Exploring Digital Systems and the Benefits of Notability

Today, I want to delve into digital systems that mimic the experience of writing on paper.  From a creativity standpoint, my personal favorite is Notability on the iPad. There's also a popular alternative called GoodNotes. As of now, there may even be newer versions available. These apps allow you to take advantage of the Apple Pencil in conjunction with a paper-like screen protector placed over your iPad.

To maximize your journaling experience, it's preferable to use an iPad Pro since its size closely resembles that of an actual sheet of paper. When you write on the screen with this setup and print out the pages later, they will be approximately 95-99% similar in size to what you actually wrote.

If portability is important to you, though, opting for a smaller-sized iPad Air might be more suitable. The trade off is that it makes writing slightly larger when printed because you tend to write normal size but on a smaller paper.  The application "scales" the sheet to regular paper dimensions (around 10-15% smaller).  Still, Notability on an iPad Air remains highly functional.

The benefits offered by digital systems like Notability are truly extraordinary! Aside from being able to draw and write effortlessly using various brushes and pens digitally replicated within these apps themselves—some even providing handwriting-to-text conversion—you'll find other remarkable features at your disposal.

For instance, smart algorithms can detect when you hold down your pen stroke so that wobbly lines transform into beautifully straight or rough circles become perfectly symmetrical ones —an unlikely feat achievable only through technology!

Moreover, unlike traditional notebooks where interleaving ideas becomes inevitable as meetings unfold throughout the day—marketing project notes blending with operations issues or finance discussions—digital platforms eliminate this problem entirely.

With notability, you can create separate notebooks for different topics effortlessly. Every notebook becomes a self-contained entity where you can add pages infinitely. Consequently, your handwritten notes remain organized and easily accessible according to the subject matter.  This kind of organization lends itself perfectly to a personal knowledge management system.

The icing on the cake is that using a paper-like screen protector provides an authentic tactile experience akin to writing on actual paper—a truly satisfying sensation! Additionally, these digital platforms offer an infinite variety of pens and inks at your fingertips. I once even sampled my own fountain pen inks by capturing color swatches with the iPad's camera and use them within Notability—I was able to select pen colors like  Kon-Peki sky blue, or Forest Green from Mont Blanc!

Another advantage worth noting is that these note-taking apps sync across all your Apple devices—your iPhone, MacBook—but not Windows machines.  This miss from windows is what lead me to the Remarkable eInk tablet.  My Remarkable tablet has taken over the top spot as number one digital note-taking device I personally use.  Why?  Battery life and portability - it syncs to everything.

In conclusion, exploring digital note systems on a tablet like the iPad opens up interesting possibilities for creative journaling. Digital tools such as Notability provide convenience while maintaining the essence of traditional pen-to-paper experiences through their features and functionalities.  To me there is no doubt the Apple Pencil is a key part of this experience.  The fidelity is tremendous.

Perhaps digital journaling is for you?  I know a number of friends who have made the shift and love it.  Why wait? Embrace technology-enhanced journaling might fit your busy lifestyle.

Managers produce results; leaders cultivate better thinking, which leads to better results.