Why thinking on paper is a fast way to focus | Ryder Carroll | Big Think
Why thinking on paper is a fast way to focus
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Writing by hand activates different parts of the brain simultaneously. Studies have shown students who hand-write notes versus typing them retain information for longer and with greater accuracy.
Our digital feeds are causing decision fatigue, says Ryder Carroll. Every push alert, notification, and email is asking us to make a decision, which saps our time, energy, and focus. Journaling is a way to steal a moment back from the everyday rush.
Be more selective and intentional about what you let into your life. "It's really important to realize that we are very limited: our attention is limited, our time is very limited. If we start to structure our days around that concept then we can start to protect the time that we do have and start trying to make decisions based on things that do matter to us," he says.
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RYDER CARROLL:
Ryder Carroll is a digital product designer and inventor of the Bullet Journal. He is the author of ‘The Bullet Journal Method’.
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TRANSCRIPT:
RYDER CARROLL: For the last ten years, I've been a digital product designer and I noticed that my journaling actually allowed me to think in a completely different way. So even when I would be designing different kinds of software applications from watch interfaces to video game interfaces it always started out on paper. And over time I realized that the more I could actually take my thoughts offline, the clearer they would become and the more I could focus. Because you could sit down and start typing out-you can journal in an app but I notice I'd be journaling in an app and the next thing I know I'm ordering shoes online and you have no idea how you got from one point to the other. But when you sit down with a notebook and as soon as you engage with the page you are unplugged. So it forces you to really engage with your thoughts in a way that I feel has not been accurately replicated in the digital space. So for me, the act of bullet journaling is an act of thinking. It's an act of unplugging and actually processing the information. And in my community, I've found that that's also provided significant value to people who get caught up in the rush of everyday life. It's a moment that you can take back. It's a moment where you can really have the luxury of sitting down and starting to digest the things that you otherwise can easily be overwhelmed by.
I think one thing that we often forget is just because something is convenient does not make it efficient. So a lot of times with data entry, if you type, for example, it happens a lot faster but in that process a lot gets lost because you're just kind of parroting the source, and I think that it's really important to actually hear what's being said than just simply kind of spitting it back out onto paper. So when you're writing a lot of the time what you want to do is reduce the amount of information that you're capturing only down to what truly matters. So you're distilling information in real time. And in order to do that, you have to think about what truly matters. And I feel like writing by hand allows us to think significantly more about the information that we are writing down.
I mean the actual act of writing activates very many different parts of our brain simultaneously. From the science that I've seen, it doesn't happen when you're typing. So, for example, students that were separated into two separate groups-one was allowed to take notes via handwriting and the other via typing, and the group that wrote by hand retained the information significantly longer and significantly more accurately.
So I think that when you concentrate and you focus on writing you are engaging with content significantly more. You have to. The weight of the pen, the ideas, the concepts that you're trying to distill down to what matters, how your handwriting looks, how quickly you're writing and all those things immediately focus your attention, more so than I would say typing would.
So decision fatigue is when you find yourself literally exhausted by the amount of decisions that you have to make, because we're constantly inundated by so many different things from so many different channels. All that information requires our attention, and a lot of that information actually requires us to act. And acting on information is essentially making a decision. So do you want to go watch this movie? Do you want to go on this trip? Do you want to respond to this email? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you?...
Read the full transcript at bigthink.com/videos/journalin...
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I recently started keeping a journal, instead of sharing everything online, I now have this space where I can really take my time and consider my thoughts and feelings before subjecting them to an audience. I have found it quite meditative and helps me refine my communication skills. I've always kept physical diaries and calendars, some of my friends wonder why I don't use the calendar in my phone and it's because I don't remember what I put in it, I can't visualise time properly on a virtual calendar.
Also, something I've known for a long while is that if you write something down you get it out of you and can look at it in a more objective way. Writing something down does that in a way that is better then just typing it on a computer. A text document isn't as physical an action, the same way a note on paper is. The physicality of the hand written note spreads the reality of that note to more places in the brain. Making it more solid internally as well as externally.
Exactly! This helped validate my habit of using paper before taking something to the digital realm. I hope every generation gets this.
@livinthatlife
5 жыл бұрын
This is Kevin from Vsause2 dressed as Morpheus😅
@livinthatlife
5 жыл бұрын
Totally gonna get a notebook now tho notebook 📒
@x3ICEx
5 жыл бұрын
I hope future generations can break free from this prison of paper and handwriting. Via thought-reading implants maybe.
@carmenM-ey6qy
Ай бұрын
@@x3ICEx🙄
I tottally agree ! It is always easier for me to write and organize my thoughts on the paper rather than typing. I lose my concentration faster when I am typing! yet it is much longer with papers! I am visual person so my ideas run so fast from me and jotting them on paper more effective
@bungcoba6956
5 жыл бұрын
Afreed, but will It work too if we replace the paper with tablet/Ipad, what do you think?
