Why I Ditched Digital Productivity (Mostly)

I often get raised eyebrows when I talk about my productivity system:

“You seriously use pen and paper?” 

“Why aren’t you using [INSERT NEW EXCITING TASK MANAGER/PRODUCTIVITY APP]?”
“Dude that’s SO 1990.”

As someone who has a lifelong interest in technology and has worked at several startups like Canva and Ground News, I always have at least one colleague who teases me about my decidedly old-school pen-and-paper-based productivity system.

There’s a reason I decided to go retro, though. I’ve tried all the digital task managers of note out there: OmniFocus, Things 3, Microsoft Todo, Apple Reminders, Notion, you name it, I’ve tried it.

For a long time, I forced myself to use them, never really integrating them fully with my workflow. It was too easy to forget about the tasks I entered. For some reason, my various projects and tasks weren’t ‘sticky enough’ to keep me peripherally aware of them. After speaking to a couple of mentees and folks on Mastodon, I realized I wasn’t alone. In fact, many seasoned productivity practitioners and GTDers are speaking about a return to pen-and-paper-based systems.

This made me curious. What was it about pen and paper specifically that drew people back to it? 

I think I might have found the answer to that question. Remember how I mentioned how I felt that tasks I wrote down on an agenda with a pen or pencil felt ‘stickier’ in my mind? A few studies seem to confirm that this is the case:

1. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that taking notes by hand, rather than typing them on a computer, resulted in better memory retention and recall of the information.
   

2. A similar study found that students who wrote out their study notes by hand retained more information and performed better on tests than those who typed their notes.
   

3. A study published in the journal Psychological Science found that writing down goals and intentions can help improve motivation and increase the likelihood of achieving those goals.

4. A study published in the journal Memory & Cognition found that writing down information by hand, rather than typing it, resulted in better memory retention and recall of the information.

5. A study published in the journal Learning and Instruction found that writing summaries of text can help improve memory retention and recall of the information.

Overall, these studies suggest that writing tasks down by hand can help improve memory retention and recall, likely because the physical act of writing engages multiple senses and helps to reinforce the information in the brain. 

I write somewhere around ~110-120 WPM on any given day. Writing things down by hand actually allows me to slow down and think about the task at hand. It forces me to be mindful and present in a way that writing on a keyboard doesn’t.

What Does my Analog Productivity System Look Like?

My system is probably a bit more complex than it needs to be but it works. Here’s how:

1. My day-to-day tasks are recorded in a Hobonichi Techo A6. I like the Hobonichi because it’s mostly blank but still has lines, has a date, is small enough to put in a bag, and has a soft leather cover. Holding the Hobonichi feels like I’m holding a Productivity Bible. You can’t discount the experiential and sensory experience that a physical planner provides. It just adds a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the experience.

2. I use a few sheets of loose paper on my clipboard for Mind Sweeps. This allows me to quickly clear my mind by taking notes on what is occupying my thoughts on a hard surface while also serving as a repository for old mind sweeps and allowing me to remove them if I want to process them in my planner for further action.

3. I use a Hipster PDA when I’m out and about. For those of you that don’t know, a Hipster PDA is a set of index cards with a binder clip. A person I spoke to on Mastodon called it a ‘portable Zettelkasten’. Sorta. You could use it like that, but I actually use it in a way that’s more in keeping with GTD methodology (or the Marketing Ronin Methodology, which is specifically tailored to marketing professionals). That is to say, I break up each index card into a specific context and cycle through them, writing thoughts, tasks, or ideas that spring up while I’m on the go. 

4. For note-taking, I also use larger index cards or sheets of paper. Always loose paper. I don’t want to have to dig through notebooks in order to find information and loose paper allows you the freedom to reorient notes as they become relevant to what you’re working on.

5. Every evening I look at my task list and choose three tasks I want to prioritize. These are the tasks I absolutely need to complete on the following day. For this, I use sticky notes. I write down the three tasks and stick them underneath my monitor so I can constantly look at them and have them remind me as I work.

The Pen vs Pencil Debate

I’ve been on both sides of the debate throughout the years as I’ve experimented with my own analog productivity system. While I like the look and feel of writing with a pen, the fact is that priorities may shift throughout the day and whiteout just looks terrible. To that end, I’ve come to identify the pencil as the superior task-recording instrument (at least for me)

That being said, I’d probably still use a pen for notes and reference material. It’s easier on the eyes when reading and clearer. It remains my preferred solution for anything I want to record and look at over the long term.

Curious about getting started with your own analog productivity system? I came up with a list of my preferred planners, pencils, pens, erasers, and notebooks to help you get started. Just fill in your email below and you’ll get it instantly delivered straight to your inbox.