As a company, we strive to be paper free yet when you walk into our office you will see a lot of it around. We know that a business without paper would be a business that doesn't exist even one that strives and lives to be as much paper free as possible. We pride ourselves on protecting the environment through every step we do. Every piece of paper is re-used, recycled, and is typically gotten in a recycled state. Many of us have tablets that have pens for note taking but that is not always the most convenient option when you have a flash of an idea pop into your head. What can a simple piece of paper do for your business that a more efficient computer can't? Let's find out.
It is amazing as humans that tactile contact that bring you closer to what you are working with. Part of using paper is to tell a story. Like in the Star Trek First Contact movie where Captain Picard and Commander Data talk about finding the Phoenix and touching the rocket that brought peace and prosperity to the entire planet Earth touching paper as you tell your story makes it feel more real.
Paper has a lot less "noise" than any computer ever will. No matter how you cut it paper is a very simple product. All you need is a piece of paper or a pad of paper, pencil or pen (even a crayon will work), and something to write on. The distractions of other programs, the internet, etc. While writing just these first three paragraphs I can say I have a Casey Neistat video playing on one of three monitors, email on another, and Hootsuite up and running watching over 30 social media accounts. On paper though I would be completely focused on the task I am working on and the distractions would be reduced.
Skipping the power and convenience of a computer you never need to worry about having your batteries charged up or waiting for the system to load. In fact, the boot time on paper is as quick as you can get to a blank area of the page.
Paper is great for keeping track of those short-term goals. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is use paper in meetings even when I have a computer right in front of me. The reason is after the meeting I always allocate time for recapping everything that went on. This allows me to then transcribe all those paper notes into he computer for longer retention. As a side benefit to me is instead of being focused on typing notes writing notes can be a lot less lengthy and I can stay focused more on who is talking and making quick notes that in-turn I can turn into more detailed notes after the meeting.
Many will truly disagree that paper can make you more creative. When inspiration strikes paper is a great item to have available to you. Those chicken scratches tell a story like no computer ever could. Part of writing on paper is truly telling that story that will pull at the heart strings of others. A simple doodle can tell people a lot about your personality and keep your imagination active and flowing.
The rumors of the world going completely paperless since the dawn of the computer are far from ever going to happen. I know myself I love when I get in old snail-mail magazines like Inc, AdWeek, >CANVAS Magazine, AdvertisingAge, and other industry magazines that I am ready to read them. The touch and feel does make them more real even though I get them electronically as well.
Loving technology is great but always remember your roots and what got you there. Old school is sometimes the best school when it comes to moving forward in your life and for your business. Don't be afraid to embrace that old school charm even when everyone around you expects you to only be on the more modern platform like a computer. Keep everyone guessing, including yourself, and no one will ever be able to keep up with your imagination that is truly you.