[stephengillie]

I strongly encourage the "write it down" method of problem solving, aka the Feynman Algorithm. Making a text record is often a good idea, for remembering information as well as solving problems.

I disagree with using paper and a pen. Why spend time drawing these letters out when we can just type them? Is it just a strategy to force yourself to slow down and think about what you're writing? There's nothing magical about manually drawing letters.

[FuzzyDunlop]

I can write things down and circle important bits as I go, or branch off particular points with other ideas; I can doodle little diagrams and annotate them; I can write annotated pseudo-code and little theories and ideas, and refer back to them on different pages, and so on...

If I type, all I can do with minimal effort is type. If I want to draw diagrams, or annotations, or brainstorm, I have to change to a different application, and use separate tools for each task, or otherwise spend more time formatting my document than getting my thoughts written down.

If I write, then I need nothing more than a pen and some paper and I can do anything, and I can do it fast without having to find the correct type of document to create, or the right place to save it.

Most importantly, I don't need a computer to do it, and it gets me away from my screen. And even if I never refer to the notes again, the satisfaction of doing it at all is invaluable.

[billswift]

I have fine motor control issues; I can write just about as fast as I can type. Using a lot of symbols, for example when writing math, I can write much faster than I can type.

And I get an automatic, permanent record that I can review anywhere or when without having to print it out.