This pocket notebook is (slowly) replacing my phone

Summary

The speaker shares a personal journey of embracing the simplicity and value of a notepad, as an antidote to digital distractions. Initially skeptical about the benefits of pen and paper, they recount how a notepad expert inspired them to try it out. Despite the allure of modern apps, the speaker finds that a notepad offers a unique space for unadulterated, organic thinking, free from the agendas and distractions of technology. This leads to a profound realization about the importance of capturing and preserving one's own thoughts without interference, advocating for the notepad as a tool for creativity and focus.

Takeaways

• 📓 The speaker uses a notepad extensively despite its abuse, valuing it for its unique utility.
• 🤔 Initially skeptical about the benefits of note-taking, the speaker was influenced by others' experiences and decided to give it a try.
• 📚 The idea of note-taking was sparked by Nathaniel Drew, who is portrayed as a notebook expert.
• 👀 The speaker noticed that successful individuals, like best-selling authors, have used notebooks to capture their thoughts and memories.
• ✍️ The speaker experimented with various notepads, including tactical ones, but struggled to consistently use them.
• 💡 Life circumstances led to the birth of an idea to treat a notepad like a phone, carrying it everywhere for capturing thoughts.
• ❤️ The speaker fell in love with the notepad and its non-distracting nature, appreciating its permanence and tactile experience.
• 🔒 The notepad offers a distraction-free environment for capturing organic thoughts without external influence.
• 🧠 The absence of the notepad, similar to being away from a phone, allows the brain to refocus and engage more deeply with the task at hand.
• 📱 The speaker contrasts the notepad with a phone, highlighting the phone's tendency to distract and the notepad's simplicity.
• 💡 The notepad is used selectively for capturing important ideas during their discovery phase, ensuring purity of thought.

Q & A

What does the speaker find valuable about carrying a notepad everywhere?

The speaker finds the notepad valuable because it provides a distraction-free environment for capturing organic thoughts, ideas, and emotions without any outside influence or potential for digital distractions.

Who is Nathaniel Drew and what does he suggest about note-taking?

Nathaniel Drew is described as a notebook expert who suggests the benefits of taking notes with pen and paper, an idea that the speaker was initially skeptical about but later embraced.

Why did the speaker initially struggle with using a notepad for note-taking?

The speaker initially struggled with using a notepad because they couldn't get into the habit, often starting and stopping, and eventually quitting due to frustration and the belief that it was only suitable for a select few.

What historical figure did the speaker mention as an example of someone who used a notepad effectively?

The speaker mentioned C.S. Lewis, who would use ink that took longer to dry, forcing him to pause and think before writing the next phrase, as an example of effective note-taking.

How does the speaker describe the experience of using a notepad compared to a phone?

The speaker describes the notepad experience as one that never goes dead, never distracts, and has no agenda, unlike a phone which can be distracting and has its own set of distractions.

What does the speaker consider as the most valuable commodity in today's world?

The speaker considers attention as the rarest and most valued commodity in today's world, emphasizing the importance of capturing and holding attention for opportunities.

Why does the speaker believe that technological tools are good at capturing our attention?

The speaker believes that technological tools are good at capturing our attention because businesses invest millions of dollars in learning how to best capture it, which is their business.

What is the speaker's experience when they pick up their phone with a specific task in mind?

The speaker often forgets the original task within seconds of picking up their phone due to distractions, illustrating how easily our attention can be hijacked.

What does the speaker define as 'organic thinking'?

Organic thinking is defined by the speaker as thoughts and ideas that pertain only to the individual, without any outside ideas mingling with their own.

How does the speaker describe the notepad's role in their creative process?

The notepad serves as a medium for the speaker to capture creative ideas quickly without the risk of losing them due to distractions, providing a space for pure and undistracted creativity.

What is the speaker's suggestion for others who might want to try using a notepad?

The speaker suggests that others should try carrying a notepad and pen with them for a few weeks to see if it helps them capture their thoughts and ideas more effectively without digital distractions.

