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I used to use OneNote with the Microsoft Pen (or is it Stylus? I forget...) to take notes in this fashion. Eventually, though, there are only a few cases, like

I used to use OneNote with the Microsoft Pen (or is it Stylus? I forget...) to take notes in this fashion. Eventually, though, there are only a few cases, like large diagrams that you need to evolve over time, where a digital solution beats a paper notebook. The need to start and unlock the computer/tablet if it's not already on, to dismiss or ignore notifications, to launch the app, to select the right color or tool and the occasional glitch when writing (pen sometimes not writing, or suddenly jumping to a completely different place, even deleting old lines when drawing new ones, I feel like I've seen it all) add up to more friction than a paper notebook. My notebook, which I use like a Bullet Journal, has no batteries that need recharging, no screen that can crack, no notifications, the pen has an ink capacity of over 2 years of daily writing, with a new recharge costing ~6€, no software updates. There's no search, and occasionally I do flip through the pages longer than I'd like, but it's rare. Nowadays I mostly write in my paper notebook, and if there's something in there worth keeping, I upload a photograph of it in Notion.

lr1970 4y ago
> My notebook, which I use like a Bullet Journal, has no batteries that need recharging, no screen that can crack,... And also no backup of any kind. So if and when your precious dead-tree notebook is lost or stolen what are you going to do?
- psyc 4y ago
  Why is this an inevitability? I'm almost 50 and I have every such notebook I've ever had since I was ~12. After approximately 20 moves. Know what I don't have? Most of my digital files going back that far. Who steals people's used notebooks? Or new ones?
  - zimpenfish 4y ago
    I don't think it's "this is inevitable" as much as "losing small items like notebooks happens not infrequently to many people and is therefore statistically something to consider as a risk factor".
    - popcube 4y ago
      I lost my one last month, never again:(
  - lr1970 4y ago
    > Who steals people's used notebooks? Or new ones? Your nice bag or backpack gets lost or stolen with a notebook among all other things you put in there. You can replace a phone, a driver license, but you cannot replace priceless imprint of your own thoughts and memories lost forever. If needed, I keep scans of my handwritten notes that are difficult to retype. And then backup, backup, backup ...
- cseleborg 4y ago
  Well, I did write that I nowadays store digital photos of my important notes. However... Like psyc, I still have notebooks around from my teenage years. What I no longer have are the recordings from my piano compositions from that same period. I did lose one notebook once. It had my email address in it, and the finder contacted me. Somehow, the handover failed. I was angry, but in all honesty, it hasn't affected my life a bit.
psyc 4y ago
I have tried again and again to switch to a stylus+app solution, and I've reverted to paper and pencil every time. Unbeatable latency, totally predictable UX, and no UI to argue with over anything. I've been a programmer for 35 years, and I hate software. All software, probably. I actually hate it. Sometimes I hate the way I make it, but I definitely hate the way everyone else makes it.
- barbarbar 4y ago
  The general comment about software is hilarious.
capableweb 4y ago
> My notebook, which I use like a Bullet Journal, has no batteries that need recharging, no screen that can crack, no notifications, the pen has an ink capacity of over 2 years of daily writing, with a new recharge costing ~6€, no software updates. I've always had a stern preference for pen and paper, mostly for the reasons you also outline. Always had Moleskins and they never failed me. But some time ago, I came across reMarkable (2) that seemed like a very good device for people with a distracted mind like me. And now I don't think I'd like to live without it. Batteries last weeks between charges, screen feels indestructible (the entire device feel indestructible actually), no notifications or any other distractions, and the nibs are really long lasting. Extra plus is that the screen/pen makes it really nice to write on, something I missed when trying to use any other device for notetaking. The reMarkable is a bit on the expensive side though, especially for its low amount of use cases. But the cases it's built for, it does it really well, so if you have the cash to spare, maybe look into it and see if it's interesting. Not affiliated with reMarkable, just a happy user who never thought I'd dump my notebooks for anything else.
- chrisweekly 4y ago
  Same! Moleskine journals -> ReMarkable2.
unnah 4y ago
On the other hand, an electronic notebook has infinitely large pages, easy cut & paste, ability to zoom in to work on details, and you can repeatedly erase stuff without any smudges. By moving stuff around you can easily rearrange the structure of your notes, and add lots of new stuff in the middle. You can carry around tens of thousands of pages on a single light-weight device. Electronic systems with OCR may also have usable search. In other words, it's a trade-off.

