[yrio]

For writing text, I prefer to type on a computer because I can easily rearrange / edit things. You can't do that on paper.

I prefer paper for drawing though (diagrams / flowchart / etc). Has anyone tried using drawing tablet like Wacom? How does it feel compared to drawing on paper?

[ghaff]

Traditional Wacom tablets are IMO awful. Some people do get used to them but not having direct feedback of what you've written just doesn't work naturally.

A tablet, especially one like the iPad Pro with the Pencil is much better but still doesn't work as well as just sketching on a piece of paper for me. I assume if I applied myself to using a tablet more though, I'd get used to it. Clearly people with a lot more drawing ability than myself can do great work on tablets.

[jrapdx3]

Yeah, Wacom tablets were/are great and terrible at the same time. I've used them on and off for a long time, and they really are great for drawing, but there's a learning curve to be sure. Actually I liked the older Wacoms better than some new ones I've tries out. The ancient "cursor" device was mouse-like, but used in absolute mode was great for some tasks where keeping it in the same place enabled keeping the pointer on the screen in a predictable spot.

Actually the newer touch/stylus screens on tablets like the MS Surface models I've used are harder for me to use with the stylus. Manipulating the stylus is harder due to parallax and the fact that the tool and hand covers up part of the screen. Just doesn't seem as "natural" to me as the old drawing tablet.

[ghaff]

Preferences definitely vary. Our graphic artist at a former employer had a Wacom tablet but she drew everything on paper first and then just basically used the tablet to digitize it. I've never found anything I really loved but, then, I'm pretty bad drawing and writing on paper too :-)

[jrapdx3]

Yes, it's sure hard to beat the sensory and esthetic experience of putting pencil to paper. No digital method can come close to it.

OTOH drawing on the computer has a whole new set of features to offer that are completely novel and can't be accomplished in other ways, certainly not easily.

So like in most things, different "tooling" involves tradeoffs, no single solution ever covers it all. We usually have reasons to go one way or the other. In any case, not tool can make up for dearth of talent, how well I know the truth of that statement!

[nnq]

> because I can easily rearrange / edit things

That's the problem for me. I can end up obsesively re-re-...-re-editing a note or checklist, waisting tons of time. To make it worse I can end up with lost time AND lost information simultaneously if not using something with a version control system too...

So, for condensed small-scale 1-user planning, for me, when aiming for maximum productivity, paper is the killer app!

[brennen]

A low-end Wacom is, IMO, probably worth trying. I've been using one in combination with MyPaint[0] for a few years to do quick sketches and cartoons. It definitely hasn't replaced paper for me, but it's a good way to get some of the spontaneity and expressiveness of pen-and-ink into the machine.

[0]: http://mypaint.org/

[dredmorbius]

For rearranging paper: index cards.

3x5 or 4x6 (US) for concepts and notes. Date 'em and stick 'em in a box.

Riffle through them, find the sense and order, stack them that way, then fill in the blanks (or additional references, or whatever).

An index card is, roughly, a full thought.

Keep a small stash on you for notes-on-the-road.

[rhodysurf]

I use a SP3 for note taking and diagram drawing and I like it, feels different than paper for sure but I enjoy it more than I thought I would.