Richard Branson said about paper notebooks. "Note taking is one of my favourite pastimes. I can’t tell you where I’d be if I hadn’t had a pen on hand to write down my ideas (or more importantly, other people's) as soon as they came to me. Some of Virgin’s most successful companies have been born from random moments – if we hadn't opened our notebooks, they would never have happened." A paper notebook is more relevant today than at any point in time in history even though digital Applications and screens dominate our everyday life. I'll explain why here:

Firstly The Technical Argument

Paper notebooks are more reliable than any software or hardware. Your tablet or smartphone can:
- run out of batteries
- not be in reception
- be prone to software crashing

Secondly The Health Argument

A digital computer screen has many harmful elements to your health including:
- LCD screens emit blue light which effects sleeping patterns
- The ergonomics on a typical device is mediocre at best. You risk muscle and tendon damage through repeated use
- The strain on eyes due to the contrast emitted from screens.

Thirdly Is Privacy

Let me put this simply. Anything that is connected to the internet (either right now, or in the future), run the risk of either, being hacked or inadvertently viewed on any number of Social media platforms.

Fourth The Process, The Ritual and the Soul

Writing is good for the soul. The most significant ideas are known to man, the most inspirational music, stories and significant events have mostly attributed its beginnings on a simple sheet of paper.

There is more to writing on paper than merely transferring ideas. When you right a physical process happens and a psychological thing simultaneously happens in your mind. I cannot describe this in words. However, I can show it to you. Pick up a sheet of paper or a notebook now, grab a pen and start writing. This feeling that you have while writing is what I am talking about. Now type on a keyboard, or tap on a phone. That calming feeling is instantaneously gone.

Conclusion

Lastly, if you are not convinced, consider this. Every piece of writing software has limitations on constraints. The constraint may be precision (writing on a monitor that is governed by pixels will never be as free as pen and ink), or the limitation may be physical, such as crossing things out, tearing things out, folding things down etc. A notebook has no such constraints. Tear, fold, scratch whatever you like to do, you have absolute freedom.

Notebooks as such, especially promotional notebooks (where you can personalise the covers and pages), have never been so cheap in pricing. Don't you agree, it is about time we put down our Smart devices for a moment and pick up a notebook instead?

Excerpt taken from:

https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/take-note-its-time-to-take-notes