3 Reasons Why You Should Write All Your Plans and Projects down on Paper

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With so much of the world being run via the web and various digital tools and programs these days, it’s hardly surprising that many people choose to organise and structure their lives entirely via phone apps or cloud-based platforms.

For those who aren’t using those sorts of tools and systems, there’s a significant proportion – even of would-be entrepreneurs – who aren’t really organising their lives or keeping track of things in any significant way, whatsoever.

But whether your plans, goals, and projects for the future involve something straightforward like looking up roofing services to deal with an issue affecting your home, or whether they centre on a complex business plan; being organised and structured is essential.

More than that, though, there are specific benefits to writing all of your plans and projects down on paper. Here are a few reasons to do so.

Because it gives you time and space to reflect on things in an intentional and effective manner

If you keep your prospective future plans and ideas in the back of your mind and nowhere else, there’s a good chance that you’ll forget all about them, and even if you don’t, it’s very unlikely that those ideas will ever “mature” or come to fruition.

On the other hand, if you track those projects and ideas using a digital platform, it can be much too easy to forget about them altogether and to lose track – as they don’t take up any “space” in the world, and will likely be in a virtual pile of a thousand or more other notes.

Writing things down on paper – especially in a concise and organised notebook that you refer to regularly – puts things in a place where you will more readily be reminded of them, and where you can give them the time and space to “breathe.

You can, then, reflect on things in an intentional and effective manner over time, and make headway on those ideas when the time seems right.

Because it helps to solidify your various projects and obligations in your mind

Some interesting research has found that students who write down notes by hand retain more information and have a better understanding of the subject matter than students who type their notes out on a computer.

Something about writing things down by hand simply seems to activate the memory more effectively, and to make ideas and concepts seem more tangible.

Writing your various projects and obligations down on paper can help to establish them more effectively in your memory, and can therefore make you more organised by default.

Because it reduces the mental strain of trying to keep track of too many things at once

David Allen, creator of the famous “Getting Things Done” task and project management system – a system originally based on writing down notes in a Filofax or on paper – points out that the human mind is very good at generating ideas, but doesn’t do a great job of holding onto them.

Generally speaking, the more things you try to remember and keep track of in your mind, the greater the degree of mental strain, stress, and anxiety you will experience.

Writing things down on paper can be a very therapeutic experience – and it can certainly help you to escape from the stressful sensation that you are at risk of forgetting something important.

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