Three Analog Habits You Should Never Quit

The pen is mightier than the keystroke

We live in a time of planned obsolescence and digital integration. Nearly everything is typed, and there is no way around it. As Digital Native habits start to encroach upon Baby Boomer practices, all transactions or communication will occur digitally.

As with any paradigm shift, new practices are generally improvements. The previous methods could still very well work, but might be viewed as inefficient. Technology aside, the most effective way to commit an idea to memory is to write it out. Ultimately, scientists have proved its efficacy time and time again. Forming words with a pen or pencil helps the brain connect concepts better than typing on identical keys.

In my mind, these analog concepts will always reign supreme:

Drawing out charts

Sometimes the best ideas are drawn. As easy as bulleted emails are easy to digest, there are no substitutes for drawing flowcharts on a dry-erase board or in a scratch pad. PowerPoint text boxes are definitely more polished, but the actual idea generation process should begin at a rudimentary level. Dragging and dropping digital boxes before the mind has a chance to think, could produce half-baked ideas.

Writing thank you notes

The simple concept of showing thanks in the 21st century can be controversial. Some argue that writing notes will never go out of style because it shows genuine effort. Some eschew written notes in favor of instant gratitude. I typically use a combination of both depending on the scenario. I certainly believe a written note is more powerful. In fact, if you look around any office, written thank you notes have become so rare that employees pin these up near their desks. When was the last time you printed a thank you email?

Writing to-do lists

I work as a marketing associate, so my number one priority is keeping tasks organized for my department. Do I type everything? No.

Given the importance of the tasks I manage, it’s important to have a hard copy in the event of an emergency. Asana is fantastic for project management, but nothing comes close to slashing a complete task with black ink. Most notably, it’s easier to be attentive when using something not associated with a multitude of distractions.