lr1970 4y ago

> My notebook, which I use like a Bullet Journal, has no batteries that need recharging, no screen that can crack,... And also no backup of any kind. So if and when your precious dead-tree notebook is lost or stolen what are you going to do?

psyc 4y ago
Why is this an inevitability? I'm almost 50 and I have every such notebook I've ever had since I was ~12. After approximately 20 moves. Know what I don't have? Most of my digital files going back that far. Who steals people's used notebooks? Or new ones?
- zimpenfish 4y ago
  I don't think it's "this is inevitable" as much as "losing small items like notebooks happens not infrequently to many people and is therefore statistically something to consider as a risk factor".
  - popcube 4y ago
    I lost my one last month, never again:(
- lr1970 4y ago
  > Who steals people's used notebooks? Or new ones? Your nice bag or backpack gets lost or stolen with a notebook among all other things you put in there. You can replace a phone, a driver license, but you cannot replace priceless imprint of your own thoughts and memories lost forever. If needed, I keep scans of my handwritten notes that are difficult to retype. And then backup, backup, backup ...
cseleborg 4y ago
Well, I did write that I nowadays store digital photos of my important notes. However... Like psyc, I still have notebooks around from my teenage years. What I no longer have are the recordings from my piano compositions from that same period. I did lose one notebook once. It had my email address in it, and the finder contacted me. Somehow, the handover failed. I was angry, but in all honesty, it hasn't affected my life a bit.

psyc 4y ago

I have tried again and again to switch to a stylus+app solution, and I've reverted to paper and pencil every time. Unbeatable latency, totally predictable UX, and no UI to argue with over anything. I've been a programmer for 35 years, and I hate software. All software, probably. I actually hate it. Sometimes I hate the way I make it, but I definitely hate the way everyone else makes it.

barbarbar 4y ago
The general comment about software is hilarious.

capableweb 4y ago

> My notebook, which I use like a Bullet Journal, has no batteries that need recharging, no screen that can crack, no notifications, the pen has an ink capacity of over 2 years of daily writing, with a new recharge costing ~6€, no software updates. I've always had a stern preference for pen and paper, mostly for the reasons you also outline. Always had Moleskins and they never failed me. But some time ago, I came across reMarkable (2) that seemed like a very good device for people with a distracted mind like me. And now I don't think I'd like to live without it. Batteries last weeks between charges, screen feels indestructible (the entire device feel indestructible actually), no notifications or any other distractions, and the nibs are really long lasting. Extra plus is that the screen/pen makes it really nice to write on, something I missed when trying to use any other device for notetaking. The reMarkable is a bit on the expensive side though, especially for its low amount of use cases. But the cases it's built for, it does it really well, so if you have the cash to spare, maybe look into it and see if it's interesting. Not affiliated with reMarkable, just a happy user who never thought I'd dump my notebooks for anything else.

chrisweekly 4y ago
Same! Moleskine journals -> ReMarkable2.

unnah 4y ago

On the other hand, an electronic notebook has infinitely large pages, easy cut & paste, ability to zoom in to work on details, and you can repeatedly erase stuff without any smudges. By moving stuff around you can easily rearrange the structure of your notes, and add lots of new stuff in the middle. You can carry around tens of thousands of pages on a single light-weight device. Electronic systems with OCR may also have usable search. In other words, it's a trade-off.