I have been consuming a lot of learning material these days in my professional area. Podcasts, videos, PDFs, blogs, and trainings. The use of devices has always resulted in fatigue, diversions, and attention deficit. I was consuming but not retaining. I have downloaded PDFs, presentations, and copy-pasted snippets in Notes apps, yet the semblance of organized assimilation of information was missing. My mind was not processing the information completely.
So, today I went absolutely old school. Picked up a notebook and pen, placed my phone on a stand, and just watched or read, and took notes. I have been at it for hours now and the learning is definitely more focused.
It may be a personal choice because people these days prefer digital learning through podcasts and short videos. However, even with training videos, I like to read the transcript. I feel the old ways are the best. For me, any number of digital highlights, bookmarks, and notes in the Cloud can not replace the immersive experience of pen ✒️ and paper 📝.
Incidentally, this is something I recommend to my son also, especially since all classes are online. I tell him notes-taking and creating learning maps and tables help to retain information.
One of the recommended techniques for proofreading and editing is to read the printout. I know of editors who prefer doing it, however, printing out reams of information daily for marking is extravagant with environment-related implications ♻️. Over the years, I have moved to effectively review and edit PDFs.
With self-learning, I am probably going to fill in some more notebooks. 📒 📓. Here’s to #happylearning with #paperandpen to
#writeandlearn. What is your favorite learning style – do you take notes, do you have beautiful notebooks filled with doodles and cursive handwriting. This reminds me of a gorgeous post on BoredPanda that compiles fantastic handwriting samples. See it here.
Blue Pen Strokes 