I come from a very poor region of South Africa where the illiteracy rate is still extremely high. This means that each and every day I value the ability to read and write. It’s a fantastic gift that most literate people take for granted.
I have always written things down. When I studied, I used to take notes, Not copious notes, but key sentences. I journaled for many many years (mostly when I needed to vent), and still use a paper calendar. For some years I did use Casio, Psion, Palm Pilot and Palm Life Drive electronic planners but ultimately I have always loved paper. Any old paper, any old pen. I can feel my thoughts and feelings pouring out to the paper through my pen as I write down ideas for blog posts or lessons. It relaxes me. To this day, students tell me that the act of writing things down with a pen activates memory in a different way than if they record or type it.
I am an avid list-maker and my organisers holds all these in one place. It holds articles, scribbles, notes, lists, appointments, little bits of paper. No tapping, no waiting for apps to load. No hanging, no blue screen, no internet connection or Wi-Fi necessary. And with a ring binder you can give your planner a spring clean anytime you want – toss what you don’t need, keep what you do, archive old pages and it just keeps going, evolving and developing with you. I love nothing more than seeing a well-used calendar or notebook after it has done its duty and is crinkly and full of memories.
I believe that the act of writing things down helps me remember them better. In addition, dumping things from my brain to paper takes off pressure to remember them, and creates mental space for me to concentrate on more immediate issues.
My way of using paper is a mixture of making my to do list for the coming week on Sunday according to my work schedule, and then jotting things down as I go during the week. When I am teaching a class and I promise to send them a link or exercise, I write it down immediately or I will forget it by the time the lesson is over.
I think many women carry a mental load of which they are unaware. A women is generally the person who remembers all the family birthdays, is responsible for buying birthday and Christmas gifts, remembers family dentist appointments and school sporting events, creates the grocery lists, knows when school projects need to be done and what needs to be bought to complete it etc etc. Even if other people actually carry out the tasks, women often take the mental load of remembering what happens when. And for me, paper is always the way to go.
