Everyday I carry a spiral notebook complete with sections and pockets for loose papers. The inside front cover even says, “If found, return to Elaine Rosenblum” with my cell number. If lost, I would spend weeks recreating lists and idea nuggets that help me do things like write interesting blogs. Writing longhand on paper helps me listen better to clients and colleagues, be more creative, brainstorm potential positions for my client’s salary negotiations and solve business problems.
I am so excited about David Sax’s book The Revenge of Analog, Real Things and Why They Matter. Not only because it vindicates my 2001 digital backlash prediction, but more importantly because it suggests that life and the professional world are deeper, richer and more creative than digital immersion alone. Sax notes that tech companies are now designed so that professionals will put their devices down, read inflection and body language and have a face-to-face conversation. That’s deep, rich and creative. It’s also a moonshot path to the next big thing.
P.S., You may find yourself emotionally happier when you distance yourself even a smidge from everything digital.