FIND IT INSIDE SUCCESS
Your guide to managing money, work and the business of life
At Winter Session, a bag and wallet maker in Denver, employees not only craft many products manually; they are also encouraged to keep handwritten notes about manufacturing processes. Cofounder Tanya Fleisher says that “writing things down helps you internalize and process the information on a visceral level,” yielding better-quality production.
The brain reacts differently — research says better — when you use paper and not a computer. Studies show that students’ performance on tests improves when they take notes on paper instead of laptops, and kids who learn to write by hand are better at recognizing letters than those who learn to write by typing.
Other research shows that working on a computer, as opposed to paper, saps concentration and willpower.
Cal Newport, an author and professor at Georgetown University, argues in his new book, “Deep Work,” that achieving ultra-focus on a single task is a key to boosting productivity, and he’s convinced that working on paper is a great way to do that. (To arrive at the mathematical theorems that make up the bulk of his research, he writes by hand in a notebook.)
While there’s no scientific evidence quantifying any productivity benefits of paper over a computer, companies that integrate paper into their workflow report positive results, from fewer meetings to better, more thoughtful ideas.
This may explain the recent paper boom. Doane Paper, a notebook company in Kansas City, Mo., says its sales have grown 30 percent in 2015 over 2014. Tim Jacobsen, founder of Word Notebooks, reports an 844 percent increase in sales over the same period.