The pen is mightier than the keyboard

Sounds familiar, right? We’ve all heard the rhetoric before: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” But have you ever stopped to question why?

I recently came across this article written by Jeremy Anderberg and he broke down, in so many ways, why writing things out by hand is so much more advantageous than typing. There are, of course, the obvious plusses to writing things out on a computer: it’s faster, easier to erase mistakes, better for collaboration, research…the list goes on and on. But there are so many advantages to writing by hand that it shouldn’t simply be dismissed as an old practice or something you do once in a blue moon. I’m here today to offer you three undeniable reasons why you should be writing by hand every day.

1. MEMORY

   Remember that time you wrote down that great idea, then came back to it later, realized you didn’t like it anymore and replaced it with something else? Remember that thing you wrote down? Yeah…me neither. That’s the funny thing about writing something down versus typing—retention. Studies show that writing by hand improves your memory as well as your ability to recall information. The process of using a more manual system of encoding information (essentially what writing something down is) allows you to use more brain processing power, thus building a stronger connection with what you’re writing. If you don’t believe me, try writing out your grocery list one week and typing it out on your phone the next. You’ll be surprised by what you remember one week as opposed to the next.

2. SLOWING DOWN

   I don’t know about you, but when I type things I’m going at a mile a minute. Even writing this blog, I find myself zipping through sentences, almost without thinking. And that’s part of the problem. When you write things on a computer or phone, you end up typing so fast your thoughts can barely keep up. The magic of writing by hand allows you to slow things down, take time with each word, really consider your thoughts and phrasing. When you allow your mind the space to invite new thoughts, you can let go of some of your initial thoughts that may not be as deep . Let’s face it, when are anyones initial thoughts the best?

3. NO DISTRACTION

   Okay, maybe not ‘no distraction’, but far less. Think of all the time you’ve wasted on your phone & laptop. It’s probably really high. And I’m not morally above that either, I’ll throw myself in the time wasting group as well. It’s very difficult, downright inevitable that you will waste time online at some point throughout the day. It’s part of the culture we are in right now. But that’s why writing things by hand really helps out. It pulls you away from all the beeps and notifications of today’s modern devices. And with everyone being as busy as they are, it’s important to make full use out of that time. Try it out for yourself and see how much more productive you can be, simply by writing a few things down—even if it’s as simple as a “TO DO” list.

So, there you have it. Those are just three simple reasons as to why it’s a really good idea to write things down by hand. I implore you to check our the article I posted at the top. It really breaks down even better, why this is important. Thanks for stopping by and happy writing ;)