Write and Draw it with pen and paper: UN RUT yourself

 Just inked up my TWSBI Swipe with some Pelikan Star Ruby Ink

Why?

Watch this impactful video on getting it all out on Paper with Pen

The Art of Thinking on Paper by Joanna Wiebe

Gemini 3 summary

The video "The Art of Thinking on Paper" by Joanna Wiebe explores how writing and drawing by hand can significantly enhance cognitive clarity, learning, and mental well-being. It outlines six core principles that explain why "thinking on paper" is superior to digital methods.

The Process of Thinking on Paper

The video details a process focused on externalizing internal thoughts to bypass the brain's limitations:

• Externalizing Working Memory: The human brain can typically only hold about four thoughts at once. Writing these down frees up "working memory," allowing you to see logical gaps that are invisible when thoughts remain in your head [01:52].

• The Power of Drawing: Drawing simple diagrams (circles, boxes, arrows) engages three types of processing at once: semantic (meaning), visual (mental imagery), and motor (physical movement). This "triple firing" doubles information recall [03:36].

• Desirable Friction: Unlike typing, which is often too easy and leads to mindless transcription, handwriting creates a "desirable difficulty." This friction forces the brain to process and compress information, leading to deeper encoding [05:05].

• Knowledge Transformation: Writing is not just documentation; it is an act of transformation. By rewriting concepts in your own words, you move through reflective observation and conceptualization, which helps turn information into wisdom [05:42].

• Action for Clarity: Clarity often comes after the act of writing, not before. Writing creates a feedback loop where the brain reacts to what is on the page, spawning new ideas and overcoming writer's block [08:20].

Benefits of Writing and Drawing

• Enhanced Memory: Drawing what you learn can result in remembering nearly double the information compared to just writing words [03:02].

• Better Logic and Problem Solving: Putting thoughts on paper reveals holes in logic and allows for more complex reasoning beyond the brain's four-thought limit [02:41].

• Wisdom through Application: Writing bridges the gap between raw data and wisdom by forcing the application of knowledge [01:24].

• Creative Breakthroughs: Writing "bad" ideas first creates the action necessary for "good" ideas to eventually emerge [08:34].

Impact on Mental Health

The video highlights specific psychological and physiological benefits of a private writing practice:

• Improved Physical Health: Research indicates that writing about traumatic or emotional experiences for 15 minutes a day can lead to fewer doctor visits and improved immune function [08:51].

• Narrative Construction: Private writing helps the brain construct a coherent narrative out of "chaotic data," reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed by mental chaos [09:15].

• Cognitive Distance: Seeing thoughts on a page creates "cognitive distance," allowing you to evaluate them objectively rather than just accepting them as true feelings [09:27].

• Metacognition: This practice develops the ability to "think about your thinking," helping you identify personal biases, assumptions, and blind spots [09:54].

For more details, you can watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/w1Ydm-vpzjE