The Paper Method — The Brooks Review
What I’ve found after switching is that I can take notes faster by hand, quieter by hand, and I actually do remember my notes better (requiring me not to need to reference my notes as often), all while not losing my focus.
Young Master Brooks has found his way to us. Welcome, Ben.
3 x 5 Card Envelopes – Levenger
I’ve been using these for a few years to dash off a quick handwritten note to friends and family.I usually keep a few, with some 3×5 cards and a book of stamps, in the front flap pocket of the Hobonichi Techo cover I use. If I’m going through the day and a distant friend enters my mind, it is not unusual for me to jot a quick hello and send it off the next time I pass a post. (Which I just did this morning so I thought I’d share.)
The Last of the Typewriter Men — Backchannel — Medium
“Computers are being updated all the time,” he said, rolling his eyes at a PC laptop his son keeps in the corner. “Your computer becomes obsolete in a very short amount of time. It’s slow. It doesn’t have enough memory. A new model comes out. A printer won’t work with it anymore. That Underwood over there”?—?he points at a gleaming, black machine fit for James Joyce?—?“it’s 100 years old. What computer is going to last 100 years?”
What we believe in.
Custom Sketchnote Moleskine Re-Run Questionnaire
I have one of these, a gift from Mike Rohde after I begged him for one, and it’s great! Mike is trying to get enough interest to convince Moleskine to do another a limited run. Check them out and cast a vote if you like what you see.
The Right Kind of Friction – FIELD TRIPS by TOM BIHNFIELD TRIPS by TOM BIHN
When was the last time what you stared at a blank sheet of paper with nothing but a pen in your hand? No Google. No Wikipedia. Just you and the thoughts in your head. For me, it had been years. It was embarrassingly hard at first, but once the ideas started flowing, it felt great. It forced my brain to pull its weight rather than just riding along on the automation and web search train.
Would have missed this guest post by Doug Lane if my friend Jason Remus had not tipped me off to it. Great stuff.
Pilot Vanishing Point – The Newsprint
No use quoting a single bit since no word or photo is to be missed. Stunning work. I have a Vanishing Point and agree with every word.
Take note, it’s time to take notes – Virgin.com
I recently met with 30 chief executives for a dinner-table conversation about closing the gender gap. We discussed how men can counteract bias in the workplace by speaking up and championing their female colleagues. It was a wonderfully eye-opening discussion, full of valuable insights; yet I was the only person who took notes the entire time – and boy did I take notes, I ran out of white space and had to write over my notes, my hotel notepad, my report and even my name tag!
Sir Richard Branson discussing why he feels everyone should take handwritten notes.
My friend Clive talks about his research into when you should write by hand and when you should type on a keyboard.
I really enjoyed this. Fascinating.
I’ve long had an issue with giving and reviving greeting cards for special occasions. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the sentiment involved and enjoy a really well designed one, but I’m never quite sure what to do with them after you have read them. Do you put them in a keepsake box? Do you scan them? Put them in a drawer? Throwing them away always felt wrong, somehow. But they otherwise just kind of hang around or go into a drawer and then are forgotten which also seemed wrong to me.
Then, online somewhere (sorry, I don’t remember where) someone floated this idea: Instead of trading cards with a significant other, why not write messages back and forth to each other in a notebook. I loved the idea. To me, a notebook for this purpose seemed much more meaningful, long lasting, provided greater flexibility, and the chance that one would go back over past occasions to read and reminisce was far greater.
My wife and I have been doing this for about a year now and it has turned out really great. Every time I go to write in it I take the time to browse past entries and it always puts a smile on my face and reminds me to be thankful for the love I receive from her. Thus, past sentiment remains presently rewarding.
I share this in the hopes that it’s a tradition others might consider and be rewarded by. Valentines Day seems the perfect place to start.
Richard Branson Productivity Hack – Business Insider
So when he proclaims a technique to be “one of the most powerful tools” he has in his “bag of business tricks,” as he does in his new book “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership,” you’d probably expect something esoteric or complicated.
But, in fact, his secret weapon is carrying an old-fashioned notebook with him everywhere he goes.