I work with computers. I spend a staggering number of hours every day seated at a computer. I work for a company that makes a product designed to act like paper, but better. I can type faster than just about anybody I know and my handwriting looks like that of a surgeon who just finished his third martini while riding in the back of Gravedigger. Why, then, do I keep a pen and paper on me at all times and, when seated, open in front of me, ready for input? Because that’s how I have ideas.
We’ve all heard statements like “I have my best ideas in the shower”. Have we ever stopped to consider why that is? I’m certainly not a neurologist, but my money says that it’s because you’re almost certainly free of distraction. You’ve cleaned your body a million times, so you don’t have to focus on cleaning it this time and your brain is free to wander. That’s how I feel when I look at a blank page in a notebook.
“But, sir!”, you may be thinking to yourself, “can’t you just as easily stare at a blank text file on your computer and possibly have the very same reaction?” No, not really. At least, not me. Because so much of my time is spent in front of the computer, my mind immediately jumps to one of a hundred things I could be doing when my fingers touch the keyboard. Through years of doing this type of work, the computer has become “where I work”.
My notebook is my brain’s shower, my computer is certainly not.
Try it – put some blank paper and a pen on the table in front of you and just let your head splash around for a bit. Write down everything you think of, even the stupid crap. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the kind of creativity that can happen in such a simple circumstance. Think of it as pretending to get in the shower.
Photo by me – and, yes, that is my most recent order of Field Notes notebooks – shut up.
Actually, Evernote on my phone is that to me. I get the most ideas late at night, in the kitchen, thinking about nothing. So I dump them in Evernote on my phone… and the next morning, can act on them directly.
But you’re right … paper is still one of the best brainstorming, notetaking apps around :P
Obviously, I think Evernote is awesome. Trouble is (particularly on my phone), it’s simply much faster to retrieve my notebook and pen from my pocket and start writing than it is to pull my phone from my pocket, unlock it, find and launch Evernote, start a new new, start typing. It would be the same number of steps for just about any note-taking app, so I opt for the friction-free, “analog” tools :)
Oh, I definitely understand. The funny thing is, it likely takes longer to open on my phone, since I’m using an older Windows Mobile device…
That’s why it’s great to have a ton of different resources … you can use whatever works best for you at that time!
Yes, nothing beats simple pen and paper when it comes to jotting down quick ideas and tidbits of info to be processed later.
I am also using Evernote (great app) but for “quick and dirty” notes, paper and pen is still the best.
Pen (or pencil) and paper is one of my favorite tools. Like you, I spend much of my day on the computer. Pen and paper lets me use my brain in a different way than it does with a computer.
I use paper to work on ideas or to record them when they suddenly appear (like your shower reference). For me, it’s while I’m walking.
Brett if you get tired of computer stuff, you surely should spent the rest of your life writing. Gramps
Curious, what do you use as a pen or pencil to carry in your pocket with your . Have you found a slim one that works well?
My pen of choice is the Pilot G2
Mini< http://www.officemax.com/catalog/sku.jsp?productId=ARS23552&history=95t9l7xa|prodPage~15^freeText~pilot+g-2+mini^paramValue~true^refine~1^region~1^param~return_skus^return_skus~Y>.
It’s short enough to fit in just about any back pocket and it’s been a
favorite of mine for years. I’ve dabbled with “nice” pens (like the Fisher
Space Pen and others), but the G2 writes nicely and costs a little over a
dollar each.
This happens to be alot (getting ideas while taking shower) but I thought much about it as why it happens there.
Great article. Liked it.
I too use Evernote
For me it doesn’t matter as far as it is smooth to write. I prefer to use Ballpoint pen though. Pencil works too.
I just don’t like to use Pilot pen or Fountain pen.
What I need is a blank page IN the shower… here’s a solution:
http://www.etravelergear.com/ershownottab.html