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Is there anyone out there in world who has transitioned from writing paper notes and lists to using an iPad and Apple Pencil? My wife is definitely a pen and paper person, but we end up with pieces of paper all over the place and I want to get her an iPad for her birthday. Do you think she’ll be able to make the transition or will it be a waste?

As a follow up, what is the best note taking app? Ideally something where she could sync the notes with her phone too?

@BipolarArtist I’d like to know, too, but my feeling is that there is no replacement for the physical, paper notes. The pieces of paper everywhere is a feature, not a bug (for me, anyway).

@BipolarArtist well, I guess it depends what the notes are for… for me it’s part of both my coping mechanisms and my creative process to have notes around. 😅

@Apocryphiliac this is good to consider. If that is what helps her think, maybe it’s not the best idea. Right now she is planning our son’s birthday party and she has a checklist on the island in the kitchen with stuff that needs to happen before the party.

@BipolarArtist I have a presentment, and I could be very wrong, but… this is the kind of thing you should first purchase/use primarily yourself, and then you sort of subtly, over time, get her accommodated to the idea and see if it takes… if you just get her a present and imply, “this will help with cutting back on all those notes you habe lying around…” it could backfire. 😅

@Apocryphiliac haha ok I will definitely think about it more. I could always present her with the option and if she is like “nah” then I can return it.

@BipolarArtist indeed you can. I do want to hear what others have to say about this, however!

@Apocryphiliac I appreciate you offering your input! I am definitely not convinced it is the right idea yet. Going to have to think about it more.

@BipolarArtist i use paper notes differently than digital
Notes. Paper is for creating, developing and digital is for recalling later.

@BipolarArtist i can add that i love the ipencil with the ipad but use it mainly for sketching in Procreate app. I prefer voice to text when possible.

@Amyfb ok, cool. She won’t be doing any sketching but that is good to know.

@BipolarArtist Here's what I do for shopping lists - I write a note on the dry erase board I have on my fridge, take a picture of it, and then transfer it to scrap paper before I go to the store. 50% of the time I forget to take the list so I end up having to keep logging in to my phone to keep the photo up so I can see what I wanted to get. I suggest whatever you do, do not do this.

@LDzB 🤣🤣 ok yeah that doesn’t sound like the best workflow.

@BipolarArtist if the pieces of paper all over the place don’t bother her, don’t give her a gift which says, “i know better than you how to keep you organized.” if the pieces of paper also bother her, buy her a beautiful fountain pen & a beautiful portfolio like this leatherology.com/deluxe-folio-. wide choice of pens here gouletpens.com/collections/all

@barbaraedelman ok, thanks for the feedback. It isn’t necessarily an “I know better” more so, sometimes she loses stuff and I think it might keep her more organized (she likes being organized). When she has notebooks, she rips out pages, haha. This is good to consider though, thanks for the feedback! I will think about it a bit more before pulling the trigger.

@BipolarArtist This is an interesting question, and I had the same problem for a time, and I will tell you from my experience, and from the experience of family and friends... the transition from pen and paper, to an app and a device does not go well, for most purposes (might be overkill.) What works much better is a reusable notebook, my preference is for the RocketBooks. Good selection of sizes and options; lots of Frixion pens / highlighters; and easy to clean and reuse.

@DarkLighter huh, ok I’ll look into that. Personally, I made the transition from paper to a remarkable tablet. I do all of my creative note taking and organizing in that and I haven’t looked back. I was only thinking the iPad for her though because I’m sure she’d love to play with it too, watch videos and look at photos of our kids on a bigger screen.

@BipolarArtist The Remarkable Tablet (esp. v2) is definitely an outlier, and potentially a game changer... unfortunately, they are a small company, without a big market share. However, the 3x5 RocketBook is something I always have with me, at home, or in the office, and is perfect for the things I need to jot down, but will "expire" in a relatively short time (like the dreaded "sticky note.") It is also a tactile experience, that helps with retention, and recall. Just my humble experience.

@BipolarArtist I’m a pen and paper person myself, and also a longtime Ipad user. I love my notepads, pens, sticky notes and paper planners. I’ve tried apps but it’s not the same. Also, there is research that shows that people remember things better when they physically write them. Typing is not the same.

Maybe talk to her about getting some kind of organizing system to keep her notes from being all over the place since that is what seems to bother you. There are lots of cool things out there!

@wanderingnotlost it doesn’t bother me at all. I want to get this to help her not because of anything I want/need. Just trying to do something nice.

@BipolarArtist I’ve used an iPad for over 10 years and it is my go-to for many things. My partner resisted learning to use one for a long time, but eventually picked up my old one and used it for reading news and shopping. A couple years ago, I got him a new one one for Christmas. He said he didn’t want it. I put it away, and after the old one got so slow he couldn’t use it, he accepted the “new” one. So she might like an iPad but maybe not for what you are thinking. It’s a nice gift!

@BipolarArtist I would actually look into the various electronic paper/notebooks. They are A LOT cheaper, and let you write, upload to the cloud erase and reuse. If it doesn't stick you're out 30-100 instead of whatever ipads run

Personally I've been looking at these
Rocketbook Fusion Smart Reusable Notebook - Calendar, To-Do Lists, and Note Template Pages with 1 Pilot Frixion Pen & 1 Microfiber Cloth Included - Deep Space Gray Cover, Letter Size (8.5" x 11") amazon.com/dp/B07ZHZ9VJT/ref=c

@BipolarArtist I'm new to but found this post. Did your wife ever transition to for notetaking?

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