Outlines

00:00

📓 The Value of a Notepad

The narrator describes their heavily used notepad, which has served many practical purposes beyond writing. Despite initial skepticism inspired by YouTubers like Nathaniel Drew, the narrator experimented with various notepads, including tactical ones, but struggled to make consistent use of them. This changed after learning about authors who used notepads for significant creative and personal writing. The narrator ultimately decided to treat their notepad like a phone, carrying it everywhere, leading to a newfound appreciation and dependence on it for capturing thoughts without the distractions of modern technology.

05:04

📱 The Power of Undistracted Thinking

The narrator reflects on how using a notepad provides a distraction-free space for organic thinking. Unlike a phone, a notepad allows for uninterrupted thought processing, which is crucial for creativity and personal reflection. They discuss the frustration of losing creative ideas due to phone distractions and emphasize the mental clarity achieved by being physically removed from potential distractions. This shift in focus enables the narrator to solve problems and generate ideas more effectively. They share their experience of using the notepad for several months, highlighting its reliability and importance in capturing important thoughts and ideas.

Keywords

💡Notepad

A notepad is a small, portable book with blank pages used for writing notes, ideas, or lists. In the video, the notepad is portrayed as an essential tool for capturing thoughts and ideas without digital distractions. The script mentions it being 'abused in many other ways,' showing its utilitarian role in the speaker's life.

💡Tactile Experience

Tactile experience refers to the physical sensation of touching and interacting with objects. The video emphasizes the importance of the tactile experience of writing on paper, which provides a different and more immersive engagement with one's thoughts compared to digital devices.

💡Organic Thinking

Organic thinking is the process of allowing thoughts to flow naturally without external influences. The script describes how the notepad facilitates organic thinking by providing a distraction-free environment for the speaker to process emotions and generate creative ideas.

💡Distraction

Distraction is anything that diverts one's attention from the current task or thought process. The video contrasts the notepad with digital devices like smartphones, which are described as sources of constant distraction, thus hindering the ability to focus on one's own thoughts.

💡Permanence

Permanence in the context of the video refers to the lasting nature of writing on paper as opposed to digital notes that can be easily changed or lost. The speaker values the permanence of writing in a notepad for capturing memories and ideas that can be revisited over time.

💡Attention

Attention is the focus given to a particular object or thought. The video discusses how attention is a valuable commodity in the modern world and how the notepad helps the speaker to capture and retain their own attention, avoiding the constant competition for attention from digital media.

💡Creative Idea

A creative idea is a novel thought or concept that has the potential for original and valuable outcomes. The script illustrates the notepad as a tool for capturing fleeting creative ideas before they are lost to distractions, such as notifications on a phone.

💡Prolific Author

A prolific author is someone who produces a large amount of written work. The video mentions a best-selling author who uses a notepad to record memories and ideas, emphasizing the notepad's role in the creative process of successful writers.

💡Ink

Ink is a liquid or paste used for writing, drawing, or printing. The video references C.S. Lewis's use of slow-drying ink to force pauses in writing, allowing for reflection, which is an example of how the physical properties of writing tools can influence the thought process.

💡Media Consuming Era

The media consuming era refers to the current age where people are constantly exposed to and engage with various forms of media. The video suggests that despite the prevalence of digital media, some individuals are returning to traditional writing methods like notepads for their thought processes.

💡Distractions

Distractions, as mentioned multiple times in the script, are the interruptions that prevent individuals from focusing on their thoughts or tasks. The notepad is presented as an antidote to the distractions caused by digital devices, allowing for clearer and more focused thinking.

Highlights

The speaker discusses the extensive use and abuse of their notepad, using it for various purposes beyond note-taking.

They highlight how carrying a notepad everywhere provided them with unique value they couldn't find elsewhere.

The idea of using a notepad stemmed from Nathaniel Drew, a YouTuber who experiments with note-taking methods.

Initially skeptical, the speaker was influenced by various YouTubers who touted the benefits of writing by hand.

Despite trying different types of notepads, including tactical ones, they struggled to maintain the habit.

The turning point came when they learned about prolific authors who wrote extensively by hand, including one who documented every childhood memory.

Historical figures like C.S. Lewis used slow-drying ink to force contemplation, influencing the speaker's perception of note-taking.

