4 Old School Tools To Help You Stay Productive

December 29, 2020

According to GSMA real-time intelligence data, there are more than 5 billion people in the world who own and use mobile devices. That is a staggering 66.5% of the world's total population and that number is expected to grow rapidly in years to come.

The ubiquity of laptops, tablets, and mobile phones has made our everyday life and work life generally more flexible and convenient. This convenience, however, comes with a price. It’s no secret that screen time can be habit-forming and addicting. The average worker is said to waste approximately 56 minutes per day, or nearly five hours a week, using their mobile devices for non-work related activities. If we’re being honest, this number sounds low.

There is no denying that excessive use of mobile devices can negatively impact one's focus and attention span. Despite living in an era of modern technology, there is still a place for old-school tools, many of which can increase productivity given their advantage of “unplugging” you from distraction. Here are four examples of old-school tools that we can’t live without.

Pen and Paper

According to a recent study, using pen and paper to jot down notes helps increase information retention and improve conceptual understanding more than note-taking by way of a laptop. According to Dr. Helen Macpherson of the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University, "When we write by hand, we have to coordinate verbal and fine movement systems...because we can keep pace typing but we can’t keep pace with handwriting, it means we have different ways of encoding the information, which in turn leads to richer memory.”

Traditional Journal

Setting appointments and writing plans on a traditional journal gives a good break from staring at screens all day. The physical act of opening a journal, writing within its pages, and checking an item off a list gives a different kind of satisfaction.

Sticky Notes

This humble stationery is a fantastic tool for highlighting important notes and reminders. They come in a variety of different colors and can be stuck almost anywhere.

Whiteboard

This classic productivity tool that serves as a visual reminder for things to do. Whiteboards also encourage engagement in the workplace and help promote creativity by means of translating ideas and concepts into sketches, doodles, and flowcharts.

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