He is incredibly efficient with his words. I heard and paid close attention to every single syllable. What a fantastic video
@kingkirby8960
5 жыл бұрын
Awesome vid indeed :D
@StudhouseK
5 жыл бұрын
@John T I did not, at least not the first time watching. You think there's a reason for it?
@user-zu1ix3yq2w
5 жыл бұрын
I don't see it.....
@StudhouseK
5 жыл бұрын
@John T I thought you were going to tell me he's giving subliminal messages through his speech. Bit let down, to be fair. Haha
@ausroy087
5 жыл бұрын
@Billy Studholme First part of the video definitely started strong. Last minute or so he went off the deep end into platitudes. Should have ended the video at 4:35
So true! I'm a coder and 80 to 85% of my project (problems) are marked and solved in my notebook. The computer is in sleep mode. After I get my thoughts together (on paper), I just open my code editor and boom, in 'record' time the app is build (with some bugs) which i fix on the computer with that 15-20% of my entire time involved in the project.
@samueltremblay275
5 жыл бұрын
That is the same case for me. From the high level view designing infrastructure to the lowest writing pseudo code, my mind is more effective and efficient than in front of a computer. And I can also add that everything is amplified if I'm not site in front of the the computer... I mean, when I have a really tough problem, I prefer to do that thinking process on a room or a place where I don't usually work. In lots of cases, my finest solutions appears on my couch at home :D
@leonardobaleon810
5 жыл бұрын
I agree. I'm still at an early stage in my computer science education but I've noticed a significant different in planning on paper vs programming as I go.
@lifelonglearner1863
3 жыл бұрын
I love this comment. thanks man!!!
This makes so much sense. As it is, controlling one's impulses online - when you are constantly surrounded by so many temptations - is challenging in itself. Further, being able to see what is SUBJECTIVE - what one is thinking inside one's mind - become OBJECTIVE in black and white on a piece of paper provides a certain distance and is liberating in itself. Try it out... am sure you'll love it!
Am I the only one who likes his relaxing, calm and even a bit laid-back way of giving serious advice?
@nickleics
2 жыл бұрын
I find both his words, and the way he enunciates them, to be profoundly calming.
@lotannaobika6153
Жыл бұрын
Same here.
As a programmer myself I 100% agree with this young man. in my field of work most would rather code on type away rather than getting a pen and paper and write down your algorithm, and data structure to solve a particular problem. Think on paper before you code if you don't you will be littered with bugs and errors. Always have a plan of what to do and attack a given problem.
I love using paper, but also a spreadsheet when things become more detailed. Both tools allow me to forget certain things for a while and to focus on other things.
My strategy is writing ideas in a sketch pad, like mind map for example, then taking a picture for digital storing and editing
You, the person who is reading this .. As a human being , I love you .. we have come a long way since our ancestors... I dont think we will ever see each other for the rest of the life... Thats okay... just wanted to spread My love....Good luck with you. Find the way friend .
@richardphillipssinger3970
5 жыл бұрын
Let's spread Love!
@dakid3429
5 жыл бұрын
& to you as well HG
@What-zf5jt
5 жыл бұрын
Hariharan G good Life mate
@Xpistos510
5 жыл бұрын
That was deep. People don’t see the world so profoundly on a daily basis. YOU UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF LIFE. Thank you, fellow human. I love you too. Be well. ❤️❤️❤️🔥✊
@Immastandpat
5 жыл бұрын
How very kind of you! Love to you as well. May you have peace...
Writing and reading it again is cathartic,also gives other perspective...sometimes instant answers too
People think it's weird but this is why i think out loud a lot.
Yes, I'm a big fan of journaling and writing, thank you😍🙌
Yes , of course I have found that technique 2 months ago in journal or self reflection book really efficient
I definitely agree with a lot of things said in this video. I really enjoyed watching this channel
Best big think ever, for me! Totally useful and insightful
I used to be like you said , when I wanted to develop a program I would start on paper and then type , but I wanted to learn to do the entire process on pc and I trained hard and I am now able to think clearly while typing , I think in this case it's more nurture than nature
Absolutely true!
Excellent. Thanks.
I can imagine him just suddenly singing a Michael Bublé song lol. Good points made, thank you!
In addition, you can become intellectually independent by contemplating using a journal.
@OurNewestMember
5 жыл бұрын
...almost. This benefit builds as your "contemplation" grows into tangible form (onto paper)
Digital interfaces always have some limitations of expressing your thoughts: fixed lines when you type, limited amount of geometrical shapes (or too time consuming access to those shapes), absence of methods to quickly outline your immediate ideas. Paper interface - has never had these limitations. Any geometrical shape, line or structure is literally a millisecond away from ending up on your piece of paper
Absolutely agree. Great video.
