Analog Tools in a Digital World
I’m not writing it down to remember it later, I’m writing it down to remember it now.
I read this in my vintage-inspired Field Notes pocket journal, which I purchased after visiting their small headquarters in Chicago five or six years ago. This may have led to my Joycean epiphany, turning me into a chronic pen and stationery collector. Since then, I have admired the role of analog instruments in my quest for truth. I cannot resist the occasional Japanese stationery purchase. Accumulating notebooks is easy; I’m still mastering filling them.
Why Write by Hand?
In 2024, we’re fortunate to have so many options available to us:
- What to eat for dinner?
- What major to choose in college?
- What book to get at the library?
- Mac or PC?
With this responsibility, we must resist peer pressure and societal norms, maintain context, and make informed decisions based on empirical evidence and reason. Some decisions weigh heavier than others and require much thought, but they all need the same principled commitment. Of course, you may assume a technologist will espouse typing into a Google Doc for maximal efficiency, and there are times and places where that method is optimal. That doesn’t mean we need to disavow pen and paper!
You may think deciding how to study is less significant than deciding what to study, but how you study impacts knowledge retention and efficiency. New research published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that individuals who take notes on their keyboards are typing without thinking. The study analyzed EEG brain activity recorded with a 256-channel sensor array and found that the spatiotemporal pattern from visual and proprioceptive information obtained through handwriting helped create the brain connections that support learning. (Van der Weel & Van der Meer, 2024)
As I type this blog post, my fingers repeat the same movement with uniform feedback. Taking notes from a lecture by hand (as many college students do) engages the motor and sensory systems. As you listen to a lecture, you envision the sentence or equation to write, and then you use your motor system to create it, which is fed back into your visual system, creating a tight association between the action and the notes. This exercise reinforces new concepts and helps you remember them longer.
My Analog Tools
The best productivity software tries to emulate the freedom offered by analog methods of note-taking and task-tracking. Many accomplish this well enough; all employees use integrated products to capture, organize, and share information more effectively. While most of my work is focused on digital efficiency, I keep a notepad and pen to write ephemeral reminders. Outside of work, I prefer turning off screens and relaxing my eyes while reading a physical book. As you can tell from my last post, I’ve been studying probability theory from a textbook, and my arsenal of analog tools has enhanced my learning process.
Pens
My favorite everyday pen is the Uni Jetstream Ballpoint pen (#1 above). This is my second Jetstream because I accidentally waterlogged the first one in the washer 😅. It has a strong metal body and a squishy Alpha Gel grip to cushion your fingers. I don’t highlight currently, so I’m unsure how this ballpoint would smear. This is perfect for daily note-taking when I want to jot down tasks or take notes for a book I’m reading.
Pencils
I just recently ordered this set of beautiful Tombow Mono 100s (#2), along with a Kutsuwa Stad T’Gaal sharpener (#5) and an Uni Boxy eraser (not shown), because when I do practice problems, I tend to make mistakes. When using my pen to take notes, I would have to mark out multiple stages of my work and re-graph problems. A pencil would allow me to make mistakes and erase them with ease! This is apparently known as the “best pencil ever made,” so my expectations are high.
The sturdy sharpener contains all the shavings (I wish I had this back in middle/high school 😂). Will the eraser residue get all over my pages or clump together? I also picked up a short Raymay Easy to See Grid ruler (#4) for drawing perfect axes or matrices. The lines deserve to be crisp, even if I’m the only one who will ever look at them.
Notebooks
Maruman makes my favorite Japanese stationery; I use a Maruman Mnemosyne while writing book notes for “Crossing the Chasm” and “Modern Software Engineering.” The Mnemosyne looks sleek and professional. I recently bought another of theirs: a dot-grid Maruman Spiral Note Basic Notebook (#3). This is smaller than I expected, but I’m pleasantly surprised! I prefer notebooks that lie flat, so the spiral is a must for me – it gives me more table space.
Calculator
While a calculator is digital, it’s often seen as a student-oriented alternative to a professional’s Python or MATLAB. I purchased a CASIO fx-300ES PLUS 2nd Edition at the beginning of March because I wanted to perform combinations and permutations while studying a probability theory textbook. While I know CalculatorSoup exists, I wanted a distraction-free, disconnected experience. I finished the textbook a month later because I left my computer desk to study on the dining room table. (yeah, I know 🤓)
But, the fx-300ES differs from what’s #6 in the picture above; I soon realized an equally affordable CASIO calculator existed with many more features that piqued my interest as a calculator nerd. I now use the fx-991ES, which includes fundamental matrix and vector operations, integration, and summation!
Consistency in Learning
It’s worth noting what isn’t shown in the picture is a Pomodoro YouTube video I’m listening to with audible queues for work/break increments. Any recommendations for a physical Pomodoro clock? I also prefer reading from physical books, so a bookstand has been helpful to keep the pages held back. I guess I’m a part-time antiquarian at this point. 🤷
Another purpose analog tools serve for me is a physical reminder to continue studying because they’re simply a joy to use. Comparatively, a MacBook, albeit elegantly designed, is like having a Swiss Army knife when all I need is a pair of scissors. It reminds me to stay disciplined, head down, working diligently to learn new, exciting concepts.
Do you feel the same way? What tools do you use? Contact me on X, LinkedIn, or email – I would love to discover more analog tools.
Reference
- Van der Weel, F. R. (R., & Van der Meer, A. L. H. (2024). Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945