I recently had the realization that I write a lot. Of course, given the recent lack of substantive posting on this blog, one might guess that I haven’t been writing at my computer.
Actually, I’ve spent the last few years at work filling engineering notebooks (and occasionally writing code, too). I’ve kept notes on every bug and piece of code I’ve touched in that time, which now amounts to three complete notebooks dating back to 2001, and almost half of a fourth one. My engineering notebooks are all Roaring Spring marble cover quad-ruled notebooks purchased from Cal Poly’s bookstore.
Recently, writing in my engineering notebook began hurting my hand. I attributed the pain to two major factors:
- gripping the pen/pencil too tightly;
- my blocky, ALL-CAPS handwriting.
To address the first point, I consciously began holding my writing instrument more loosely. I have found that larger pens make this easier. Now, whenever I notice that I’m holding my pen or pencil tightly, I take a second to loosen my grip.
The second point was more challenging. I decided to completely change my handwriting from blocky all-caps to a smoother, mixed-case style. This page on handwriting tips was my inspiration. My handwriting has become more fluid, with loops where there once were sharp corners. I’m also beginning to join certain characters together, though I still consider my handwriting to be printing rather than cursive. It took a couple of weeks of intense practice, but the end result is much easier to write without stressing my hand. There was also an unexpected benefit: my handwriting is now much easier to read!
Tags: handwriting, work