Practicing The Ancient Art Of Knowledge Capture
I'm back blogging after a few weeks of vacation. Before leaving home, I took the terrifying decision to leave my laptop at home. I decided to settle with a few pens and notebooks and to practice the ancient art of knowledge capture. It turned out to be a very good decision.
Fact is that no technology can beat the old pen and paper when it comes to quickly capturing (and developing) thoughts, ideas and insights. These tools are so intuitive to use (well, when you know how to read and write first) that you can capture what is on your mind almost in your sleep. There is no turning on or waiting to get the device started up, you just grab the pen in the dark and write it down on the paper. I might not have produced the prettiest handwriting or sketches, but they were at least possible to interpret when I woke up in the morning. And during daytime, I could go basically anywhere with my pen and notebook. I did not have to limit myself to the house or to shady places outside (where the LCD screen is readable).
While staying at a hotel in Stockholm (Scandic Anglais, a very fresh and nice hotel in the very centre of Stockholm which I can recommend to anyone visiting Stockholm) I was happy to find a little gift on my bedside table called "The Clear Head Book". It encouraged me to "Empty your head of random thoughts and ideas before you sleep and let your thoughts roam free in dreamland". It sure worked for me. I hadn't slept that good for a long, long time. Although I didn't use it, just knowing that it was there helped me to relax and come to peace. If I had had my laptop with me, I would for sure have turned it on before getting to sleep - which is probably not the best way to end the day if you want to get a good night's sleep.
Fact is that no technology can beat the old pen and paper when it comes to quickly capturing (and developing) thoughts, ideas and insights. These tools are so intuitive to use (well, when you know how to read and write first) that you can capture what is on your mind almost in your sleep. There is no turning on or waiting to get the device started up, you just grab the pen in the dark and write it down on the paper. I might not have produced the prettiest handwriting or sketches, but they were at least possible to interpret when I woke up in the morning. And during daytime, I could go basically anywhere with my pen and notebook. I did not have to limit myself to the house or to shady places outside (where the LCD screen is readable).
While staying at a hotel in Stockholm (Scandic Anglais, a very fresh and nice hotel in the very centre of Stockholm which I can recommend to anyone visiting Stockholm) I was happy to find a little gift on my bedside table called "The Clear Head Book". It encouraged me to "Empty your head of random thoughts and ideas before you sleep and let your thoughts roam free in dreamland". It sure worked for me. I hadn't slept that good for a long, long time. Although I didn't use it, just knowing that it was there helped me to relax and come to peace. If I had had my laptop with me, I would for sure have turned it on before getting to sleep - which is probably not the best way to end the day if you want to get a good night's sleep.