Taking Notes – Paper or Keyboard?

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  • I use too a mix of paper/keyboard when possible. If I need to pay attention to what is said then use paper and pencil, if we are more on a question/answer conversation then I will use the keyboard and take more elaborated notes. I use too bullet oriented notes with highlights, arrows and drawings to emphasize the main task/question/note.

  • A mix of paper and keyboard. I find it annoying to move around portable computers because they are not all that portable.. Writing on paper on the other hand is tricky and hard, sometimes I can not see what I've written and most of the time, it was of no use in the end. Short bullets are the way to go thou.

  • I thought the new Samsung Galaxy NOTE seems to be good.

    It comes with a stylus which we could use on its 5.3 inch display.

    Check this out: NOTE

    We could take notes and save it.

    M&M

  • As an oldie from the pre-PC generation it's paper and pen every time as it's the way I came through school and university. I couldn't type notes and still watch and follow the lecturer.

    On courses I take lots of notes even when it's in a textbook, as I like it in my own words and all together. I keep an A4 hardback spiral bound notebook just for course notes and do refer back to it even after a couple of years.

    And I hate cheap scratchy biros that stop working as the ball jams so it has to be one that flows properly and is comfortable to hold.

  • I use pen and paper. Whenever I keep notes on a computer, I keep on forgetting where I saved them.

  • Pen and paper. After a meeting - once I've woken from the coma the meeting no doubt induced - I like to type up the notes. Usually, I type them into Outlook tasks or a Word/Excel doc depending on the project. Then: DESTROY THE PAPER! I don't destroy the pen though, I might need that again later.

  • I use a Papermate non stop pencil (HB) & A5 lined spiral-bound pad (though I'm thinking of upgrading to A4 non-lined... go me!).

    I find pencil much smoother to write with and being able to cleanly edit my notes without losing page real estate to scribbling out is always a bonus. I also just write on the facing page; when I reach the back of the pad, I turn it over and work back to the front.

    If I use a biro/fountain pen, the ink bleeds through the paper, wasting perfectly viable space on the reverse of the page!

  • It's pen & paper for me. I carry a notebook/diary that lists the day's tasks and on the adjacent page, I note down my own time log. During meetings, notes are taken and based on the action items (either I have to execute one or follow-up on one), an entry is made on the respective date. Detailed notes are little callouts.

    In case I need to E-mail the notes over to a group of people or in case a lot of the discussion is technical discussion over a phone, then I use the notepad application to take down notes. After the meeting, I translate them into my notebook/diary.

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    Nakul Vachhrajani.
    http://nakulvachhrajani.com

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  • Pen and paper all the way - like all good chicken scratch it usually expires after 24 hours, and has no hope of being deciphered ever again, so I'd best write it up quick if I'm going to.

  • I use both paper and a tablet dependant on the circumstances.

    I take pen and paper to meetings as you never know when you need to sketch/doodle out a concept to elaborate. This usually gets carted around in my black folder. Actions arising and key decisions then get emailed out to all attendees so that nobody can argue after the fact.

    The tablet with evernotes comes out in a more structured setting where I'm taking notes and having ideas as somebody else is speaking. This is a great way of keeping things portable and being able to hop on to people's sites and stuff as they're talking. I've got an asus eeePAD Transformer which has it's own docking station/keyboard which makes it great for the intensive typing if it's needed.

  • I'm virtual so always at a keyboard, so on calls I just type into Notepad (any other simple text editor would do). Then I transfer into Toodledo.

  • As most here, pen and paper for me, I tend to try to use a stack of recycled paper (old one-sided printouts no longer required, less so now as we print 2 sides) held together with a foldback clip. The Pen is very important, has to sit comfortably in my hand and write well and consistently... not that I can ever read my writing :ermm:

    Am always envious of those that can type quick bulleted notes in front of us into notepad while chairing a meeting presenting something on the same computer & projector. Very transparent and then shared.

    _____________________________________________________________________
    [font="Comic Sans MS"]"The difficult tasks we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer"[/font]

  • Interesting question.

    If I'm at my computer and taking notes, I will use notepad so I can store it as a text file. I can organize those however I wish.

    If I'm in a classroom environment, I'll use my livescribe pen and paper because I'll know ahead of time about the training event.

    If I'm caught by surprise walking about without my computer and need to jot something down, pen and paper is the only way. When I get back to the computer, I'll either scan it in using Neatworks or retype it into notepad. Or, if it's a temporary thing like a to-do list, I'll dispose/shred it once I've accomplished all the tasks.

    I've been caught without any pen or paper so I've had to take notes with my android phone. I've taken pictures of white boards with the camera too.

    I use the camera all the time when shopping around for the best price on merchandise. Take a picture of the product and price tag so when you go to the next place, you can confirm the model number and pricing of the previous place. I've had stores match prices that way too.

    So, in summary, there's no easy answer except "it depends."

  • I'm mostly same as you, Andy. Have had a 9" tablet notebook for years, have tried various electronic entry forms, including typing & ink. OneNote seemed to work best. But ultimately I have gone exclusively to paper notes. My notes also last only a day or two, and I move anything important to my desktop: OneNote for notes, Outlook for tasks and scheduling. I think process of reviewing and dispositioning these notes is worthwhile exercise, and is why paper wins for me--when I take electronic notes directly, I don't have to do this part (I can, but don't HAVE to).

    Never heard of the Arc before, looks good. I have been a diehard Levenger Circa fan ever since my brother gave me one about 5 years ago. Until Circa, I tried a new system out every year or two, always looking for the right tool. Have not looked since.

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