Jack London said every writer should keep a notebook.
Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it, London said.
Lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.
This week, we test the classic battle of man versus machine to see which is better for journaling.
And there are two basic methods for journaling:
Writing by hand:You know how this works.
Beyond that, though,writing stimulates and engages your brain better, making it easier to retain information.
Some argue thatwriting by hand is a more raw, authentic experience.
Both options have their advantages.
When you write with pen and paper, you have something tangible to give your kids someday.
You dont have to worry about getting hacked, either.
Plus, its easier to search for specific entries.
Beyond the basics, lets take a look at both options.
Writing forces you to slow down, but that might not be a bad thing.
This explains why journaling can feel therapeutic andwhy it helps with mindfulness.
On the other hand, sometimes that inconvenience can be, well, inconvenient.
One might argue, however, that Im defeating the purpose and thats not really journaling at all.
But then I guess it depends on your purpose.
Plenty of great writers punch in their manuscripts, after all.
I could also punch in faster, so my writing was more stream of consciousness.
I noticed something interesting, though.
That might be because I associate typing so much with work and writing by hand feels less like work.
Theres also research to explain why this might have happened.
The key was to focus on their thoughts and feelings, not just emotions.
As I said, when I bang out, I skipped that process.
It might depend on why youre keeping a journal in the first place.
If youre just journaling to keep a record of information, typing is probably your easiest and best bet.
And theres no reason you cant do both, either.
