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Well, there is one clear benefit to a notebook: studies indicate it results in better long-term retention in memory. For example: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/04/22/095679761452... Now, personally, I actually use a mix. I'm in a managerial position, so my work tends to be divided between longer-term goals and interrupt-driven activities. For the former, I keep a list in Vim (https://github.com/aaronbieber/vim-quicktask). For the latter, I write them down on physical paper. I won't claim there's any merit to this system, it just happens to work for me. Incidentally, I wouldn't dismiss things like "mindfulness" so easily. "Mindfulness" is more easily understood as concentrating and focusing on the task at hand, doing it with care and deliberation. There's something to be said for the slower, more methodical process of physical writing (and may be linked to those memory retention results I mentioned previously). For example, it's one of the reasons I tend to do focused reading on paper, away from the computer. That is, if I'm reading a technical paper, analyzing a report, etc, even if I have a digital copy, I tend to print it out, leave my computer behind, and read it in a quiet place where I can be "mindful" of the process of reading without distraction. |
The point you make about mindfulness is exactly what I wanted to express, just written in a much clearer way. Thanks for the comment!