[bayindirh]

I'm also similar to Knuth during programming. I start by writing notes and designing on paper. For larger projects, I always keep a dedicated "lab notebook". That notebook contains designs, the rationale behind them, and some mental shaking of these ideas to see whether they stick. Sometimes, I toss the idea, and note why I did it. If the idea makes to the computer and fails spectacularly, reasons are noted as a lessons learnt note.

Personal diaries are also written with pen or paper, because I found out that, even if I type it without any interruptions, I can't dive that deep into the issue and dig it the way I want. I also noticed that, while writing this comment, new ideas for blog posts are also born on paper, with some notes, too.

I also keep a notebook which I carry everywhere and scan it when it finishes. That "scratchpad" carries hundreds of thought blobs like that. While they are mostly to-do lists, also ideas, small notes, and other pointers to ideas and small stuff are in these notebooks, and they work as an external working memory for me, allowing me to dig, process and think in a way which I can't do while looking to a screen and typing away on a keyboard.