Any good business owner or entrepreneur will spend a fair amount of time thinking about the future. Most recently, we’re especially focused on how the way in which we work might change in the next year, the next 5 years, or the next 20 years even. Digitalisation, of course, has had a huge impact on the way we work and yet, we’re not all clustered around meeting tables scrawling away on tablets as was predicted.
Despite the far more sophisticated technology we are using in the office, not much of the contents on our workstations have changed all that much. Many of us are still using pen and paper on a daily basis and there are many reasons why your employees still carry notebooks.
Here are just a few of the benefits of using a notebook for work:
One of the biggest reasons why you should be providing your employees with notebooks is that they are still using them regularly. Sales of notebooks during lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 experienced a spike, with a reported increase of up to 300% in stationary sales. Many employees working from home also chose eco-friendly notebooks made from recycled paper or planet-friendly materials. The data strongly suggests that when working from home, employees were still choosing to use paper notebooks, even at personal expense.
It’s no wonder that employees prefer paper notebooks. After all, keeping a written journal, diary or planner is known to increase general well-being and assist in stress management and anxiety. The act of physically recording activities can help sharpen memory and even boost mood.
The world is obsessed with organisation right now! With Marie Kondo having become a household hero and Netflix programmes, such as The Home Edit, experiencing unexpected popularity. In the past few years, the UK has made it a mission to declutter and attempt to live a simpler existence. The key to this is flawless organisation and proper planning. Whilst apps, platforms and aids, such as Trello and Asana are excellent for managing projects and individual workloads, there are ways we use the traditional notebook which cannot be replaced.
The notebook is often brought out in meetings and during presentations. Because an employee is focused on the speaker, they write down only the most important takeaways which makes it far more likely that they’ll recall the key points. The act of writing something down also makes it far more likely to be actioned which is a top reason why you’ll want your employees to carry notebooks.
Gloria Steinham once remarked that “dreaming is a form of planning.” We agree except we’d add that it becomes a plan when written down.
One of the leading problems with being connected to the whole digital world, having instant communication and being able to access almost any information at the press of a button is that it’s all pretty distracting. In fact, staying focused at work has never been more difficult and the digital world has a lot to do with this.
Every hour we are bombarded with notifications, alerts, reminders and messages on our devices and, whether or not they are work-related, they can make it extremely challenging to concentrate on the task at hand.
Although a notebook is not going to be used to draft formal proposals, content or plans, it is a particularly good place to explore ideas. Not least because it’s free from distractions. A notebook does not alert you to spelling errors as you scribble down your ideas or derail your train of thought will an email. Many employees carry notebooks, especially flexi notebooks, because it is a distraction-free way to organise their thoughts so that when they are ready to type these up formally, the constant alerts from the digital world are less detrimental.
Just look into the Moleskine notebook brand or Castelli notebooks and you’ll find they are associated with all kinds of notable pioneers throughout history. Writers including Ernest Hemmingway and Oscar Wilde were notebook carriers, as were artists including Frida Kahlo, Van Gogh and Picasso. Great thinkers like Da Vinci, Einstein and Marie Curie also used the humble notebook to keep a record of their ideas and progress. Yes, I hear you say, but they didn’t have tablets or smartphones. Yet, modern tech icons like Steve Jobs famously carried a notepad. So did Barack Obama, a man at the forefront of a nation.
There is a reason that many great thinkers and leaders throughout history have fumbled through their thoughts in clumsy shorthand in paper notebooks. The process of writing frees the mind. It enables us to link our thoughts and ideas.
Notebooks are possibly the most cost-effective way to encourage employees to tap into their ideas, improve their organisation and develop their creative thinking.
Don’t forget to get your corporate notebook branded with your company name or logo.
Even in the age of digital devices, printed notebooks remain popular for several reasons:
Tangibility: There’s something satisfying about physically writing down your thoughts and ideas. Writing by hand helps to engage your mind in a different way than typing on a keyboard.
Convenience: Unlike digital devices, paper notebooks don’t require batteries or an internet connection. You can use them anytime and anywhere, without worrying about a low battery or connectivity issues.
Creative outlet: Many people find that writing by hand is a creative outlet that helps them to generate ideas and express themselves in ways that are different from typing on a computer or phone.
Memory retention: Studies have shown that taking notes by hand can help with memory retention. Writing by hand helps to engage your brain in a way that typing doesn’t, making it easier to remember what you wrote.
Personalization: With personalised notebooks, you can customize your experience to fit your needs. You can choose the size, paper quality, cover design, and other features that best suit your preferences.
Overall, while digital devices are convenient and useful, printed notebooks offer a unique experience that appeals to many people. They provide a tangible and customizable way to capture ideas, thoughts, and notes, making them a popular choice for people of all ages and backgrounds.
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