Back On The Digital Path

After almost a month of experimenting, I’m back from the last millennium. Analog planning with pen and paper was nice. But I can’t overcome the convenience and efficiency of digital planning, note taking, and journaling. Yet it was no waste of time. With renewed first-hand knowledge of handwriting, I now have a refreshed appreciation for the digital lifestyle.

“Real” writing

In a way, it’s surprising that I embraced a physical planner to manage my calendar, to-dos, notes, and journals. Ironically, it was the Apple Pencil’s digital handwriting that led me to the analog path, with the help of the YouTube algorithm. I was influenced (or inspired?) to write by hand on paper for everything.

At first, my penmanship was sloppy. But it quickly improved and I once again enjoyed the fluid and natural flow of my musings through my hand, feeling every stroke of the gel-pen and the slight friction across the page. There’s an elegance to it. It also feels more connecting.

Keyboarding is cool

That said, I spent years typing my thoughts via a keyboard and am very proficient at it. It’s faster than handwriting, and it’s neat. Along with many other benefits, it just fits better into my overall digital lifestyle. For example, it’s much easier for me to simply take quick notes in my phone rather than pull out a pocket notebook and pen.

Not planning via my phone or laptop apps for a month has refreshed my appreciation for them, like the adage, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone. Returning to Apple Notes, Calendar, and Reminders is nice.

Fold or tag or both

One big idea is to use more Folders instead of Tags to organize things digitally. It’s because of Spatial Awareness; I blogged about it recently. Suffice to say in real life, a physical task, file, or note can only be in one place at a time (barring re-writing it or using a copy machine).

So it makes sense with a computer’s desktop metaphor, for example, to organize files in folders instead of using tags. Within Apple Notes, I have a nice setup that relies on Tags, but I will consider switching back to primarily using folders instead. Of course, I’ll likely end up using a combo of Folder, Tags, and Smart Folders. The point is I have more options and am taking a fresh look at how to best — and most simply — organize my stuff.

Summary

Overall, I’m happy to be back on the digital bandwagon where I feel most comfortable and proficient. I hope to find a solid way to continue handwriting on paper when and where it makes the most sense. And I hope to keep refining my dependence on the digital git’r’done apps built into my synced-up devices.

Hello, 21st century. Nice to see you again.