Key takeaway: Handwritten vs digital is not a forever choice. Pick the medium that matches today’s job: paper for slow thinking, digital when speed or search matters. You can mix both.
When it comes to journaling, the biggest question people ask is whether to handwrite or use a digital journal. The answer depends on what you are trying to accomplish with journaling. (Sorry, there isn’t a simple winner!)
In this blog post, we will explore the pros and cons of each method – handwritten or typed. Afterward, we will go over how you can choose the right medium – written or digital – for your situation.
1. Typing is too fast, new, and distracting for our brains
Typing is faster than handwriting, so our brains may struggle to follow the train of thought. Also, typing on a keyboard is relatively new to the human brain. It is more accustomed to the connected experience of hand and mind built through thousands of years of human expression.
Lastly, when typing, our brains are multitasking and distracted by notifications and other pop-ups that happen on the phone or the computer.
2. Handwriting engages your sense of touch
Human memory is triggered by senses (ever remembered something because of a scent?). When using a pen and paper, the sense of touch helps us better retain what we learned from that journaling session.
3. Handwriting allows for in-depth processing
If typing is too fast (see point #1), a handwritten journal provides the opportunity for in-depth processing. Have something deep or heavy on your mind that needs to be articulated? A handwritten journal will serve you better than a digital journal.
4. Handwriting makes you brief and succinct
Handwriting allows for a different kind of articulation than typing. We process at a different pace when handwriting than when typing. Furthermore, our brains focus only on writing when we write by hand – editing, deleting, and spell-checking tools are not needed.
Type it or handwrite it? Proceed with caution.
A handwritten journal is more beneficial for deeper processing (reflection, ideation, etc.), whereas a digital journal is often considered more convenient for factual matters (a to-do list, a record of what was done, etc.).
Knowing when to handwrite a journal and when to use a digital journal will help you improve your journaling habit. Once you’ve sorted that, the next questions most people face are what size journal to use and whether to structure their entries or write freely — I’ve written about both. If you are brand new to the practice, my beginner’s guide to journaling walks through this decision and everything after it.
Once you pick a format, the harder part is the first consistent week. My newsletter helps with that handoff. Subscribe here if useful.
2 comments On Handwritten vs Digital Journal: Which Should You Use?
I can’t read my writing so I prefer typed vs. written that was not discussed. I have terrible penmanship which makes a handwritten journal not practical for me.
I knew it! I couldn’t articulate why I prefer old written journaling and the old school paper and pen for notes, to-dos, and basically everything of importance I need to capture.
This post explains it all! Plus confirms Im doing it right!