by Andrew Hay
Jul 12, 2021

5 Reasons to Put Pen to Paper

“What the hand does the mind remembers” - Maria Montessori

So many thoughts pass through our minds in a day - from the mundane, the to-do list kind of thoughts or deeper, philosophical thoughts. What better way to record these ideas and thoughts than putting pen to paper and making them more permanent in a journal.

thinking writing journal

Here are 5 reasons to pick up a pen and write things down

1.Creating Connections

Writing with your hand strengthens the connection between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The complex harmonious relationship between the hand and the mind and a combination of fine motor skills, abstract thoughts, and the use of the imagination, allows the brain to be exercised and to therefore grow and create new connections.

Each hemisphere can be divided into 4 lobes and each lobe has its own specialties. However, we now know that the different functions of our bodies actually rely on different regions working together. An even more interesting twist...when someone has experienced an injury to the head, another part of the brain can take over a function that was originally controlled by another part of the brain.

think and write

2.Write to Learn

According to Science Daily, writing by hand strengthens the learning process. When writing by hand, our brain receives feedback from the movements of our hand and through the sensation of touching a pen and paper. These kinds of feedback are significantly different enough from the actions of typing. With the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers discovered that writing by hand is more than a simple method to communicate. Writing helps with learning letters and shapes. It also improves fine motor skills and the formulation of ideas.

3. Use Paper to Think

Sadly, we humans can only hold three or four things in our minds at one time. Imagine how many thoughts you lose in a day! There is some good news though. By writing things down, you can prevent those thoughts from being lost forever. A thought that is written down can become a plan. As we all know, once a plan is made, there is a greater likelihood of it becoming reality.

4. Lasting Lists!

An effective way to remember things to do and to lessen worry is through creating a list. Lists can be of tasks, projects, dreams...anything! Each list serves to free your mind from having to remember what it was you had to do. They are a way to create structure around a plan and to give a sense of how big the project may be.

Lists can also be for simple things like groceries. There is nothing more annoying than standing in the grocery store trying to visualize the pantry and what is missing. And who doesn’t enjoy the satisfaction of crossing off items on a list?

bullet journal

5. Writing to Explore

Many authors write their novels on paper and not on a computer or laptop. Prolific writers such as Stephen King, James Patterson and J.K. Rowling prefer pen and paper.

An article in the Wall Street Journal refers to a study in 2010 that found using a pen on paper stimulates a part of the brain that is associated with learning. Brain activity increased significantly when subjects were asked to write words rather than just read and study them. It’s also easier to cross-out or edit written words than to do so on a computer screen or typewriter - the mere act of having to stop and correct on a keyboard or typewriter can interrupt the flow of writing.

Paper Papier - Our Online Blog Starts Offline

Since you’re reading this blog on an electronic device, you may be wondering if any of this was written on paper using a pen? The answer is YES! Before we write our blogs, we brainstorm a list of ideas on paper - in a journal. Once the brainstorming is finished, we have a final list of ideas we want to go ahead with on our blog. Each blog, in turn, is fleshed out in notes jotted-down in our journal. Not all end up in the blog but we can go back any time we want a take a quick look or jot down some new ideas.