Confession: I still write down things on paper even after all the effort I have put into my productivity system and all the technology I use for it.

There is something about having the tactile aspect that sometimes makes a written task list more tangible and rewarding. When I reach for the paper and pen/pencil; I let it happen. I figure the negative effect of not following my system is counter-balanced by the positive impact of still being organized and productive to at least some degree. Something is better than nothing, right?

Analyzing My Use

I find myself using paper for many reasons such as:

• Emotional stress
• Laziness
• Resource availability
• Guilty pleasure
• Reminders
• Flexibility

Let’s hop into each one of these and tease out what is happening behind the scenes.

Emotional Stress

There are times where my task and project lists in Trello seem overwhelming due to the sheer amount of items staring back at me so I try to ignore and bypass them. By using a written list, I can effectively sneak in additional items since my two sources may contain different items. It is a bit of mental trickery.

Thankfully, this scenario is diminishing as my system becomes more routine. I am learning how to better filter, prioritize, and organize my tasks so the stress level is greatly reduced from before. The same amount of items that used to cause my stress no longer does because I am able to view them in a different light. I will investigate tools for prioritizing your task lists in a future post, but for now I will say I have found great use in the Eisenhower Matrix method.

Laziness & Resource Availability

I’ll admit sometimes I get lazy and do not feel like following my system. I choose to scribble something on paper rather than use technology (i.e. my computer or phone) because it feels easier. The laziness factor also relates to resource availability. If a piece of paper is in front of me and my computer is in another room, it can be easier to use what I have readily available. However, both of these situations tend to be temporary and I often end up importing the written information into my system at a later time. Again, I find myself doing less of these things and instead use my system as it becomes more integrated into my life.

TIP:  Watch out for what I’ll call the “Derivative List Effect” where you write a few things down and then start using that as your main list. You may end up with duplicate or stale information across your sources. A prolonged situation may cause a breakdown of your productivity if you start getting flustered with the chaos.

Guilty Pleasure

Have you ever created a “Feel Good/Already Completed” list? You have already completed the tasks, but you write them down so you can cross them off and get a nice shot of dopamine. Or maybe you select a few easy tasks to create a small list you know you can power through so you feel accomplished? As the saying goes, “Success is a series of small wins.”

Monica Metha explains why indulging in these types of lists might actually make sense.

“The more times you succeed at something, the longer your brain stores the information that allowed you to do so well in the first place. That’s because with each success, our brain releases a chemical called dopamine. When dopamine flows into the brain’s reward pathway (the part responsible for pleasure, learning and motivation), we not only feel greater concentration but are inspired to re-experience the activity that caused the chemical release in the first place.”

Reminders

Using written notes to remind myself of certain things to do is something I may always do, regardless of available technology. An often-quoted study by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer showed that writing notes by hand can help you remember information better than someone using a laptop. A caveat, this study is about listening to a lecture and taking notes, but I believe it can apply to general note taking/reminders as well. The act of writing is more focused than typing on a keyboard. You tend to be more “honed in” than when you are typing on a keyboard. Your eyes are focused on the paper and not the notifications blinking on your phone or the programs open on your computer.

Flexibility

If I am working on a project or a larger-scale task, I may choose writing on paper because it affords me an easier creative outlet to jot down action items, notes, etc. as they come to mind. I like the free-form structure of writing on a blank piece of paper. Drawing a mind map is certainly possible with software like XMind, but sometimes it is easier to be quick and use paper (especially if you suddenly decide to create one without any thought prior to doing so). The content is often more important than the format.

Taking an Analog Approach

For those of you reading this post and thinking to themselves they would prefer to primarily use pen and paper, I have good news for you! There are multiple structured products and methods out there. Some require a pre-designed notebook like The Productivity Planner while others rely more on your own creativity like the Bullet Journal. Many users of these approaches form tight-knit communities online such as the ~120K people subscribed to /r/bulletjournal. For more insight, check out Preethi Ranjit’s post about some of these options.

Key Points

• Having a defined process in place will prevent you from a haphazard approach and reduce stress
• Find a way to reward yourself when you complete a task (brain say, “dopamine good. brain like dopamine!”)
  • TIP: Many apps allow you to check off tasks which will operate similar to crossing something off on paper. Some even provide “levels” you can achieve based on the number of checked items. I like to use the checklist feature in Trello to capture this the effect.
• Use what works for you. You may need to try a few options before you find your preference. I’m still evaluating my system and have recently been looking into the Bullet Journal.

 

If you use paper lists or have any thoughts on what I’ve written, please comment and let me know!