Go Slow (Sometimes) to Succeed

When people think of productivity, they often think of doing things faster. Learning 50 keyboard shortcuts to take off a millisecond here or there when typing, ignoring the demands of your bladder to try to push through, trying to work a problem that takes half an hour in the five minutes you have between back-to-back meetings.

Going slowly, or taking breaks, or doing something analog instead of digitally seems like it would be, well, counterproductive to productivity, right? In certain cases, though, slowing down helps you speed up in a healthy way. 

The 23rd is National Handwriting Day, so we’re taking a look at where and how handwriting can help you improve your productivity.

Why handwriting makes a difference

Although scientists aren’t sure exactly why this happens, it appears that being able to form letters and words with a writing utensil lights up more areas of the brain than typing does, especially connectivity that’s related to learning and memory encoding. Typing doesn’t have that effect at all.

And you don’t have to write cursive if you don’t want to (or are young enough that you weren’t taught the subject.) Printing works too, because you’re still using senses and hand muscles to form the letters.

Studies have shown that kids who take notes by hand recall more of the subject later than the kids who typed their notes. Not only that, but more time writing by hand may help support your brain functions and help prevent cognitive decline, according to Psychology Today.

Humans have been writing and drawing pictures for far longer than we’ve been typing. The first commercially successful typewriter was patented in 1868. The first machine that allowed you to edit before printing was created in 1964, and then word processing software became common in the 1980s. Either way you look at it, typing is a new invention compared to how long people like us have lived on the planet.

Handwriting meeting notes helps you be more productive

Now, does this mean that you need to handwrite everything? I don’t think so! I type all my content into documents online, and I email people instead of sending letters. (Though sending cards can have a bigger impact than an email, since people don’t really receive mail anymore.) There are definitely advantages to typing things out in the interests of time.

However, since one big advantage of handwriting is that you have better recall of the content, taking meeting notes by hand instead of typing them is a great way to incorporate more writing. Whether you’re on a networking or connection call, or sitting through a seminar, writing your notes can help you.

For one thing, you’re less likely to try to multitask because your attention will be on the page, not your computer. It’s a lot easier to click on your browser window and look at something else when you’re not typing if you take notes digitally. But when you’re handwriting, you’ll be listening more closely.

And although you might not remember all the exact details of the meeting, you’ll be able to remember more about it when you handwrite the notes. That’s especially helpful when you’re trying to absorb new information.

Of course, there is a potential downside to this, depending on how you handle these notes. You can type them in manually from your handwritten notes, best done the same day at the end of the day as you wind up your office tasks. That may be more of a pain than you want to deal with.

One alternative is to take a picture of the notes with your phone and upload them to your CRM or wherever you keep notes. If you’re already in the habit of taking pictures and uploading them, this might be an easy and quick fix.

Another is to buy one of those digital tablets that you can write on. I thought about it when the reMarkable tablet first came out, but my cursive handwriting is absolutely atrocious. At the time, they told me the tablet needed reasonable handwriting to be able to transfer into text. But we’re a few generations of tablet later so I’m revisiting this decision.

Handwriting before bed helps you sleep… which improves your productivity

I know so many business owners who have difficulty sleeping. For some, it’s because they bring their phone to bed with them and scroll until late. The blue light emitted by phones is thought to hinder sleep, because it signals daytime to the body and not nighttime. But even if you use blue light blockers, reading emails or scrolling social media will still keep you awake.

Another common issue is that there’s so much to do that the unfinished business keeps you up, or you wake suddenly thinking of something that needs to be done. Or you’re ruminating over a situation that happened during the day.

Journaling, or even just writing things down, helps relieve issues connected to busyness, unfinished business, or emotions that need to be processed. If you do it before bed as part of a nighttime ritual, it can help your brain and body know that it’s getting close to bedtime and they’ll adjust accordingly.

In order for this to work and to get all the benefits, you must write by hand. Typing does not work. It doesn’t help you process emotion, plus you’re typing on something that has a screen, making it more difficult to fall asleep later.

The human brain hates unfinished tasks, which is why they often appear in the middle of the night. But when you write them down, your brain knows they’re handled, so it won’t wake you up with reminders.

Know that sometimes, especially when you need to work through something, journaling can take longer than usual. You may get more agitated as you write more, but the important thing is to write through that until you really have nothing to say about it anymore. You’ve written yourself out, and now your brain is ready for bedtime.

Whatever you need to get into the habit of journaling, go for it. I need pretty notebooks (which are easily found on sale at bookstores), and you might want colorful pens or whatever. Or you might just scribble something down on a piece of paper.

You don’t need to go back through your journals, unless you want to. I throw mine out. Unlike meeting notes, the purpose of this isn’t to save things for posterity but to let go of things that are bothering you and might affect your sleep. 

Recap (tl;dr)

Handwriting is better than typing for certain tasks, and may also help you stay mentally sharp for longer. Meeting notes and journaling are both good, productive ways to handwrite.

Looking for more helpful tips on squeezing more out of the day without running out of juice? My book, The Rebel’s Guide to Getting $hit Done, is coming soon! You can sign up here for free stuff and to stay updated on what’s happening.

Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash.