Ask: Do you still find any benefits in using handwriting?
Pros: Some say that because we write slower than we type, it allows for deeper thinking as opposed to faster thinking, which could be beneficial. Also, because it's harder to edit one is more careful while writing (deep thinking again). Privacy can be an advantage as well, one can keep handwritten notes private in a physical way.
We all know the pros of typing, easy editing/copying/email and overall functionality.
Discuss
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[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 62.1 ms ] threadActually, that's not entirely correct: I remember more of the tohughts I had when writing something down. Which might actually be more important. (Except when those thoughts are "this is boring, please kill me")
My understanding is that studies showing this apply primarily to note taking, like in a class. When people take notes by typing they tend to copy what is said verbatim, whereas writing notes forces people to summarize and therefore internalize more of the information.
As for me, my handwriting is atrocious, I use it so rarely, and it's so much slower than typing for me that I get frustrated whenever I write things.
> because it's harder to edit one is more careful while writing...
Typing allows for easier editing and refinement, so I think it wins out overall :)
I think it depends on how well a person is able to translate intelligence into writing. Taking myself as an example: I am extremely bad at the written form - my intelligence significantly drops as soon as pen touches paper. However, I don't suffer this penalty with typing. It might have something to do with this:
> Some say that because we write slower than we type, it allows for deeper thinking as opposed to faster thinking
I would say that I'm a subconscious thinker, I draw conclusions and don't always know why. I would rather rephrase that to:
> Some say that because we write slower than we type, it allows for deeper thinking as opposed to fluid thinking
Handwriting is better for deep thinkers, typing is better for fluid thinkers. To each his own. Maybe where you are going with this is that people aren't handwriting when they should be: I could really agree with that.
However, I find retrieval and sketching, not to speak of mathematical formulas and diagramming, much easier from a physical notebook.
I've not yet found a digital medium superior to that of a physical notebook for doing 'notebooklike' things.
I also use it for a daily log of my tasks and what I need to accomplish. Used to use a notebook for both these things, but I find it easier/faster to jump into onenote and back into what i am working on then
Write my diary by hand. Makes it pretty much unhackable and it's a good way to start the day. Habit I guess.
> Some say that because we write slower than we type, it allows for deeper thinking as opposed to faster thinking, which could be beneficial. Since writing takes longer, I tend to mull over what I'm trying to communicate and condense it. This is likely why I remember it better. However ....
> because it's harder to edit one is more careful while writing Absolutely not! Given a half pages written text I would likely have no less than a dozen clear markups where I revised or edited a thought.
I certainly don't want to write everything, or produce professional quality hand-written text, but I find benefit in actually writing things down
I guess that paid off in the long run. No many people really give much importance to handwriting, more so these days but I feel nice writing and still try to write as much as I can (always have few notebooks with me at all times + a bunch of pens and pencils). Besides the appreciations I usually get, I like the fact that people admire that I dedicate to writing too besides my involvement with technology and that I stayed in touch with the art of writing.
I'm trying to inculcate a similar habit with my kid - write beautiful, and master the intricacies of handwriting - it is lovely, sweet, sophisticated, classical and clean.
:-)
Also, writing notes on post-it notes or on a whiteboard are basically what makes completing any project that takes longer than a day possible for me.
I think the benefits depend on what you are trying to achieve. I do some amateur poetry in two languages - English and Hindi+Urdu. In both cases, I have found that I lose my chain of thought if I am typing on computers (tried ipad, iphone also) than writing on a paper. The stream of thought is just much more fluid and connections are easier to capture while writing on paper. It could be that I wrote more as a child/teen than typed. There is something about mistakes on paper, you crossing them out by running a line through them. You do not lose what you wrote, but you know thats not what you wanted. So, it affirms where you want to go as well as what you do not want to write. I think the ability to edit and remove what was previously written makes me lose the chain of thoughts in this case and I have to start afresh.
I have also seen that when I write letters to people in the family and friends, I am generally more content in what I have written, even if something is scribbled or there are mistakes in it. Of course, that is personal and thus the value for me and the people who I send them to (well, I can hope).
Lastly, I write all my task list (esp. the big ones). I do not type them, not on my phone, not on my computer. A quick shopping list is a different thing but the goal-list is something on a paper for me or it never feels concrete.
I can't think of a faster way of combining drawings and thoughts than paper and pencil.
Now I just need to teach myself shorthand to minimize the speed difference between typing and handwriting.
On my own personal projects, I get very limited time. For these, I go straight to the keyboard and put in as many characters as I can.
However, every now and then I come across something beyond simple. Going in without a well designed plan ends up costing me time. Here, I take out my notebook and start sketching diagrams. I've tried this with various digital alternatives, but analog still works best for me.
Maybe it's just me, but if I'm trying to explain an idea to someone and they're busy tapping away at their keyboard it really bugs me. Are they making notes on what I'm saying? Or are they checking in on HN? Ditto for the rare occasion when I'm in a dull meeting with a laptop - it's really difficult for me not to browse my inbox should a message show up, and then I think about a reply, and then I'm lost...
I find physical handwritten notes in a meeting is less distracting for both the speaker and the listener.
I've noticed that people often get caught up editing and formatting while typing (especially when the screen is shared), whereas with notes, people don't worry so much about that, so it's easier to stay focused.
But really, I agree that handwritten notes can be less distracting. Interestingly, typing notes on a touch-screen tablet can be less distracting, and the single-app limitation helps avoid external distractions as well.
I had a manager always checking his emails when we we're in a meeting. It makes the meeting more painful for everyone involved, as the person you're talking too is focusing on something else.
Doodling or scribbling does not bother me, as if someone is doodling, either they don't need to be listening, or it helps them process the info.
As for someone typing the minutes of a meeting, you can easily tell if they are doing their job, or checking in on HN, so that doesn't bother me at all either.
The days of long-form writing are definitely over, but I think noting things down will remain a constant for many years to come.
For me, I find it helps me think more abstractly and plan my thoughts better, because it's just more fluid to scribble ideas down.
On a related note, BIC is actually doing PSA style radio ads and has a campaign website to "save handwriting": http://bicfightforyourwrite.com/
I have no idea if this is by nature of the medium, or because I grew up in the 70's and 80's without consistent computer access until I was in my early teens. I also lived in a tent for a year, and wrote in a journal every night; I think that has influenced my writing mindset significantly.
So, if I'm very clear about what I want to write, I can use a keyboard. But if I'm still sorting through some ideas I'll grab a pen and paper. I even draft important emails with a pen and paper. Usually drafting a quick sketch or outline is enough, and I do the wordsmithing at the keyboard. Whenever I'm at a loss for words, though, I push the computer aside and sit quietly with a pen and paper for a little bit.
https://hbr.org/2015/07/what-you-miss-when-you-take-notes-on...
Tho the quality of the thinking when hand-writing and when typing is different. For that, currently, it is irreplaceable.