Remembering the Importance of Handwriting

Today, January 23rd, is National Handwriting Day. Today we celebrate the simple handwritten note, the handwritten to-do list, or the carefully crafted handwritten letter, which continue to survive in this current digital age.

Every day we are accustomed to most of our communications coming from a digital screen. Perhaps this morning you used your smartphone to look at your calendar to see what meetings you had scheduled today. You then used either that same smartphone, or your laptop, to review your checklist for the day. Just before that first meeting in the morning, you sent an IM to your coworker to remind them of a pending deadline for a project. Later, you sent an email to your team with a recap of the earlier meeting along with action items for each team member. Before the end of the day, you remembered to send an IM or an email to another coworker thanking them for their help with another project. Finally, you remembered to text your spouse that you were leaving the office and wondered if they wanted you to pick up anything from the store on the way home.

An entire day can go by without using a pen, pencil, or a sheet of paper. The keyboard and screens are our reality. These are certainly efficient tools, but have we lost something for the sake of efficiency?

There have been studies that show writing something down helps with memory. You may very well remember that item on your handwritten to-do list a little more than the item you typed into a digital list. That meeting on Thursday may stand out more in your memory if you wrote it down on a calendar on your desk or inside a wire bound planner rather than simply clicking the accept button in an email invite to save that spot on your digital calendar.

Handwriting is also unique to each individual. That handwritten thank you note you give to a colleague doesn’t just contain the words “thank you,” it includes your unique style. Your colleague isn’t just getting some generic words, they are getting something that can only come from you. A quick thank you in an email or IM can be appreciated but will most likely end up in the digital recycle bin to make space on the computer for incoming work.

It is easy to send a cute and funny ecard to a friend or relative for a birthday or any holiday. I have certainly done it. Ecards do offer a way to convey feelings and can be customized to say exactly what you want to say. However, the handwritten letter or notecard contains not just words, but the unique stroke of the pen that can only come from you. Each dotted “i,” each crossed “t,” and each loop used for the “l” is a reflection of you, and not something that can be bought or easily recreated on a computer.

At the end of each day, after turning off the phone and the computer while getting ready for bed, jot down a few of your thoughts in a journal. In the future, you’ll be able to reflect on your mindset at that moment through not just the words, but through your handwritten style. Were you stressed? Were you worried? Were you relieved? Handwriting gives us not just words, but some physical sense of your emotions at that moment in time.

In this digital age, we are constantly pressured to get more done in less time by using the various digital tools available to us. However, consider taking a few moments today to slow down. Try writing down your to-do list and see if you remember those items just a little bit more. Use a desk or wall calendar, containing your handwritten reminders of meetings for that month, and see if those meetings stand out more in your memory than the items on your Outlook or Google calendar. Consider writing a quick thank you note to someone who helped you out on a big assignment and see if they appreciate it more than a quick IM. For that next holiday, use a pen and paper to write a letter to your loved one or good friend, letting them know how much they mean to you.

Today, we treasure the art of handwriting. Don’t let this amazing communication method fall to the wayside in the name of efficiency.