feat(posts): add the Pen and Paper post

src/lib/posts/pen-and-paper.md

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+---
+title: "Pen and Paper"
+date: 2024-02-14T12:11:21+02:00
+tags: ["thoughts", "flow"]
+description: "Finally, it clicked for me."
+---
+
+## Prologue
+
+Pen and Paper... Such _ancient_ tools, some might think. I had similar thoughts as well,
+however I came around to using them in the recent weeks and months.
+
+## Digital before analogue
+
+I am of such age that I've, except for drawing, used the computer before using pen and
+paper. Since those times, I grew up around or with the computer, which entertained me
+as much as it allowed me to find information I was interested in online.
+
+As I grew, it became clear from my childhood artwork that I won't be the next Michelangelo.
+My handwriting, as my teachers often said, was terrible as well. Later on it's been
+explained to me that I was dysgraphic, whatever that meant.
+
+Long story short, my experiences working with pen and paper haven't really spoken to me.
+
+## Purely digital
+
+My "productivity system" for a long time comprised of the Joplin application for note
+taking, and Thunderbird for my calendar and I must say, I still _love_ both.
+
+Thunderbird lets me organize my time on a daily, monthly and yearly basis and together
+with my phone calendar reminds me of things I wish to be reminded about, even years
+ahead of time.
+
+Joplin lets me write down and store a ton of notes on different topics, in the wonderful
+Markdown format and sync those notes across all my devices seamlessly.
+
+As awesome of an application as Joplin is, it still didn't feel _quite right_ for daily
+tasks, meeting notes and general remarks still.
+
+## Commitment and freedom
+
+Here, I decided to experiment with pen and paper once more. Instead of buying a new Moleskin
+planner right away with the intent of being the most productive person on Earth with that
+tool, I instead opted for an upcycled notebook of my girlfriends', that she hasn't started
+using yet:
+
+![The notebook](../../images/pen-and-paper/notebook.jpg)
+
+The notebook doesn't contain anything fancy. It's lined, and that's about it as far as
+features go.
+
+Here is a short "demonstration" of what I do with my notebook:
+
+![Demonstration](../../images/pen-and-paper/demonstration.jpg)
+
+Nothing from the above would be _groundbreaking_ for most, but for me, it kind
+of was.
+
+### Commitment
+
+Suddenly, I can't just delete or reorder what I write down. When I write something down,
+I feel like I commit to what I've written more than I would have, have it been written
+in a digital notebook in which I would be able to move or delete it with a keystroke or two.
+This feels just right for daily tasks, which I really should just get done instead of
+reason about them.
+
+### Freedom
+
+Another thing I try to demonstrate in the above picture is the freedom paper gives.
+I can draw freeform anything I want, in any direction I want. The only limitations are my
+imagination and the size of the canvas.
+
+I could get similar abilities from a tool like [Miro](https://miro.com/) with virtually no
+spatial limitations. For myself though, I feel like having such absolutely massive canvas
+and countless shapes and tools at my disposal would just hinder my thinking process,
+which pen and paper only naturally enhance within the borders of their physical limitations.
+
+## Digital is here to stay
+
+I will continue using my digital tools in tandem with pen and paper going forward.
+The downsides I list above don't apply in most cases; in most cases,
+the ability to re-order, to re-plan, to copy and paste and to share your work with others
+is highly desired.
+
+I urge you though, consider jotting down your plan for the next day on a piece of paper
+in the evening prior, instead of defaulting to your computer. Maybe the format will
+surprise you as well.