In the modern era, some people are moving back to pen and paper despite the availability of advanced apps and software.

The speaker was fascinated by the tactile experience and permanence of writing on paper, despite initial failures.

Mechanical problems led them to the idea of treating a notepad like a phone, carrying it everywhere.

They found that a notepad offers undistracted, organic thinking, unlike digital devices that often capture our attention.

The notepad provided a place for organic thoughts without the risk of distraction or mingling with external ideas.

They experienced frustration when trying to capture creative ideas on a phone, often losing them to distractions.

Physically removing the phone, rather than just silencing it, significantly improved their focus and attention.

After several months of using the notepad, they found it invaluable for capturing important thoughts and ideas without distraction.

They emphasize that while not practical for everything, the notepad is essential during the discovery phase of an idea.

The notepad's simplicity and lack of agenda made it a preferred tool for capturing and developing ideas.

Encourages others to try using a notepad, suggesting it could be transformative for capturing and refining thoughts.

Describes a social experiment where using a notepad instead of a phone in a group setting had surprising effects on attention.

Transcripts

This is my notepad it's been you know sat on  a few thousand times used as a wedge so my  

chair wouldn't Teeter and hopelessly  abused in many other ways [Music]  

I do I carry this thing everywhere with me in  short it provides me with something incredibly  

valuable that at least to my knowledge I haven't  been able to find anywhere else this all started  

from a very well-meaning Nathaniel Drew  who is kind of a notebook expert if those  

even exist it is amazing to me how few people  actually do this I was intrigued but like very  

skeptical you know as as one should be because  not everything you see on the internet is true  

and I kept bumping into this with other YouTubers  where they would experiment with taking notes  

um you know with a pen and paper or writing video  scripts with a pen and paper or scheduling or  

journaling and things like that so I played around  with it a little bit I even bought some like super  

bad to the bone tactical notepads that are like  waterproof and practically indestructible but  

for some reason I just I just couldn't quite get  into it like I kept like starting and stopping  

like start stop start stop back and forth until  eventually I got tired of it and just quit so  

I decided that it must be for a very select few  grouped people and I was not in that select few  

but then I started hearing things that I just I  just couldn't quite ignore for example I found a  

best-selling author who wrote like every single  memory he had as a child in a notebook as as an  

adult he would go back and remember and write them  and he literally has like shelves of notebooks  

it's like whoa or an incredibly prolific author  now who writes his books with a pen and paper  

and then has some one like convert them even  back in history I found people like C.S Lewis  

who would intentionally use ink that took longer  to dry because it forced him to stop after every  

phrase and wait and think before he wrote the  next thing like what is going on here and now  

in our fast-paced media consuming era there are a  select few that seem to be moving back to that or  

at least trying it out and despite all the fancy  new apps and softwares coming out there's just  

this nagging thought that perhaps we are leaving  something behind that we shouldn't and I really  

really wanted this to be me like I just loved the  idea of the the tactile experience and expressing  

my thoughts on paper and like the permanence of  it and the feel and the sound it just oh I know  

I'm such a weirdo about this but it's the sounds  it's the feeling it just sounded so like cool  

but I just couldn't and that's when  life circumstances AKA mechanical  

problems led me here to this moment to wear  a completely absurd idea was born [Music]

what if I bought a little notepad and a pen and  

treated it like a phone taking  it literally everywhere with me

the rational part of my brand was  like dude it's the 21st century  

like come on but the emotional part  of my brain was like oh you know who  

knows I mean what if something  amazing were to happen [Music]

you can guess what I decided [Music] I instantly  fell in love with it we went everywhere together  

and I never left the house without it I even  took it a few places that I didn't take my phone  

my phone was very offended unlike my phone  my notepad never goes dead never distracts  

me and above all it has absolutely no agenda if I  ignore it it doesn't even try to get my attention

okay this all sounds a little facetious right  but I'm actually like dead serious and here's why  

attention attention is one of the rarest and most  valued Commodities in our world today if you can  

learn how to capture someone's attention and hold  it you instantly have opportunity that no one else  

