Think on Paper
Pen it down for Perfection
Penning for Perfection
Writing evolved as a means of communication during the onset of human civilization and has existed as a mode of storing, chronicling, and transmitting information since then. Though it started as a mode of communication using symbols and figures in its primitive stage, the act of writing has contributed to the evolution of mankind significantly.
The age-old practice of writing using pen and paper plays a vital role in boosting our productivity and wellbeing. For instance, writing by hand helps us learn better, be creative, and be more organized. Also, it helps us relieve stress and improves our overall mental and physical health.
What Happens When We Write?
The act of writing causes the brain, hand, and eyes to work together, resulting in the synchronization of the three senses of thinking, touching, and seeing. When you think, write, and see simultaneously, a connection between your brain and hands gets established, which blocks distractions from entering your mind for that moment. The repeated movement of the hand creates a trance-like state, making you feel relaxed and mindful.
In other words, writing involves the use of cognitive (thinking) and motor (writing) skills at the same time. Therefore, it helps your mind focus and recall information better. Due to better focus and information processing, handwriting, also known as think-on-paper, sharpens our problem-solving skills.
Writing Improves Learning. How?
When you receive some information, your brain stores it in its short-term memory. If you write it while receiving, you allow your brain to process that information immediately and present it on paper. The processed information later gets stored in long-term memory. This process not only improves your memory but also helps you analyze information present in front of your eyes.
Writing Improves Creativity. How?
Similar to other creative arts, such as drawing or painting, writing improves our cognitive and motor skills.
You may have a lot of ideas in your mind at a particular moment. These ideas can be vague, incomplete, or incoherent. You may be unable to put them together and give them a shape. But, when you start writing, you start putting the ideas from your brain to paper. Now, you can see each idea separately as a unit. You can put similar ideas together to create bigger units, make connections between them, and rearrange them in a logical manner.
Writing Improves Health, Mental and Physical. How?
Writing relieves stress and anxiety from the brain resulting in improved mental health. Consequently, it improves physical health as increased stress and anxiety are precursor to other health issues such as high blood pressure, heart diseases, and diabetes.
Penning down how one is feeling is relaxing. Journaling or putting thoughts out on paper lowers the burden on the mind. It is like unloading weight from the mind and putting it somewhere else. In this case, on a piece of paper. Furthermore, while writing, the brain gets occupied placing thoughts on paper, protecting itself from disturbances, and creating a state of mindfulness.
Writing Improves Productivity. How?
When I wake up, I may have so many things to do in my mind, and I start doing them one by one. I may be a little overwhelmed, though. I try to do chores as they present in my mind. It’s like a to-do list in my mind, but it is not tangible. I can’t see it. And I can’t compare what needs to be done first with other items on the list. I try to do everything within my capacity throughout the day. By the end of the day, I may or may not do everything on the list in my mind. There is no way I can track how much I actually did. Or whether what I did was the most important thing to be done that day.
Now, when I write a to-do list first in the morning, I see every item in front of me. I can compare what is more important and what is less. I can evaluate how much time each activity is going to take. After weighing the items on the list, in terms of importance and time requirement, I plan my day.
Again with the tangible list, I may or may not have done all the activities on the list. But now, I can see what I did and didn’t. I can think about the reasons for not sticking to the plan. What stopped me from doing things as per the plan? This way, I can evaluate my progress. And based on today’s experience, I can plan my next day in a better way. I can avoid today’s mistakes tomorrow.
