You Don’t Need Another App. You Need a Notebook.

I couldn’t tell you when my paper obsession started, but I know it happened somewhere between shopping for school supplies and cutting out articles from magazines. I was never the girl interested in makeup or clothing. The quotes on journals, the feeling of that brand new paper in a sketch pad, or filling a binder with loose leaf paper… it comes very close to meditating or singing for me. In the heaven that is a brand new paper moment, the sky is the limit. I vividly remember this feeling as I picked out the journal that led me to the creation of my bucket list back in 2007.

I was still pretty obsessed with paper when smart phones came along, even as they offered so many promising things. Social media, gaming, texting, reading; if asked what we would take to a deserted island, very rarely do people pick something other than their cell phone. Everything is faster, searchable and “more efficient”. Yet, so many of us are still disconnected from our lives and the world around us.

I know many of us are consuming and saving good content. Videos, ideas, photos, thoughts… but how much of it are we actually returning to? The digital world is helping us collect our lives, but it doesn’t really help us understand them.

The digital world is allowing us to capture just about everything, but it’s incredibly limited on allowing us to actually process things. (No matter how much you organize your apps.) This is especially true for our thoughts and emotions, which are now much easier to avoid.

In my ‘Type A’ reality, I’ve been tempted with the digital world of organization since the moment I discovered it. I’ve digitized old family photos and videos, ripped all of my CDs and stopped purchasing DVDs. The minimalist and perfectionist in me is thriving in the organization it comes with (hence the post I did two weeks ago: ‘How to Rebuild Your Phone To Match The Woman You’re Becoming‘), but nothing – NOTHING – compares to physically writing my thoughts down, whether it’s in my planner, journal, or my ‘to do’ list. And if I’m being completely truthful, nothing comes close to reading a physical book either. It’s like comfort food, there is no replacing it.

My mind is less clouded, the distractions are limited, and time seems to slow down as I completely empty everything I possibly can out of my brain onto a sheet of paper in my very own handwriting. It allows me to sleep better, to focus more, and to really connect the dots between what I want and how to get it. I’m not joking. When you write it all down by hand, you’re not just documenting, you’re interacting with your brain on a different level. This isn’t a trick. It’s a different way of engaging with your life.

When I’m thumbing through my old journals, I’m not just reading memories. I’m witnessing history. My blog doesn’t quite pack that punch. It’s history, but I haven’t really physically touched it. This platform ages completely differently than that paper and pen.

I know what you’re thinking… “But Amy, what about the time you’re saving? It’s so much faster to type!” Yes, it’s much faster. Just like it would be faster to visit Machu Picchu in VR goggles. It’s cool, but it’s not quiiiiite the same experience, you know?

Remember, this is about you. YOU. This is about your experiences, and the world that you create around you. Sure, some of us may prefer to see Alaska in VR to “save themselves time” but they are completely missing the experience, in real time and the places in between. This isn’t about consistency, but intention. It’s not about time, but living in the moment. It’s not even about the right words on the paper, but just honesty – being honest with yourself. And as those words flow through your fingers, they often tend to get a little more honest.

Listen, I know this is a lot. Some random woman on the internet is telling you that paper is better than your phone. (That sounds kind of dumb when you say it out loud.) So, instead of agreeing or disagreeing with me… try it.

Write down one sentence about your day today, and try this every day for two weeks. Ask yourself, “What stood out today?”, and keep your journal in a very visible place so that the odds of forgetting are slim. It’s that simple, and please know this is not about becoming a “journal person”, but not losing yourself in all of the noise.

And one day, maybe these pages will become bigger than you could’ve ever imagined – not because they are perfect, but simply because they exist. After all, the things you write down today are the things that won’t disappear tomorrow. Written on paper… and remembered in a way that screens will never quite allow.

See you,
Amy