Living a Laptop Lifestyle With the Benefits of Pen and Paper Reflection
You know those puffy-jacketed diaries with a lock and key most kids tucked under their mattresses?
That was not me.
Even well into my adult life, I’ve always resisted the idea of journaling. I used to wonder, “What’s the point? Am I doing this right? Will I ever review this again?”
Though I’d resisted journaling, I still appreciated the benefits. And when I’d hear about yet another leader who attributed part of their success to their journaling practice, I decided to give it a focused effort.
I journaled (and traveled) a lot that year!
So in 2016, I figured I just needed to be more consistent and committed to journaling every single day for a year. This time though, I used Evernote so I could centralize — and type — my reflection.
The daily journaling exercise in a centralized spot showed me the power of having access to my ideas from any device. I also realized it would be useful to have instant access to all my old paper journals, so I grabbed my scanner out of the closet.
Realizing I could scan my handwritten notes into Evernote changed everything.
When I discovered that I could scan my handwritten notes into Evernote, I had a new project — scanning all my old pen and paper journal entries into Evernote. You know, the ones I had sitting on bookshelves and stuffed in filing cabinets for years. This way, I’d have access to my reflections wherever I was.
Now, know that I’m not a paper hater — I love quality paper.
Sometimes paper is the best tool for the job. And when it is – use it!
I’m only opposed to the idea of organizing all that paper. There’s no value in having notes on paper if you can’t find them. It’s expensive and takes up space, and I’m a vocal advocate of the file-free laptop lifestyle.
Here’s the problem with files:
If you keep stacks of paper, you don’t have a centralized spot to access them when you need it from wherever you are.
Your chances of ever going back to those paper notebooks or using them as the springboard for inspired action dwindle.
A few weeks ago, I traveled from Austin to Tampa for a 2022 business planning retreat with a Women's Entrepreneurs Group.
The event was a "no tech" to support our focus on the exercises, and I took pages of handwritten notes there.
But now, I’m no longer stressing about the effectiveness of pen-and-paper journaling because I have a digital system outside of my paper notebook.
We spent a lot of time reflecting on our business, what we want out of life, and what our business needs to look like to support the life we want. There was a lot of journaling, reflection, discussion, and coaching.
Every scribble on the page had meaning and purpose.
At the end of the retreat, I pulled out my phone and opened up my favorite app outside of Evernote. It's called Scannable, and it transforms your iOS device into a mobile scanning machine. It’s free, developed by Evernote, and syncs seamlessly to Evernote.
Note: Scannable is iOS only. Not on iOS? Select the Evernote Scan option from Evernote on your phone to accomplish the same thing.
I used Scannable to digitize all the notes I had written. Here are my reflection notes scanned and stored in Evernote:
Now, my handwritten notes live in Evernote, which means they’re:
1. Searchable. Yes, Evernote can even search my handwriting.
2. In a place where I can start reviewing them and move onto the next step of 2022 business planning — putting my projects, events, and key tasks on my calendar. I'll be using the Evernote calendar templates as my starting point, which is handy to have them available in the same digital workspace (Evernote). I’ll pull in Evernote's 2022 calendar templates as a start.
Added bonus: I didn't have to bring home any of the paper I collected at the retreat. It's all waiting for me in Evernote.
I’ll do my 2022 business planning in Evernote, too — look for another article from me with a behind-the-scenes look on just how I do that.
Now that I’ve digitized my notes, it’s been transformative for me and my business; here’s why:
✅ I’m getting a lot out of the reflection exercises weeks later.
As I go through life, I’m reflecting and getting new ideas based on my work in Tampa. I’m building lists in Evernote of things I need to make time for in 2022, things I need to buy (like this 2022 wall calendar), and items I need to budget for in my business and life.
✅ Since I live the laptop lifestyle and work from wherever I am, on whatever device I have with me — my notes are all accessible from my computer or phone. No more searching for which random notebook I wrote that big idea in.
✅ Reflection is more powerful for me now.
Now that I’m no longer taking up precious brain space about how I’d remember where I’d written something, I can be fully present in my reflections with pen and paper.
✅ I’m taking action instead of leaving notes to die in a notebook
The paper notes are just the beginning. They’re the inception of my ideas that spark action. Evernote is the digital desk space to take inspired action — so get your thoughts in there!
Those are simply my personal reasons for digitizing the paper in my life into Evernote. Here are some more reasons that might help you finally get rid of those piles of notebooks and files:
Evernote makes it easy by offering the most ways to digitize any paper frictionlessly — you just need to know how! I teach this in The Academy.
Your stuff will be centralized, not fragmented. No more piles of paper that aren’t available when you need them. No more digging through your hard drive, Google, drive, or — was it in email? It’s all in Evernote.
Access your notes from anywhere. You get ideas in all kinds of places — and often not where you’ll find a pad of paper just waiting for you. Evernote also makes it easy to add related ideas to existing notes when you can pull them up wherever your next jolt of inspiration strikes you.
Easy retrieval with search. Evernote finds text, but it also finds your handwriting. It also indexes the interior contents of the documents you store in Evernote.
I’m obviously a fan of the file-free (but not totally paperless) lifestyle. Join hundreds of other inspired (and organized people) getting their digital lives in order inside the Academy, where I teach how-to lessons like this and more.
