Balancing Analog and Digital Tools

QUESTION

Dear Joey, I find myself drawn to productivity apps—and have tried several—but I've found that pen and paper is the best way for me to get things done. There's something about writing down a task, planning it out, then checking it off the list that feels amazing.

I thought that using an iPad to do this would be the best use case, but there's something about the permanency of paper and the ability to look over and glance at my day that just works.
What has this journey looked like for you and the people you work with? You've developed a set of tools to help people get things done, is this a result of your own needs or the needs of your customers? Would love to know!

—Ryan

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ANSWER

Dear Ryan, I’m glad you asked this question. People often get the impression that because I founded an analog product company I have some kind of aversion to—or I’m outright against—digital tools.

It’s the opposite—I absolutely love all things digital.

In my personal life I’m an avid video game player, and in my professional life I use a host of digital tools to perform my daily responsibilities.

In the end, it just comes down to choosing the best tool for the job at hand. Sometimes it’s analog, other times it’s digital.

I started Baronfig because pen and paper is still the best method for ideation. You can’t search your notebook, effortlessly upload it to the cloud, or easily share what you’ve done—all of these are benefits of a digital tool—but what a notebook does do, it does very well.

A notebook isn’t bound by the pre-programmed options in a piece of software. There are very few rules. I can smudge a blueberry on a page and spell a word, tear half a page and tape it back upside-down, stick other media into it (photos, articles, wrappers, sticky notes, etc.), and so on.

When the Pencil stylus was released for iPad, I was first in line to give it a try. While my business-owning self feared that it would replace the notebook, my creativity-loving personal side was excited to try it out. Fortunately/unfortunately, writing on a screen with limited-function software doesn’t beat out using analog for raw ideation.

Our team always keeps our ears to the ground. We not only check out the latest technology, we are hyper conscious of what our customers are saying, and we regularly develop new tools (or updating existing ones) based on feedback.

If there’s anything you’d like to see from Baronfig, let me know!

—Joey

Sometimes you just need a sheet of paper to get your ideas out. Pictured: Mastermind Mini Desk Pad