In the last couple of years, we have been seeing an increase in handwriting popularity. The truth is that more and more people are turning to the old pen and paper instead of heading to the computer.

The reality is that handwriting is a lot more than just a way to communicate. It’s a part of your own identity. After all, your handwriting can say a lot of things about your personality. From the way that you dot or Is to how you cross your Ts, when your handwriting is more round or more italic. Besides, your handwriting also varies. You can clearly notice the difference when you are writing in a hurry or when you have all the time in the world.

How To Improve Your Handwriting

When you are looking to improve your handwriting, there are mainly three factors that you need to consider:

#1: Your Work Surface:

As you already know, a desk or a table delivers a more stable platform than when you are writing on your knee, for example. In addition, the pen that you choose to use also affects your handwriting.

When you are trying to improve your handwriting, there is nothing better than a fountain pen. After all, it is all about the style and looks. In case you opt for a fountain pen, you need to keep in mind that the better the ink flow, the more difficult it will be for you to control the letterforms.

#2: How You Hold Your Pen:

While you learned at school how to hold a pen the best way, this doesn’t mean that you do it. The reality is that many people tend to wrap their fingers extremely tight to the pen they are using. And this may lead to a poor handwriting.

When you want to ensure that you improve your handwriting, you need to relax your shoulders, use your elbow as an anchor point, have your wrist loose, and have a controlled and firm grip on the pen. When you move the anchor point to your wrist, you will feel your hand cramping and fatigue.

#3: Back To The Basics:

Looking back at when you were just in kindergarten, you learned letters by writing them in a big size. The main advantage is that this way, you will be able to see exactly how you are handwriting and you can then reshape your handwriting muscles and return to a smaller scale.

One of the things that you should do is to date all your handwriting so that you can easily track your progress. Remember that this may take some time so don’t be too hard on yourself.

How To Practice Handwriting

I case you are running out of ideas and you just don’t know what you can write, you need to know that all you need is a pen and paper. After all, we have plenty of ideas to help you practice your handwriting. The truth is that practice makes perfect. So, are you ready to start?

• Song Lyrics:

Just grab your playlist and choose a couple of your favorite songs from there. Do a quick Google search and find its lyrics and write it down in a piece of paper.

• Quotes:

Quotes can be extremely inspiring and we’re sure there are some that you simply love. So, why not practice your handwriting with your favorite quotes?

• School Handwriting Workbooks:

There is a wide variety of school handwriting workbooks available and the best part is that they are usually very affordable.

• Journaling:

You probably already heard about journaling. It simply relies on the fact that when you write down your thoughts, you can keep your ideas better organized in your head. So, you should consider journaling to practice your handwriting.

• To-Do Lists:

Everyone needs to-do lists or you end up forgetting all the things that you need to do. From the things that you need to do today to the items that you need to buy at the grocery store, things you want to do someday in the future, everything that you can remember can serve to practice your handwriting.

As you can see, there are many things you can do not only to ensure that you improve your handwriting as well as that you practice it every day. So, what are you waiting for? Just grab a piece of paper and a pen and get started.

While we live in a new era where you spend most of your time typing, it may be a good idea to get back to your origins.

Writing by hand is seen by many as a thing of the past. But is it really? The truth is that according to experts, you should through away your old notebooks yet. After all, writing by hand can deliver huge benefits, especially for your memory.

Improving Your Memory

When you are handwriting, you need to coordinate fine movement systems as well as verbal systems. In addition, when you are attending a class at school or in a meeting at work, you need to take notes. However, you don’t write everything you are listening, word by word. Instead, you write down the main concepts and summaries. The main reason why you do this when you are writing by hand is that you tend to be slower when you are writing by hand then when you are typing. Ultimately, when you are writing by hand, you are encoding the information that you are listening to which ends up making your memory richer.

Take a quick look at the best fountain pens.

Why Should You Write By Hand

The truth is that there are some colleges and universities encouraging students to take notes by hand instead of using their laptops. After all, this can help them not only having better grades but it can also help them in the longer-term since they are training their memory.

According to Jared Hovarth, from University of Melbourne’s Science of Learning Research Center, “Because you can’t possibly write everything [the lecturer is saying], you have to write in a style that allows you to get maximum information from minimum output.”

In case you want to add a bit of color to your handwritten notes, check out our fountain ink samples and ink cartridges.

