Why I Still Use A Paper Notebook In Addition To A Notion Second Brain
I love keeping my second brain in Notion.
Ever since I found YouTube videos about keeping track of notes and to do lists and Notion specifically, I've been hooked. I tried several other options over the years, but didn't like how other solutions kept notes and to do lists separated. Notion lets me customize almost anything I want to build my own system for staying on course.
But as much as I love my Notion setup, something was missing: paper.
Why Keep A Paper Notebook?
Since early childhood, I've loved to draw and doodle (although, admittedly, I'm terrible at it).
Digital tools have come a long way, but sketching and doodling never felt right on my phone or even iPad. CAD programs like Fusion 360 felt different because it was drawing with math. As a Maker, I like to make crude sketches of projects I want to create well ahead of when they get to be Fusion models.
Paper is also less intrusive when paying attention to others so they don't think you're bored and scrolling TikTok, but taking a quick note to continue paying attention.
How Do Paper & Notion Interact?
90% of the time, they don't.
I've seen and tried several different methods for keeping physical and digital notes synced up, but none felt right for me. Usually, the sketches in my notebook are not for my second brain unless I take a picture of it to upload and quick "for later" notes and to dos go directly to Notion via a back-tap shortcut on my phone. The few items I do jot down in my notebook that "should" live in Notion are few and far between enough that I end up remembering to transfer them.
Focusing on not keeping the two in sync counter-intuitively makes something that should be in sync stand out in memory.