Fantastic speaker, great video.
Wow. Thinking this is actually the first video I see which is rediscovering pen and paper. Kind of cool witnessing this developement.
Due to my age, when in college I took notes on paper - then back in dorm typed those notes into my PC. Doing both really helped me retain. I’ll bet if I also read and spoke those notes out load into a tape recorder then listened to the play back - that I would’ve retained even more . . . Not just b/c of the repetition but because of ‘ handling’ the info in different ways. What do you think ?
@DecipherDiz
5 жыл бұрын
I can confirm that it does greatly. I wrote it out, then did my homework. Then before finals I would record them verbally. Always an A if I followed this. Typing it out on PC did almost nothing other than the repetition. It helps, but only a 10th compared to writing and recording... for me anyway
@TansuTansu2
5 жыл бұрын
The reason that writing is so effective is because it is not a passive activity - you need to be more engaged in order to write things down.
Great stuff!
absolutely right
Wise words from a young man. Didnt’t expect that.
interesting stuff! great video great content!
Every great human achievement started with a pen(cil) and paper... EVERY single one.
@FedJimSmith
5 жыл бұрын
Ancient Egyptians doesn't have paper, they have papyrus scrolls
@supreet6331
3 жыл бұрын
Mark zukerberg would disagree
Very good.
I struggle with perfectionism, I keep thinking about my notes when studying, my handwriting isn't good enough, I wonder if I put things where it shouldn't be. That's the main reasons why I'm thinking about typing my notes instead of writing them by hand.
I use this electric typewriter though since I can write more than handwriting. Also since my hand can get sore if I write down stuff too much, though I go back and forth sometimes.
Great vedio actually, thank u
This was one of the greatest videos on the Internet.
Amazing 💟💟
I've done very little hand writing since I got my first PC in 1992. My writing is so poor that I barely understand it myself and it's orders of magnitude slower than my typing. I just block all of the distracting web sites so that in any moments where I habitually open a browser and try to do something that isn't on task, the page goes nowhere and I'm quickly reminded to go back to the task at hand.
Good video. Writing is better and more efficient for information storage and synthesis. Drawing is equal as a problem solving exercise. VisiCalc expression of ideas can be superior due to the limitations of language.
Can anyone tell me the study he refers to? The one about retention of information being better when they used pen and paper.
"It doesnt matter that because something can be done, It needs to be done"
As a writer, I have always felt that I was old school for appreciating the hell out of the cramps in my hand while putting pen to paper. Just to think that an idea comes out of nowhere and goes into the mind for processing, and then it's either okay or rejected as something profound enough to start building your structure with an architecture that makes the most sense. As I continue on with a serial killer character I tend to stay away from Bambi and his dead mother.
"Active unplugging" 👍🏻
its a quick extension of our brains cache, allowing us to juggle things. And without any distractions and habits of being on your computer, like going to youtube and clicking this video, lmao. Peace
Perfect! Thanks. Oct.19,2019.
@caesarsar179
5 жыл бұрын
Are you from the future? Nice 👍
@abhaysharma966
5 жыл бұрын
Hey I am from 2100 CE and it's really hot here, Fucking stop green house emission my ass is burning in sun.
My best video till date
Journaling is awesome in itself...but paper pen does feel special.
The reason thinking on paper is a good way to focus is because you will discover very quickly how you contradict yourself, and through reflection, you will start becoming more honest with yourself. This is how I started out about 4 months ago. And now through much greater understanding than anyone else on this lost planet, I am ascending to an existence that so far only I can understand. I want to help others get here but alas I may not be able to hold myself down much longer. People choose what they want to, and if what they want is the same ol same ol bs, then I guess that's what they will get. 🙁😁
@dougchandler-christsbrothe5994
5 жыл бұрын
Hey, whatever happened to bumping lolz 😋
@dougchandler-christsbrothe5994
5 жыл бұрын
🇦🇺
true
So the guy who created Bujo looks like this. GLAD TO see him
Stress is defined by the number of decisions made in a given period of time. The more decisions, the more critical decisions, in a given period of time... the greater the stress. The more Life & Death the decisions are, the more the stress, but time is also a factor. If you only have one critical decision in an hour... that decision might be stressful, but the stress will be less than if you have ten or twenty less critical decisions in that same time. Time is part of what makes stress. The less time available, the more decisions, the greater the stress.
@kishananavekar3746
5 жыл бұрын
That's quite meaningful definition of stress!
@PeterKaitlyn
5 жыл бұрын
It's also a pretty good rule of thumb for dealing with stress.
