I posted this on Facebook the other day and got a surprising amount of interaction:
“Among my many odd quirks: an affinity for blank journals. I am a digital tool guy who prefers paper & ink for to-do lists, tracking projects, and making meeting/contact notes. On my “I wish they would…” list? PAGE NUMBERS on all pages. The Moleskine Pro format has numbered pages and an Index page, but other brands I really love for other reasons lack numbered pages — Leuchtturm and Moo make excellent products but no numbers*. [Yes, I could buy a blank journal and just self-number the pages, but I could also rule every page. Not an acceptable solution.]
* I stand corrected! Leuchtturm1917 does indeed have numbered pages.
That evolved into a side discussion of pen preferences. I really like very fine point pens, and my current obsession is the Pentel EnerGel NV Gel Ink Pen, (0.5mm), Fine Point Capped, Needle Tip, Black Ink. I seem to go through phases and change favorites as I encounter new ones to try. Someone responded to my post with a suggestion of the Uni-ball Signo Dx 0.28 Um-151 Gel Ink Pen — it has an even FINER line than my current favorite, so I may have to give that a try.
I spend many hours daily looking at screens; my iPhone, my MacBook, and television screens dominate my waking hours, it seems, but there’s just something about a pen and paper that feels different. I process information differently when I am handwriting notes. I sketch and diagram. I pause and think. It’s the same with my Bible. I have the Bible app on my phone and use it at church following the speaker, but when I am seeking truth, inspiration, and understanding I go to my paper and ink printed Bible.
The younger generations, digital natives, might have a much different response. Perhaps the fact that I was born decades before the proliferation of personal computers, smartphones, tablets, and massive flat-screen TVs influences my preferences, or maybe (just maybe) there’s a difference in the way our brains handle information depending upon the method of input.