I know that I always learn something way better when I write about it. Recently, I both changed job roles (with a promotion!) and moved fields slightly.  I moved from being an Information Security Technician into the SharePoint Architect role. As I sat with with the outgoing Architect, I sat there and scribbled notes and doodles as we chatted.

Now, my hand writing is legendarily awful, as you can see! (Yes, that really is my hand writing.) Even I have issues reading what I wrote later on, so, why would I choose to had write the handover notes when I could have used my laptop to type into OneNote to organise the same thoughts.

The reasons are two fold. Firstly, when you put pen to paper to write words around conversations, take lecture notes or form ideas, it forms far better memory pathways in the Neocortex, especially when you are summarising, as you are actively thinking about and analysing what you are writing about as you are writing it. This in turn activates neurons and forms complex memory chains, a real boost to learning. It also leads to far better understanding of the subject at hand.

Secondly, writing is also an act of creativity, to which the Limbic brain responds and acts upon, giving you emotions about what you are writing and creating life feedback from the feels created that motivates action. If you are keen to learn, or eager to visualise your goals as you write, your limbic brain will feed back this happiness, this sense of anticipation into your everyday life.

Conversely, typing is all about mechanical skills, and so drawn entirely from the Neocortex. And typed information, although generally more verbose (most of us can type faster than we write) is generally is less understood by the note taker; it gets rationalised, contextualised, and is then “filed away for future reference” by the Neocortex.

The brain is basically parking the information for future recall, but with no real understanding of this information typed. This is because the Neocortex is not at all in charge of acting/reacting to stimulus (yep, that’s the job of the Limbic brain) and so the information sluices through your brain without making a real impact or forming  the more complex memory chains you get from writing.

The upshot of all this?  The combination of Neocortex and Limbic brain working together to give both context/understanding and emotion means that the goal list you type is far less likely to actually happen than the goal list you write.

Have you a list of goals that are just all in your head? Do your goals never seem to happen? Take action now, grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down that goal list! Leave me a comment to tell me about it and we can start working toward connecting those dots.

Catch you next week!

Sign up to receive your free 8 day meditation eCourse,
and ideas on spiritual advancement and mindset change

as well as eclectic advice about growing things, eating well and creativity

First Name

Email

Being "Selfish" - Showing up in the moment brings full commitment.
Growing things brings peace and thoughtfulness.
Eating well nourishes the body.
Being creating nourishes the mind.

Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.