I would understand if they said they couldn't find a better solution, but many of them claim that this is an improvement over any digital solution.

Again, nobody seems to be tackling this. Not even YC mentions this problem.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#39
So, what's your favorite notebook and pen combination?

I ordered a bunch of pens from Jet Pens a year ago and my favorite also ended up being one of the cheapest - the Pilot Hi-Tec-C.

My favorite notebook used to be an engineering notebook. It had a grid on one side of the page and college-ruled lines on the other and had a spiral bound spine. Not sure if I have a favorite any more. I do use a lot of index cards.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#40
post #12

It lacks a good undo/redo feature. Unless you scan your work, erase stuff on your computer, and then print it.

I draw lines through things. Write-only interface!

My note-taking became much more effective once I realized that my notes rarely ended up in anyone else's hands, and that they were usually for short-term consumption.

You don't need beautiful notes, you need your notes! Scribble all over if you want (plus it's fun to scratch things out)

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