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Digital vs. Paper – What Are the Pros and Cons of These Systems?

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This Needs to be Determined Before We Can Decide Which System to Use

Last week we discussed the how’s and whys of note taking. At the end of that post, I told you that we would look at my note taking system and discuss how you can have a system designed to fit your specific needs.

Not so fast.

There’re still some more things to consider about the different forms of note taking before we can get into the system to use.

Let’s break down the pros and cons of paper vs. digital.

Reasons for paper over computers:

It’s a proven system and you’re used to it.

  • Paper and pencil have been a sure way to takes notes for a lot longer than computers.
  • Writing notes on paper is something we all learned in school…computers, not necessarily.
  • Digital note taking can be complicated and feel overwhelming.
  • Computers can crash and notes can be lost.
  • Paper is pretty safe unless the building burns down or is destroyed by a storm.
  • Most people can write faster than they can type.
  • There is evidence that the action of physically writing improves the retention of the information.
  • Paper and pencil are often more readily available than a computer.
  • Some people just like the feel of paper and pencil.

Reasons for digital over paper:

It’s much easier to search and find a note on a computer than digging through piles of paper.

  • Computer systems can link notes across different devises and programs.
  • It’s nice to be able to prepare the notes one time and it automatically be available to others.
  • There are a lot of different “cloud” storage options out there that have multiple back processes for protecting your content.
  • This is easier and safer than paper.
  • If you want a paper back up, it’s easy enough to print it out.
  • With almost everyone having a smart phone or tablet now, I would argue that these devices are now easier to find than paper and pencil.
  • The options available with digital note taking and the flexibility it provides make digital note taking a great option or addition to paper.

Considering these reasons should help as we move forward developing a clearer direction for your note taking system.

Last week I listed some of the why’s for taking notes. They include –

  • Learning – lectures, classes, webinars, podcasts, books, etc.
  • Meeting notes – decisions made, actions to take, etc.
  • Sorting thoughts – pros and cons, cost comparisons, getting clarity, etc.
  • Preparation – outlines for presentations, ideas for sharing, agendas for meetings, etc.

These different why’s need different note taking processes.

Going forward we’ll break them down and look at how I take notes for each.

I know that I said we would look at my note taking system and how one can be designed to fit your specific needs.  We’ll do that next week…I promise. 😊

Opening the Tool Box & Looking at OneNote

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Computer Tools Are as Important to Construction as a Saw or a Hammer

 

Being a self-employed small business owner is a difficult undertaking at best. This difficulty increases exponentially when organization and communication are operating poorly or not at all. This problem only increases when you’re successful and there are more things to organize and more people to communicate with.

During my thirty-five plus years of continually working to achieve and maintain some level of control I have used a whole lot of different tools. Some were old school some high tech. To this point the best tool I have found for organizing and communicating is Microsoft OneNote. This tool is great for organizing and communicating. It does so much, so well, that I don’t need a bunch of different apps that do different things and don’t sync well across different systems and devices.

I would equate OneNote to a three-ring binder on steroids. Maybe we should call OneNote the ‘Six Million Dollar’ binder. I have used binders for my organizing for years and still do to a small degree. A good comparison of OneNote to a binder is the way I used to have a project binder on site at construction projects. This was a place where things would be kept so that as different employees, sub-contractors, management, architects and the customer could all have access to the specifics of the project. OneNote is organized very similar to a binder. You can have different ‘note books’ and each book can be divided into multiple ‘sections’ and each section can have bunches of ‘pages’.

Just like “The Six Million Dollar Man” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Six_Million_Dollar_Man this computerized version of a ‘note book’ has superhuman bionic computerized capabilities. Here are just a few.

  • Share with other people across multiple devises.
  • This can be as simple as sharing a shopping list with your spouse or as detailed as an entire note book with colleagues on a big project.
  • Syncs automatically across multiple devises.
  • If someone adds to the shopping list or checks something off, you will know it in a matter of seconds as long as you are connected to the internet. If not, it will sync as soon as you are.
  • When changes are made they are highlighted until read.
  • If one of my virtual assistants makes a change I will be able to know that, go to the specific change and know who did it.
  • Insert almost anything on to a page.
  • You can insert copies of other documents, screen clippings, photos, audio and video recordings, links to other pages and/or web locations and this is just part of what I’m currently using.
  • Link from and to multiple locations.
  • I can put a link for a specific OneNote page in a task reminder or calendar event or on a word document and click on it and it will open up that page, even if I haven’t opened OneNote yet.
  • Edit things really easy.
  • Things on a OneNote page can be clicked on and moved to a different place on the page. This feature is great for prioritizing a list. If I want to move something higher on the list I just move it there, no cutting or copying or pasting.
  • It’s always ready to open up and use.
  • It doesn’t require the opening up of a program and folder a file before you can write something down. Once you open OneNote it just takes a couple of clicks and you can write down your note before you forget it.
  • Great place for filing and storing.
  • If I want to save an email from a customer with a picture and a link to a web site, I can do that right from Outlook.
  • Can protect sensitive info with in a shared note book.
  • If I have a page that has ideas for my wife’s Christmas or passwords to my bank account, I can password protect those pages. This means that if my wife accidently goes to her Christmas page when she meant to go to the shopping list, she can’t open it without the password…which she doesn’t have.
  • Can draw or write on it just like paper.
  • This feature is great for getting down quick information with my tablet. I can draw the floor plan for a room addition and write dimensions and notes right on it.

 I know that there is so much more that this tool can do and a lot that I don’t. Some people will probably say that it has too many bells and whistles or it’s complicated. I’m sure that this isn’t the best tool for everybody and that’s okay. Not every person uses the same cordless drill. I think this tool is simple to use and it makes it easier for me to be organized and to communicate.