has and from all around us there are hundreds of  intruders that are constantly competing for just  

a tiny little slice of our attention so that they  could fill it with their message or their product  

or their ideas and what's interesting is often the  best and most useful technological tools that we  

have are oftentimes the best at capturing our  attention so you're probably wondering like um  

are you like anti-media or something here Austin  uh no I mean I'm I'm kind of a YouTuber so would  

kind of defeat the purpose but I do trust and  acknowledge that businesses that spend you know  

millions of dollars learning how to best capture  my attention are probably really really good at  

it like that is their business I'll give you an  example and tell me if you can relate to this or  

not but uh have you ever have you ever picked up  your phone to do something specific like you know  

send a message or or make a note or look something  up and within like three seconds you had no idea  

like you had completely forgotten why you picked  up your phone in the first place and if that's  

ever happened to you then that's a prime example  of you you stepping in to use a a tool to further  

your own agenda but instead you gotta hijacked by  something that looked a little bit more enticing  

in the moment in a completely derailed what you  were originally trying to do at least for the  

moment but if you're you know trying to avoid a  problem or not face something that you should be  

facing and you just wanted a quick distraction  it's great for that but what it's not great for  

is organic thinking and here we come to the most  important thing that this little notepad offers  

me that I haven't been able to find anywhere else  one of the first things I noticed when I started  

carrying this thing around with me is it provided  me with a place to just spill organic Thoughts  

with zero like get that zero potential to ever  be distracted or for outside ideas to mingle with  

my own and by organic thinking I'm specifically  defining that as like something that only pertains  

to you that you don't want any other ideas to be  mixed with and speaking from past experiences this  

could be anything from you know making a grocery  list that I'm sure my friend Zach remembers  

um to you know trying to process emotions and  figure out why I'm angry at a friend or another  

aspect of this is putting down creative ideas  because a creative idea can come very quick  

and it can just pop into your head and if there's  any kind of distraction you can lose that at least  

I can and I just I can't count how many times  I've picked up my phone to write down a creative  

idea that I've had and just completely lost it  because something caught my attention or something  

distracted me before I could get it all and that  is really really frustrating honestly and there's  

one more aspect of this that I think is really  really important and it's worth mentioning it's  

like have you ever have you ever forgot to take  your phone somewhere with you like for a couple  

of hours not that you had it with you but on  silent but you you literally didn't even have it  

with you if you're anything like me there there's  something different about physically being removed  

from something that can distract you like your  phone versus just having it like with you but on  

silent it's like suddenly your brain like realizes  oh there's like literally no possible way for me  

to be distracted or pulled in that direction  and it seems like it redirects your focus onto  

other things like your surroundings another way of  thinking about it is it at least for me it keeps  

me from sleeping with one eye open as it were  you know like where you're that analogy of like  

sleeping and you're always just like you're always  aware like just in case something pops up that you  

you need to be alert for that's kind of what it  feels like sometimes and so when you remove that  

completely it's it's literally gone then suddenly  energy refocuses and that's something that again  

using this really does very well is it it removes  any of those distractions and it actually allows  

your brain to refocus that energy and this is huge  because this can literally make the difference  

of solving or jeopardizing a solution or creative  idea okay so I've been wandering around with this  

notepad and pen in my pocket for several months  now sometimes I go a week without even using it  

it doesn't care sometimes the table is out  of balance at a restaurant so I stick it  

underneath the leg to keep it from wobbling  seriously it couldn't care less now I don't  

use this for everything obviously there are some  stuff that is wildly impractical for me to use  

a notepad for and now my phone or my laptop  just does way better at and so it's not even  

a question in that regard but when something pops  up that makes me stop and go oh that's important  

nine times out of ten I will at least during the  discovery phase of an idea I will often choose  

a medium where it is literally impossible for any  other agenda other than my own to be present where  

nothing will mix with my idea this will cost you  one dollar so feel free to try it out for a few  

weeks and just see if it works for you what I  love to do is whenever I'm in a group and then  

like everybody's on their phones and it's all  bored and stuff instead of pulling out my phone  

I'll pull out my notepad and just start writing  it's amazing like literally no one sees it coming