Paper and Pen

There are several things I’m ashamed to have discovered way too late in life.

One of them is the incredible problem-solving and generative power of a quiet hour with nothing but a hard or amorphous problem, a single sheet of paper, and a pen.

Features of this set up (uninterrupted 60-90 minutes, single sheet of paper/notebook spread, pen, nothing else), in order of importance:

1. The boundaries at the edge of the paper.
2. Nothing else to do but fill the paper or stare at the wall (no devices).
3. Known ending time.

I have never discovered a better method for increasing clarity. And increasing clarity is tied with exercise as the best way I’ve ever found to reduce anxiety. And anxiety is the greatest impediment to me enjoying anything that I’m doing, which greatly affects how much I can do.

It is remarkable how well a paper and pen work.

As a computer kid (started on a Macintosh 512 in 1988), I sort of skipped that for most of my life. I’m glad I gave it another shot in my 30s, because it’s something I turn to now for the hardest problems, and it never fails.