How Your Memory Works

Since when you are writing by hand you won’t be able to write 100 words, you will only write 10. So, your memory will need to help you choose the ten key facts or words. This is the way your memory has to summarize the information. So, you will be processing the information that you are listening to at a deeper level. After all, you aren’t only listening to what is being said during the class or the meeting as you have identified the most important keys within it, and how it all links together.

On the other hand, when you are simply typing your notes, you will be able to write a lot faster. However, since your memory isn’t really processing the information or connecting to it, you won’t be so focused. So, later on, you will have to review what you have written more carefully. This will take you a lot longer to figure out all the connections and links.

Another aspect that helps you organize your ideas better when you are writing by hand is related to the fact that you don’t always go straight as when you are writing. When you are writing by hand you will need to go up and down, circling, and even drawing lines backward. And this is this kind of organization of the information that your mind does that helps you better interpret it.

While typing and using a computer is incredibly important for some tasks since it allows you to do a more efficient and faster job, you shouldn’t forget about the benefits of writing by hand.

The reality is that technology makes our work easier. After all, can you imagine still hanging around with all those paper files and folders at the office and updating them by hand? Computers, laptops, tablets, and even smartphones help us with our daily tasks both at work as well as with our personal lives.

One of the main impacts this had on us was related to handwriting. All of a sudden, it seems that we don’t need a paper and a pen anymore. After all, we can simply grab our smartphone or tablet and take all the notes we need. From setting up alerts to annotating what we need to buy at the grocery, a simple piece of paper and a pen seem to be things from the past. However, and besides the fact that technologies make our life easier, the reality is that we are losing a lot when we don’t handwrite.

According to many different studies, our brains actually benefit when we write our notes, journal entries, essays, or even letters, instead of typing them. One of the things that is constantly reminded in all of these studies is that handwriting allows you to connect with words and, at the same time, your brain will be able to focus on them, learn from them, and understand them better.

Here are the top 7 incredible benefits of handwriting:

#1: It Fully Engages Your Brain:

The truth is that no matter if you are handwriting or typing, you need to pay attention to what you are doing. Nevertheless, when you are handwriting, some parts of your brain are activated. And this doesn’t occur when you are simply typing.

#2: It Has A Calming Effect:

In case you are a nervous person or you are simply stressed out after a day at work, just grab a piece of paper and a pen and start writing what is going down on your soul.

One of the major benefits of handwriting is that this simple activity has a great calming effect. In fact, many people include handwriting in their night routine since it allows them to be away from the computer or television, and allows them to be completely focused on what they are writing.

#3: It Increases Your Learning Comprehension:

Another major benefit of handwriting is that it improves and increases your learning comprehension. This may be particularly important to students. After all, when students are at a class and they need to take notes, it’s far better to handwrite these notes than to type them.

Even though students may be faster typing than handwriting, they will be able to absorb more when they handwrite.

#4: It Unleashes Your Creativity:

One of the parts of your brain that are stimulated when you are handwriting but not when you are typing is the creativity area. So, if you are feeling that you are losing some of your creativity or you want to improve this skill, try handwriting. You will be surprised.

#5: It Slows Down Mental Age:

We all know that we are getting older every day. Even though this may not affect your daily tasks or activities, the reality is that aging usually affects your memory and ability remember things. So, if you want to continue with a sharp mind and without any memory problems, one of the best exercises that you can do is handwriting.

In addition, this isn’t only true for older people. The truth is that handwriting is also very helpful form young children and their development.

#6: It Enhances Focus:

One of the main benefits of handwriting is that it enhances your ability to focus. The truth is that no matter if you are at work, at home, or commuting, there is always something trying to grab your attention. Either it is a Facebook or Twitter notification or message, an email, a phone call, or an alert, there is always something to distract you. So, whenever you want to be completely focused, try handwriting.

#7: It Fights Dyslexia:

One of the main benefits of handwriting is that it can help fight dyslexia. If you or one of your loved ones suffer from this problem, handwriting can be a great activity to overcome it.

According to language specialists and teachers, handwriting taps into both sides of your brain.

With all these benefits of handwriting, you need to make sure that you have the right pen for you.

Here are the most popular types of pens that you can use:

• Fountain Pens: When handwriting is a pleasure for you, there is nothing like using a fountain pen.
• Ballpoint Pens: When you are looking for a pen that is always accessible, this is the right one for you. Check out the different ballpoint refills that you can use.
• Rollerball Pens: Offering a consistent ink flow and with multiple colors available, rollerball pens are the favorite type of pens for many people. Check out the different rollerball refills you can use.

So, which one do you prefer?