I recently had a party at my house, friends I’ve gathered over the last 20 years, and everyone was drawn to my vintage typewriter collection.
I couldn’t believe how many people had never had the chance to type on one, never loaded the paper, never realized how many brands and styles there were. Just like our laptops and tablets of today, journalists and writers were donning their portable typewriters for writing on location.
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In an era of technology obsession, it was really fun to take people back to the past. Typewriters for me are iconic. They feel like a lost treasure. I write every single day. But I write on my typewriters.
There’s nothing like the feeling of the keys underneath you, the clicking sound as you type, the bell signaling it’s time to hit return. There is something magical to me watching my words appear on scrolling paper and owning a physical product at the end of it all, no cords required.
Zero distractions, too. No emails popping up. No Slack messages. No internet doom scrolling.
While everyone encourages more technology, I propose, a little less:
For your next content project or even in your next meeting, try using a pen and paper (if you don’t have a typewriter handy, lol).
There’s science behind the power in writing things down. Yes, I use my task management system. Yes, I use my summaries. But my notes give me something that those can’t: personality.
Did I star something? Underline it? Circle it? Draw an arrow to something else. Think about an idea in the moment and write it down?
An AI summary provides the info, but not always the insight.
For your next meeting, how about an actual phone call?
Not a Zoom where screens are distracting everyone and the energy feels awkward. A good old fashioned phone call.
I miss those. As a teenager (granted, I am an elder Millenial) the phone call was sacred. Having to call your crush’s house built character. Sitting on the phone with your friends built trust. It does the same in business. There are people behind brands. There are humans behind taglines and products.
A text or an email provides the message, but not always the meaning or the memory.
Slow down and enjoy every moment.
The AI tools will still be there tomorrow.
The computer will reboot when you need it.
The Zoom link isn't going away.
But what we can and will lose if we don’t fight to keep it, is connection and authenticity.
A little less tech, a little more story, a little more conversation.
Sometimes a blast from the past is a good reminder of how to plan for the future.
