When I was testing early drafts of this journal, it was all done by hand with pen and paper. At that point I wasn’t sure if I was working on an idea for an app or a physical product.
As the weeks progressed I noticed my understanding of my Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and how they trended as a result of my actions and stressors increased dramatically.
I finally understood my HRV and RHR, even though I’d been following them on my Whoop for nearly a year. I tried to explain my experience to others but couldn’t find the right words or expressions. So I dove into the research around journaling and writing by hand.
After some research I found out what I experienced to be increased conceptual understanding.
In a 2014 study, Mueller and Oppenheimer found that students who wrote out their notes by hand had a stronger conceptual understanding and were more successful in applying and integrating the material than those who took notes with their laptops.
It turns out there are many other scientific benefits for writing and journaling by hand, however if increased conceptual understanding was the only benefit it would still be worthwhile.
Tús Maith Journals 