Printing kills your speed. Keyboarding kills your focus. And no one told you.
The top 1% doesn’t argue about tools. They choose what finishes faster. And cursive? It’s faster. Always has been.
You learned it in third grade. Then society told you it was obsolete. That was a mistake.
This post isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about efficiency. Life runs on cycles. What works never disappears…it waits.
The Story of Two Georges
Let me tell you about two guys, both named George.
The first is George Washington. Picture young George sitting at his desk doing homework. He dips his feather pen into an inkwell. It’s slow. It’s messy.
But George discovers something interesting. If he keeps the pen tip on the paper instead of lifting it after each letter, he finishes in half the time. Less mess. More speed. His friends notice George always finishes first and heads out to play. They ask how he does it. He teaches them.
That’s the magic of cursive writing. You don’t pick up and put down the pen with every letter. You reduce friction. Top performers always look for ways to reduce friction. It’s not preference. It’s physics.
Fast forward decades. The colonies need to declare their independence. They need a document. Thomas Jefferson gets the job. But he feels frustrated at how long it’ll take. George Washington introduces him to cursive. Jefferson finishes in a flash.
Confession TIme
All that stuff about George Washington inventing cursive…I made it all up. Washington didn’t invent cursive. But that cherry tree story isn’t exactly factual either.
Here’s what’s true: Cursive is much faster than printing. Yes, we use keyboards. But we still put pen to paper in our daily lives.
Real-World Speed Advantage
I used to proctor the ACT test multiple times a year. It’s that high-stakes test that partly decides your college future. One section is an essay. Students get 30 minutes to write it.
Out of 30 students, typically one would write in cursive. Everyone else printed.
Cursive means speed. Speed creates margin. Margin creates confidence.
Meet George Jetson
Now let’s talk about the other George…George Jetson.
George Jetson wants the feel of paper but the searchability of digital.
When you want digital text, you don’t need a keyboard. Here are four different ways to write with your favorite pen in a nice notebook and transform it into editable digital text:
How to Turn Handwriting into Text with Google Lens
How to Convert Handwriting to Editable Text (with ChatGPT)
Gboard: How To Quickly Turn Print Into Editable Text
Evernote Imagine & Voice To Text Transcription Is Here (And It’s Great)
Keyboarding is out. Write naturally. Convert instantly. Search with ease.
Voice Input Works Too
Voice input is also in. I wrote this post by speaking into my phone using Evernote. Then I cleaned it up on my computer.
You can do the same.
Here’s the key: you want accurate transcription from writing to digital text, right? The answer is legible cursive writing. Mine isn’t great, but the tools I’m sharing do a great job transcribing my average cursive with high accuracy. It has changed how I take notes.
You might feel the same way.
Think about it. When you’re on a phone call, what’s easier? Typing on a keyboard or writing on paper? In a one-on-one meeting, what’s more socially acceptable? Typing on your laptop or writing in a journal?
What Hasn’t Changed
Much has changed between the time of George Washington and George Jetson. But some things stay the same.
Look for what’s easy. Because what’s easy gets done.
Today, I’m giving you an easy way to take notes. I’m also giving you four easy ways to turn written text into digital text.
This is how the top 1% captures ideas and never loses them. Start where they start.
Leave a Comment