I appreciate the insights brought by Alan Jacobs about technology and creativity. Read his post here.
Some highlights:
Writing By Hand. I have always kept a notebook around for jotting down the occasional idea, but in the past year I have learned to rely on paper for sketching and drafting almost all of my writing, and for managing my tasks. After years of oscillating among a wide range of task-management apps and systems on my computer, I now handle all planning and to-doing in my notebook, using a variation on the Bullet Journalmethod. This change is another one I wish I had made years ago: my thinking is clearer, my writing stronger and more precise.
I am in the process of moving back to a handwritten calendar. I still take meeting notes on my laptop, but only so that I can share them with colleagues after the fact.
He’s also ditching the laptop for writing:
I head for the coffee shop with my dumb phone, my notebook, and a pen. I sip coffee and think and write. If my mind wanders and I wonder what’s in my RSS feed, I can’t check, so I have to go back to writing. Sometimes I bring a book too, and read it. If I get tired of it, I don’t have anything else to read, so I either keep going anyway or get the notebook back out. Or just sit there and drink my coffee and watch the unphotographed world go by.
Slowing down is a good thing–that’s part of the reason that I appreciate contemplative, liturgical, sacramental worship. The world is too data driven. To be fully human we have to privilege our central faculty–imagination.
Jeff Gissing 
I call it my “laptop” and its a notebook I carry ’round with me. Maybe its because as a 41 year old, I’ve lived in the analog and digital world and feel pretty comfortable in both. However, when I am writing a presentation, analog is the way for me to go. I don’t do well thinking my way through a long talk in front of a computer. The flow just isn’t there. Plus, I cannot avoid surfing the internet which gobbles up so much time.
In 1994, I was a student at the University of Costa Rica for a semester. There was a kiosk near campus where you could drop off your handwritten paper for them to type it (on typewriters) and hand it over to you on crisp, white paper with perfect margins.
I am a fan of everything my incredible little smart phone can do. I can’t believe such technology is available to us simpletons for a relatively small amount of money. On the other hand, a notebook allows me to easily flip through and read what I’ve worked on lately. I like the link you provided for bullet journaling and could use that to be more productive.
Thanks for your thoughtful post.
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Julie – it has to be said: you’re the most interesting person in the world! I’d love to get a count of countries you’ve visited
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