Typing vs. Writing

“According to a British survey of 2,000 people, one in three respondents had not written anything by hand in the previous six months. On average they had not put pen to paper in the previous 41 days.”

That’s an excerpt from an article I recently read at The Guardian which detailed the hard truth about the ever-growing tech addiction among people around the world. Take a moment and think really hard, when was the last time you actually write something on a piece of paper?

To be honest, even I can’t remember the last time I picked up a pen. And I feel ashamed of myself for that. Because I used to love writing. Back when I was in high-school, I used to write short stories and really long essays. Now, I can’t bear to write down a few words on a paper.

Sure, some people think that switching to digital-mode is a good thing. And yes, typing can save a lot of time and effort than writing stuff down, but at what cost?

In Write It Down, Make It Happen, author Henriette Anne Klauser says that “Writing triggers the RAS, which in turn sends a signal to the cerebral cortex: ‘Wake up! Pay attention! Don’t miss this detail!’ Once you write down a goal, your brain will be working overtime to see you get it, and will alert you to the signs and signals that […] were there all along.” via Lifehacker

According to many studies, it has found that jotting down things on a notepad can actually help us remember things better, clear out our mind, relieve stress and also help learn more efficiently than just typing or copy + pasting excerpts. Actually, I myself found this to be effective. I used to write down notes when taking online courses and it’s been very helpful to remember what I learned and also to go back refresh my memory about what I learned.

Next time, before you launch your To-Do list manager or digital note-taking app on your phone to take notes, try writing it down on a paper instead. Try it for two weeks and see your memory improve like never before.