In spite of all the technology available to jot down information like important notes, there are still many reasons to take what feels like a step backward and write your notes by hand.
You may look at the abundant stash of digital equipment you’ve gathered to support your business enterprise goals and wonder, “Why would I let this amazing technology go to waste?” Quite simply, there are some tasks that benefit from a more traditional — or some may even consider it old school — approach. More importantly, you don’t have to completely abandon your technology in your quest to take truly beneficial notes, as you will soon discover.
Consider these four important reasons why you should write your notes:
1. It Is an Effective Method of Learning, Absorbing and Retaining Information
Research shows that hand writing notes is one of the most effective ways to study and retain new information. According to a study published in Psychological Science, taking notes by hand requires extra processing of the material written. The reason for this seemingly simple phenomenon is that committing information to paper through writing stimulates a part of the brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS serves as a filter for all that your brain needs to process, prioritizing the information upon which you are immediately focused.
Essentially, writing your notes means you may find it at least slightly less likely to refer to them in the future, thanks to better retention. Your new associates and business prospects will appreciate your sharp memory and attention to detail.
2. Hand Writing Can Help to Improve Any Necessary Content for Your Business
If any aspect of your home-based business requires writing tasks and capabilities, such as writing blog posts to support your website, note that writing by hand can help you improve your writing skills. Writing out an early draft, or even just jotting down notes from your research, can help you gain a better understanding of the topic, how it relates to your business and the best approach to writing the post. Think of all the outlines you wrote out in school and how useful they were to guiding your writing. The same benefits are there, no matter how much or little writing you do for your business.
3. You Can Use Your Tablet or Smartphone to Write Your Notes
You can have the best of all worlds with the right electronic devices to support your business goals. A mobile phone along with its accompanying smart writing stylus is a prime example of tech gadgetry that lets you do it all. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Note8’s intelligent S Pen lets you write, draw and even doodle with incredible accuracy. You get the sensation and memory retention benefits of hand writing while still being able to save every document for future reference.
4. Writing By Hand Helps You Maintain Focus
It is easy to become distracted during meetings, training sessions and seminars if you are not an active part of the event. If you pull out your laptop to jot down a few notes, you may find yourself wandering over to Facebook or answering a few emails. Using pen and paper — or the electronic equivalent — to dash out ideas can help you stay focused, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Whether you are drafting your notes with a classic pen and legal pad combination, or a smartphone and stylus, you will discover a newfound depth that can help bolster your daily business practices.
