Summoning the Archivist Gremlin
When a compulsion to capture information collides with impulsivity
I’m not entirely sure what it was that summoned the sleeping Archivist within me. Was it when I pushed aside the pile of books and knitting projects strewn across my desk to make room for a three-wick candle so that I could safely light it, invoking a ritual that I had yet to acknowledge? Maybe it was the growing stack of non-fiction books on varied topics that I found myself diving into, emerging with insights too numerous to contain in my head. Or perhaps it was the visceral need to embody this knowledge beyond typing it into my Milanote board.
Either way, she appeared as if a genie from slumber, and I was suddenly struck with the urgent, full-bodied compulsion to take notes by hand. This pivot came after two months of meticulously organizing my research, creative projects, and to do lists on a Milanote board. It was great for the big picture pieces for scaffolding my ideas. But I needed somewhere to dump the fragmented thoughts and reflections that skittered across my mind amidst the reminders to do the dishes or clean the toilet. For that, I needed that most treasured of Archivist possessions - a gorgeous hardback journal and a bold 1 mm ball point pen in black that glides smoothly across the thick cream colored pages.
I hit the internet in search of the perfect thought vessel—an aesthetically pleasing yet portable tome to hold notes from books, daily brain dumps, and random blizzards of thought. It needed to be an A5 sized journal—the perfect size to keep open next to my laptop, and but small enough for tossing into my knitting bag when I’m on the go—200+ pre-numbered pages with binding that would lay flat no matter what page I was writing on. Oh, and it needed to cost less than an extra large blender and maple waffle sandwich from Scooters, the drive-through coffee shop down the street that practically knows me by name.
The journal I found included features I didn’t even know I wanted until I saw them in the listing—table of contents pages in the beginning, plus a page for customized symbol keys. I picked out a journal the grayish-blue color of the sky just after a rainstorm— perfect for reminding me that I need to get lumber for boarding up the windows in case there’s a major hurricane this year. I hit “check out” and immediately began daydreaming about the compendium of rabbit holes it would contain.
But wait— I wondered as soon as I completed my purchase—What did I need a paper journal for when I can keep notes in my phone? What was I going to write in it?
I was starting to feel a flicker of panic. Had I just purchased another tool that I’ll use obsessively for a week before abandoning with the guilt-inducing stack on my bookshelf?
“Need I remind you,” the Archivist sighed, extending her hand out and examining her well-manicured fingernails. “That handwriting has many benefits over typing. Handwriting slows your thoughts down just enough to record them, and it forces the brain to process the information more deeply. This allows us to reflect more deliberately on the notes we take. Not to mention handwriting also strengthens memory, and let’s be honest, you could use all the help you can get in that department.[^1] [^2] [^3]
As for what we’re going to write in a journal? Everything. We’re going to put every little jumble of words that zooms across your brain on paper.”
Okay, fine.
And was was right. I had filled all 312 pages of that first journal within a month of its arrival. Which left me with no choice but to purchase my next journal in bulk, and another question:
How will I stay organized?
Hello?!” she snapped, annoyance dripping from her voice like honey sliding off of a spoon into a steaming mug of tea. It came out slow and deliberate, “he-ll-ooo?!!”
“We’re going to tag stray thoughts by topic. If something comes up in the middle of a page of unrelated notes, we’ll tag it by topic. And then we’ll color-code it by theme.” Her exasperation was unmistakable.
But what if I have more than one theme on the same page?
“Ugh!” she groaned. “Do I need to figure everything out for you?!” there was an edge to her impatience that made me shrink.
“We need highlighter markers.”
Ah, yes! I replied, finally catching on. I can assign each theme a color, then highlight the first sentence or book reference!
But I only had three highlight colors and—I counted the themes I already covered in my first journal—more than 13 themes.
“Zebra mildliners. You know what to do.” she said, bored already with solving my problems. If she had an iphone, she would be scrolling instagram while I googled the highlighters.
And that’s how I ended up with fifty dual-tipped mid-liner highlighter markers.
References
[^1] Mueller, P.A., & Oppenheimer, D.M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581
[^2] Bohay, M., Blakely, D. P., Tamplin, A. K., & Radvansky, G. A. (2011). Note taking, review, memory, and comprehension. The American journal of psychology, 124(1), 63-73.
Scientific American. “Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Memory and Learning” — engaging fine motor skills in handwriting activates multiple brain regions (movement, vision, sensory processing, memory), which aids learning and information retention.
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