National Notebook Day Helps Keep Information Close at Hand

McLean, Va. – Ever wonder whether you can sit through one more endless meeting or how you’ll ever manage to get through your task list for the day? The most useful tool may be even thinner than your cell phone. The single sheet of paper, bound in a notebook or taped to the fridge, may be the key to finding more time in your day.

On May 16, National Notebook Day celebrates the note takers, hand writers, to-do list aficionados and planner fans, offering an antidote to the digital and tech that demand our time.

Why are we having trouble with time management? It could be the distraction factor. According to a 2018 Workplace Distraction Survey by Udemy, 50 percent of respondents said workplace distractions cause them to be significantly less productive.

Simply keeping paper close to take notes and capture ideas restricts us to “single-tasking,” enabling ideas to flow uninterrupted. A Journal of Educational Psychology article reports that taking notes by hand forces you to process information in a different way and your brain activity heightens.1 The simple act of writing lets you reflect and better evaluate a situation, helping you approach challenges with longer periods of focus.

The Paper and Packaging Board regularly surveys consumers about paper use, and results show that people consistently, and highly, value this simple tool.

• 76% reported taking notes by hand helps retain information better,
• 72% said seeing words on paper helps me remember what I read,
• 77% note they concentrate better when they read a printed book;
• And, 63% prefer to distribute printed agendas and documents for meetings.2

Keeping a notebook at hand, taking notes on paper to allow focus and idea flow are just two of the ways paper can help boost productivity. Visit HowLifeUnfolds.com to check out the 7 smart ways that paper can help make your day more productive. Sometimes the best ideas come when unplugged, so, grab a notebook, put yours on paper and resolve to make this #NationalNotebookDay a productive one.