Why the Paper Versus Digital Calendar Divide Might Disappear

Most people swear by their chosen calendar system. There are those who solely use digital calendars for their efficiency, others who are devoted to paper calendars for the tactile nature, and then still a third, quieter group who utilize a hybrid system.

Of these three groups, the paper calendar devotees most frequently apologize for their preferred system, although hybrids are a close second, claiming they realize that using two systems is likely inefficient. But these groups are wrong to apologize and there is growing scientific data that explains why.

Paper Is King for Memorizing

On the surface, the paper group’s apologies make sense. After all, relying on a paper calendar seems practically Luddite in a modern, digitized world. In addition, choosing a calendar system has long been seen as a personal preference—ergo, paper calendar folks apologize for their choice.

But if the point of a calendar system is to remember things, then the system with proven inferior memory recall is the one for which apologies should be made. Remarkably, it’s not the paper calendar folks who ought to have hat in hand.

In 2009, Timothy Smoker, Carrie Murphy & Alison Rockwell at the University of Central Florida published a research study investigating links between psychomotor action in the activities of handwriting and memory. They found that recall for common words was better when the words were written down rather than typed. The study’s authors were trying to prove that the complicated task of writing aids memorization. They also found handwriting notes was surprisingly faster than those using digital tablets or smartphones. While the research focus was on note-taking, their findings have similar implications for other handwriting activities such as calendaring.

However, handwriting isn’t the only thing that aids memory. It’s also about writing on paper. A more recent study in 2021 from the University of Tokyo found that writing with a stylus on a digital device or typing on a touchscreen keyboard isn’t the same as handwriting. Co-author, Kuniyoshi Sakai, a neuroscientist at the University of Tokyo said their conclusion was, "If you need to learn something or memorize it, use paper."

The reason? The University of Tokyo study found that handwriting likely facilitates memorization because the act of handwriting on physical paper provides myriad cues for the brain: from forming letters’ various shapes, to the tangible feel of the paper and the pen pressing on it, to spacing of words and lines, ink colors, even doodles. The brain absorbs each of these pieces of data and then later each piece in turn helps it trigger memory recall.

Conversely, when someone enters information into a device, the words disappear when that person closes the app, leaving substantially fewer tactile and spatial cues for the brain to use for memory recall. Therefore, leaving a page of notes lying around on your desk, or a paper calendar open, isn't technically a mess but rather an aid for memorization and recall.

These findings came from the University of Tokyo study asking 48 people to take notes on a conversation about a student schedule: 14 appointments, assignment due dates, and class times. Some participants used a pen and paper, others used a stylus on a tablet, and then others used a touchscreen keyboard on a large phone. An hour later, the participants had to recall the information whilst undergoing MRIs.

Long story short, the pen-and-paper group not only remembered the schedule better, but they also displayed far more brain activity in areas associated with language, memory, navigation, and visualization than the latter two groups.

Doodling While Taking Notes Is Also a Good Thing

Finally, a 2020 Norwegian study led by Audrey Van der Meer in Frontiers in Psychology used electroencephalograms or EEGs to record participants' brainwaves and asked them (12 adults and 12 seventh-graders) to write and draw with a digital pen. Each was also asked to type on a keyboard. While performing these tasks, volunteers wore caps with electrodes (256 sensors) on their heads. The electrodes noted which parts of the brain turned on during each task.

For both the kids and adults, writing turned on memory areas in the brain. Typing didn’t. Interestingly, drawing images and writing also activated parts of the brain involved with learning. Writing even activated language areas. Quoted in Science News for Kids, Van der Meer said that when we write by hand, “we both learn better and remember better.”

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While none of the studies argue for ditching digital notes and calendars, they prove the merits of keeping paper in one’s repertoire and how handwriting on paper is a key tool for learning and memorization tasks. But digital calendars and notes have their advantages too—sharing, reminders, alarms, and searchability, just to name a few. With advantages to both systems, the best arrangement is likely a mélange of paper and digital. The hybrid calendar users are on to something and need to start proselytizing.