Slashdot Asks: Do You Prefer To Handwrite or Type Notes? (npr.org)

A study published by Psychological Science and transcribed on NPR explores the science behind note-taking. As technology becomes smaller, cheaper and more functional than ever before, it's not uncommon to see people taking notes on their laptop or tablet, especially in a school or work-related environment. In fact, it may be even more common to see people taking notes with an electronic device than with a pen and paper. The study shows that the process of taking notes by hand is slower, thus allowing the information being written to better soak into your brain. However, it's a double-edged sword. While using something like a laptop to type notes may be faster and allow for people to better transcribe what they're hearing, writing longhand generally allows people to better process the information they are writing, but at the expense of length. That is to say, writing longhand doesn't provide people with as much to look back on since the process is slower.

Now everyone is different and everyone has their own formula and routine that works for them, so we thought we'd ask the question: Do you prefer to handwrite notes or type notes on a computer? Does one form of note-taking work better than the other or is it a combination of the two that is best?

Comments

Paper & Pen for Flexibility

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a paper-based note-taking system that has served me well for my entire career.

I always write down the date and time I arrive, and the time leave for the day, with a margin-to-margin line delineating days.

Whenever I change tasks, I jot down the time and what I'm doing next. Huge help when I'm working on projects where to-the-minute timecards are required.

In meetings, I write down the key points being made. If the point applies directly to me, I put a box in the left column, to indicate that it is a "to-do" item.

If a point is something I can/should contribute to, but not during this meeting, I put a circle to indicate I should probably send an email.

If there is a change in policy, or a new direction or project, I put an asterisk to the left.

Most of the above merely help me prioritize my work.

But there is one more massive reason to take notes compulsively, and not just in meetings: Patents. While I have no patents to my name, my notes have twice been used as "prior art" to help defeat or limit other patents, or to help negotiate far better licensing terms.

From a personal development perspective, I also make not of my mistakes. Writing them down makes it harder to repeat them.

As I get older and my memory grows ever weaker, I find it hugely beneficial to be able to go back 6 months or a year, and be able to perfectly describe what I was doing and why.

Paper rocks. Plus it's way easier to carry around, and needs "recharging" only about twice a year.