Technology is cool. I mean, I really like technology. My entire career revolves around digital tools, and I’m usually the first person to advocate for the latest app or gadget that promises to make our lives more efficient.
But sometimes, technology doesn’t work.
When Digital Fails, Analog Prevails
Last week, I was facilitating a workshop with about 15 participants. I had meticulously prepared interactive Miro boards for collaborative brainstorming sessions. The plan was perfect: everyone would contribute ideas simultaneously, we’d cluster them in real-time, and export a beautiful PDF of our collective genius at the end.
Then the projector wouldn’t connect to my laptop.
After 15 minutes of the classic tech support dance (unplug, replug, restart, swear under your breath), we faced a decision: cancel the workshop or adapt.
The Post-it Revival
Fortunately, I had thrown a stack of Post-its and some Sharpies into my bag as a last-minute afterthought. What started as a reluctant Plan B turned into something unexpectedly effective.
Having everyone huddle around physical Post-its on a wall created a different kind of energy than I had anticipated. People were standing, moving, and actually talking to each other face-to-face instead of typing silently on their devices.
Research actually backs this up — studies prove that handwriting activates different parts of the brain than typing does, potentially enhancing creativity and memory retention.1
The Analog Disadvantage
Of course, Post-its and pens aren’t perfect. They have their limitations too. There’s no easy way to archive everything for posterity (unless you count my hasty phone photos). Handwriting legibility varies wildly (looking at — well — myself). You lose the benefits of version control or easy editing that digital tools provide.
Lessons Learned
The experience reminded me that sometimes the most reliable tools are the simplest ones. I’ve now added a small notebook and pen to my everyday carry items, nestled right alongside my smartphone and laptop.
Technology will continue to evolve and amaze us, but there’s something reassuring about knowing that when all else fails, you can still capture your thoughts with tools that never need charging.
Though I suspect the two coffees I had that morning might have also contributed to my creative output. ↩︎