How about writing using Apple Pencil on iPad?
I'm considering getting a Lenovo Yoga Book to get the benefits of both worlds.
10/10
yes thank you youtube for recommending me this after I bought 1000 dollar iPad for same purpose
Not only thinking on paper is efficient. It will be way way more efficient if it is written clearly as possible. Especially in engineering.
1:23 convenient v efficient
Peter Lorre is back!
Voice typing helps me with retetiveity
Local woods + pen & pad = revaluation/contemplation/ideas/path...
0:05
I've got a couple of full notebooks that can attest to this man's claims :D
Hold in memory longer..
Attention is a resource, so avoid using it on irrelavent or low impact things.
which study?
It's my 20th birthday!
Effective communication is an essential skill for success. Therefore a link to this video and keywords have been added to the DR-KNOW website by IQ-2k Information Services
decission fatigue - !!!!
Yes. Paper is so much easier to use than to write with a pen on a touch screen. No matter the size.
Anyone have advice for avoiding cramps while writing by hand?
@vinhvu95
5 жыл бұрын
write more haha, otherwise write at a steady rate. It's sort of like comparing a sprint and a jog, you'll cover more ground jogging over time
@skwiggsskytower2517
5 жыл бұрын
There are MANY tips on how to limit stress and cramps while writing. My favorite is "Write with your arm, not your hand". And yes I'm serious. Writing is not drawing. When drawing you need to engage your hand muscles more to get ultra fine details. The Alphabet doesn't require such detail to write.
@jasondads9509
5 жыл бұрын
Skwiggs Skytower the you'll make your whole arm sore
@PhilJonesIII
5 жыл бұрын
A problem for beginner pianists as well. Using the fingers and finger muscles to play notes. Whenever possible, use the weight of the hand and arm to play. Relax the fingers when writing and be conscious of how rigidly you might be holding the wrist, elbow, and shoulders.
What's a paper? Is that short for pay-per-view like some TV subscriptions?
@HalfMaskMan
5 жыл бұрын
😮 paper the new app, sounds awesome
@FelixIakhos
5 жыл бұрын
It's the digital document you have to upload at uni
@marcomontecino5161
5 жыл бұрын
Haha, clever play of words.
I'm the guy that's stealing all the post its in the office for my random offline journals 😂
Please add the Arabic translation
Case in point: while watching this I sat my phone down long enuf to bite my pizza and the phone was suddenly hijacked by a goddam commercial.
Play at 1.5 speed
The almighty pen and paper.
Watch the video in 1.25x speed His speech will be at normal speed
What about people who's handwriting is totally illegible even to yourself
@seanwebb605
5 жыл бұрын
I write in a note pad and on sticky notes all of the time. It helps me focus my ideas. It's rare for me to ever refer to them again. Most of the sticky notes get smeared and crumbled up. The idea lingers though. More than if I am just staring out of a window and daydreaming. When I do look at my notes days or weeks later it can take me some time to remember what I was thinking at the time. Despite recognizing it as my own illegible handwriting it often seems like the ideas of a stranger. What strange person had these thoughts? It allows me to challenge what I think now and why I had previously had what now seems as bizarre ideas. It's fun.
I bet he is reading the text ...
PAPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. BULLET JOURNAL GANG.
I believe there is science behind hand writing to be discovered! In Qur'an God glorified the pen that gives the ability to write down knowledge! Also God gives the order : Read!
isn't his lack focus because going online? you can always use digital paper and stylus pen offline, jeez.
either quit smokeing dope or write this shit down son im not going to repeat the same numbers all damn day and i swear if i see you messing with that phone one more time before break...shit will get lucrative one way or another
Jesus have mercy on me
Paper is not good it takes time to write on paper it takes less typing in an app and if you're not impulsive buyer you can try that out. It's much easier and you can make mental notes quickly.
@P________
5 жыл бұрын
wooosh
@moseslovesk
5 жыл бұрын
What’s true of you may not be true of others. More information and perspective is not bad. Don’t be afraid of it.
@SupaEMT134
5 жыл бұрын
BRUHH...
@user-kp5kg5dl8h
5 жыл бұрын
But he's right to an extent. I think we don't need to condemn typing things out. Furthermore, the speaker in this video just mentioned one "study" that "proved" his point, though in reality, it didn't. Anyway, I do enjoy taking written notes. It's just that sometimes typing would serve me better
@FSTK
5 жыл бұрын
The act of physically writing something is what allows us to focus. Ask yourself: when watching this video, did you touch your phone/computer, or did you entirely focus on the video and Ryder's words?
He sounds utterly bored to be discussing a topic he’s passionate about.
Zzzzzzzzzz. I bet no one get any work from this guy. He is boring
Jesus have mercy on me