Put It in Writing – The Hard Way

It’s becoming a well-established thesis that the physical act of writing things down on paper (yes with a pen – or pencil!) has some clear advantages over using a laptop, tablet or other electronic device for note-taking. Among other things, research shows that people who take notes longhand learn and remember more about the material they are documenting than do their digital counterparts. Other benefits often mentioned include the ability to include diagrams and drawings with your notes in ways that you could not easily do with most online note taking tools, less potential for distraction by other online frippery, more likelihood that you will think creatively while you are writing things down (doodling, anyone?)

This is not to suggest that there is no place for digital tools in the life of a good note-taker. Indeed, your online tools should serve as a method for organizing and cataloguing your notes, ideas and thoughts. Those paper napkins, ripped legal pad pages, or journal books serve their purpose once your original note-taking is complete, but they will easily turn into an unmanageable clutter as stacks of papers and notebooks pile up on your desk, your bedside table, sofa or floor. As this occurs, all of that information you have committed to paper becomes just piles of hoarded trash!

Having (hopefully) established the “How” of writing things down, let’s turn to the “Why”. Why is writing things down, taking notes, making lists and otherwise recording what is going on around you a valuable habit? Here are a few good reasons:

Clearing your Brain

Unless you are an extremely unique individual, you probably recognize that there is a limit on how many things you can hold in your head at any given time. The more different ideas or concepts you are trying to keep track of, the more likely it is you will begin to forget one or more of them. Just think of a shopping list – it isn’t so hard to remember to buy eggs, milk, and bread. But what if you want to shop for those essentials, plus a package of Swiss cheese, a pound of ground beef, peanut butter, sandwich bags, laundry detergent, and a box of paper clips? When you get home, what will you have forgotten? My bet is on the paper clips and sandwich bags. But if you put all the items down on a written shopping list, you only have to remember one thing. The list.

Move Items from Short- to Long-Term Memory

Even really good ideas won’t stay in your head too long (like 20 or 30 seconds), unless you commit them to the part of your brain that handles long-term memory. This happens more readily when you write your ideas down. The specific act of writing causes you to “think again” about an idea that has just popped into your head, and repetition is one of the ways we move information from short-term to long-term.

Improving your Thought Process

Clear, critical thinking is a skill, and one that is highly valued by people when they see it in others. The less you have to worry about remembering things, the more brain power you have available to the thinking process, and the more clarity you will have in your mental processes.

Creating a Record for the Future

Keeping a written record of thoughts, feelings, decisions and behaviors give you an historical record that you may be very happy to have down the road – whether you are writing about the implementation of a strategic business plan, or just recording your thought process on a regular basis. When you review the written information at a later date, you will remember details you might have otherwise forgotten, you will gain insights into your own thought process that might help you in the futures, you will gain confidence in your skills and abilities, and you may even have the pleasure or satisfaction of reliving moments that are worth savoring.

Sincerity and Seriousness (Commitment)

“Put it in writing” is something of a cliché, but one that you will hear often, usually when someone wants you to demonstrate commitment to a proposition or sincerity of purpose. The thought is, and it is accurate, that if you are serious about something, you will not hesitate to write it down and share it with others. Plausible deniability is virtually eliminated when you write something down. When you send a thank you note, instead of just making a phone call, or when you write a game plan out and give it to your partners, you are saying “this is something I am willing to back up.”

Accountability

Even if you never share your deadlines or commitments with others, there is a strong element of accountability to written goals and objectives. If I write down my weight loss goal, and then keep a written list of my weekly weigh-ins, it will be hard to fool myself about how well (or poorly) I am doing at carrying out my plan. Written goals are clear, focused and easier to remember.

Therapy

A lot of basic therapy comes from merely “working things out”. When you write, you can express your feelings and thoughts in a free-form way. Private journaling or diary keeping lets you explore a variety of ways of looking at issues or consider alternative solutions to your daily challenges. Writing is a great way to brainstorm. Writing slows your thinking down, allowing you to give appropriate time and gravity to important issues. If you are concerned about others learning your inner thoughts, you can always shred or burn the pages when you are finished.

Thinking Big

One of the common roadblocks to big thinking is fear of judgment from others. How many times have you been in a meeting and experienced someone throwing out a radical notion, only to have it attacked by others. Deliberate or not, the “thinker” often comes in for ridicule. When you write your ideas down, you can flesh them out as you go along without the burden of judgment, you can explore various paths or solutions, and you can refine your idea so that later, when you discuss it with others, you have already consider the critiques you might encounter and have answers at hand. A blank page is a great and large space for exploring dreams and aspiration.

I’m reminded of Michael Pollan’s guidelines for healthy eating. “Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.” To paraphrase him, the advice is “Write things down, all the time, mostly using pen and paper.”