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Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

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Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#251

Post by rramadass »

upsidesinclude wrote: post #81
crazygringo wrote: post #35

I just want to add a gigantic caveat: NOT FOR EVERYBODY. I know a lot of people who insist writing by hand helps them. But I also know it's TERRIBLE for me personally. The article claims: > Writing by hand on paper creates a tactile, personalized experience... The complex experience of hand writing on paper contains a multitude of variable elements: the creativity of an individual’s written representation of language…

Perhaps an even bigger caveat is that you have prescribed this to note taking from a live discussion. That isn't what you've said, but you imply that repeatedly. And by the distinct set of circumstances (recording verbatim) in which writing is vastly inferior to typing, your position is noteworthy. I would argue that a microphone is even still vastly superior & can provide text output. However, whether or not you ret…

Well said!

The point of Writing is to engage the Intellect deliberately as an aid to understanding and memorization.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#253

Post by eterevsky »

From my understanding, the main advantage of writing by hand in terms of memorization/understanding comes from the fact that writing just takes more time. I am not aware of any research that would show that writing is more effective than engaging with text for the same amount of time in a different way, like typing it and then re-reading.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#254

Post by lowken »

I skyrocketed up the ladder at my current company in about 18 months using the following technique.

I take crude sloppy notes on a topic or project. I listen for concepts it words I don’t understand. This includes the jargon in my field (FinTech).

For projects I take my sloppy notes and format them in a Google Docs that serves as a design/QA testing document. I add technical notes and other details to this document.

If I come across concepts or terms that I don’t know and I determine are important I add these to an Anki deck. Then I review this Anki deck daily and commit this information to my long term memory.

I can’t describe how having critical information at my disposal has changed my life. I’ve gone from zero to one of the top individuals at my company in a few months and I credit this success to my little system.

As a side benefit Anki has an amazing search feature for times can’t recall something.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#255

Post by rramadass »

adameasterling wrote: post #83
cronix wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> for reasons that I don't really understand. I believe it's just the amount of time it takes to physically write a sentence with pen and paper, compared to spoken word or even typing which can be pretty fast in comparison. Your brain is mulling the words over several times over as you write it. That leaves more of an imprint as you are literally thinking about it more as your hand slowly writes each word out. I can…

I don't know! I think you might be right, but my intuition tells me it's a little more than that. Other ideas: * Is it a mind-body connection thing? Writing seems to involve a lot more fine motor control and muscle engagement than typing. * Like other people my age, I didn't grow up typing; I started learning when I was around 10 years old. I learned to write much earlier than that. Could it be that neural connection…

You might find the book The Body has a Mind of its Own by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee quite informative in this regard.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#257

Post by gyulai »

lowken wrote: post #254

I skyrocketed up the ladder at my current company in about 18 months using the following technique. I take crude sloppy notes on a topic or project. I listen for concepts it words I don’t understand. This includes the jargon in my field (FinTech). For projects I take my sloppy notes and format them in a Google Docs that serves as a design/QA testing document. I add technical notes and other details to this document.…

Amazing, all of this "skyrocketing" and "zero to top" stuff. And all of that thanks to your "little system". Do you also have a weird old trick for losing weight that doctors don't want us to know about?

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#258

Post by filterfish »

brailsafe wrote: post #200
chefandy wrote: post #197

If you're in charge of other people, it's worth noting that some very common cognitive problems like ADHD, Dysgraphia, and Dyslexia negate these benefits in some affected people. The cognitive load of making legible marks can become high enough to become the focus, rather than the actual content. Pressuring someone already struggling with working memory to do things like this, is counterproductive, if not demoralizin…

I don't think you can lump those 3 together like that, though you did qualify it. I don't know anything about dysgraphia, but dyslexia is probably the standout thing in that list that make writing very stressful. With ADHD, I've always struggled with consistency and memory, and what's been helping for a few months is to start my day by writing it out in detail, so I'm forced to work out the kinks.

There's a high comorbidity[1] between ADHD, dyslexia & dysgraphia so it does make some sense to group them together.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_deficit_hyperactivit...

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#259

Post by aizyuval »

It lacks to mention the simpleness of rewriting using digital means.

When I’m able to rewrite a paragraph a 1000 times compared to much less while writing, the repetition leads to retaining information, among other things like text sharpness etc.

The article does show that for simple, day to day and short notes, it’s beneficial to use a journal.

Re: Writing by hand is still the best way to retain information

#260

Post by annyeonghada »

anotheryou wrote: post #201

Why optimize for retention if that's the exact burden notes can take off you? Optimize for things like understanding, structuring, throughput, tool assisted recall, efficiency... I embrace "prosthetic knowledge" and think it does me a lot of good.

>understanding, structuring, throughput, tool assisted recall, efficiency

All this is aided by memorization not hindered. In my experience studying Physics not memorizing has slowed down my thinking while having the main concept in my brain has made certain problem go from "impossibile" to "trivial".

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