With the rollout of Atomic Object’s agentic delivery model, keeping my thoughts straight has been more challenging than before. Though agentic delivery noticeably speeds up the implementation process, it also increases context-switching for team leads and product folks. It feels more pressing to keep my memory and thought processes in good order.
Something that helps me with this is the decidedly non-agentic process of handwriting notes.
I’ve been obsessed with stationery since I was first learning to write. In childhood, my parents’ constant refrain to me (having used up all my allowance) was to ask, “Stationery store again?” As a Pre-Med student in college, I eased the stress of many hours of studying by using nice paper and rewriting my notes into a useful, digestible format. Even though my classmates would speed past me with their laptop notetaking, writing notes by hand helped me feel as though I was cleaning the inside of my brain, the concepts neatly rearranging themselves into a cohesive layout. The satisfaction at the end: akin to a fresh, clean house.
Later, I would find out that “clean brain” feeling had a scientific backing; learning by handwriting notes, compared to typing notes, performs better in information recall and understanding. Bolstered by science, I carried the handwriting habit to grad school, and as I transitioned to full-time work. At work, writing notes by hand has additional benefits — I find that the tactile experience of writing helps me stay focused in long meetings, fighting off the temptation to browse alternate tabs.
In that spirit, here’s my in-office analog setup, and how I use each item. See the bottom of the article for my favorite small business stationery shops, both in Chicago and online.
My analog setup
Mnemosyne notebook
A5, lined, spiral-bound
- Fountain-pen friendly paper, work-friendly design for when you need to show a client that you’re a SERIOUS person, spiral for easily tracking your place.
- How I use it: taking meeting notes, personal action items from meetings.
- Fun fact: Mnemosyne is the Greek goddess of memory; one of the Muses. Vladimir Nabokov’s memoir Speak, Memory was originally named Speak, Mnemosyne, but the publisher forced him to change it because it wasn’t catchy enough.
Lamy Safari fountain pen
Steel Black, EF (extra-fine) nib. Currently filled with Pilot black ink
- My go-to pen. It’s black. It’s metal. It’s sleek. The metallic material gives it a nice weight, without adding to the daily abuse of my hands. Forces you to write “properly,” which works for me to have better handwriting and less stress for my wrists. Very smooth on the Mnemosyne paper!
- My obsession of the last ten years have been fountain pens; first encountered from an exam proctor’s decidedly non-ballpoint-pen signature, I’ve been relying on fountain pens’ smooth, frictionless writing to stave off my ever-present threat of carpal tunnel.
- How I use it: my daily “driver”!
Pilot Lightive fountain pen
Black, medium nib. Currently housing Iroshizuku Shin-kai ink
- A featherweight fountain pen from the stationery giant Pilot; also smooth; it’s so light that it’s a pleasure to write with!
- How I use it: When I need to have zero stress on my hands. Or if the Lamy is out of ink. Whoops!
Post-its
Square, any color I can find in the office
- The classic.
- How I use it: put one to-do item per note; crunch it and recycle when done! This process is stolen from Sarah Brockett, Chciago’s Delivery Practice Lead.
Cansay Nu Board Whiteboard Notebook
Square, Wisteria
- A whiteboarding notebook with a clear divider between each page to prevent smudging.
- How I use it: Not used very often, but when I need to diagram something out and only a whiteboard will do!
Compact desk calendar
Hightide 2026 standing desk calendar, A5 size
- Somehow I feel like dates don’t exist if I don’t have a physical calendar in the room. I have one in the kitchen, my home office, and the bathroom (?!). And of course, my work desk must have one so that I can exist within this time-space continuum. Thanks, calendar!
- How I use it: knowing…. the date…. (also keeping track of my in-office days)
Rhodia Note pad, 2.9″ x 8.3″, lined
- You know those days when you just can’t stop being distracted in a meeting? You keep thinking about dinner, things you want to buy, random hobbies you want to try… this little notebook fits right next to your laptop and is a good landing pad for those thoughts so you won’t lose it but you can use your brain space for actually listening to the meeting. Reminds me of moms on long phone calls, endlessly doodling on scrap paper.
- How I use it: dump everything in my brain; think about them later.
A note on my analog process
I want to point out that I only use analog methods for things that only I need to see – my own work notes, my to-dos. The benefits of analog gets weighed out by inconvenience FAST when your whole team has to look at those notes. For notes that are for team consumption, I definitely use good ol’ typing for accurate and fast information capture.
Though not perfect for everything, my analog process has been a bedrock for my daily life, in and outside work. It’s fantastically immune to the squishy, ever-changing nature of digital text, especially when AI is given permission to change JIRA tickets or Confluence pages. I’m looking forward to seeing it evolve and refining the process for Atomic Object-specific contexts.
What part of my process spoke to you? Where would you go analog in your own process?
Happy writing!
Yeesoo
P.S. See below for my stationery store recommendations!
Stationery store recommendations
Chicago local stationery stores
Atlas Stationers
Atlas Stationers– A longstanding shop in the loop; big, spacious store with a wide selection and a fountain pen “bar” where you can test out many luxury fountain pens (like Macy’s perfume counter, but pens!). Great place to try out many different papers / pens and see what resonates. Many big brands!
Paper and Pencil
Paper and Pencil – independent queer-owned stationery shop in Andersonville; they got so popular in the last two years that they went to a bigger storefront; easier and better! More scrapbooking materials, if you’re into that. More of a boutique vibe with curated, smaller brands on top of a solid base of well-known stationery brands.
Online stationery stores
Jetpens
Jetpens.com the OG. warehouse-style; they have everything!
Yoseka Stationery
Yoseka Stationery – based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY, this store owned by a Taiwanese-American couple inspired a new generation of stationery stores with its iconic pen-testing bar down the center of its store. Many small stationery stores took inspiration from them! A huge selection and many collaborations with big brands, and custom “Yoseka-brand” variants that are amazing. They have an incredible youtube channel that’s both informative and fun. Incredible to visit in person.
Niconeco
Niconeco – another New York City shop. The cutest, coolest cat-themed stationery, with a second emphasis on beautiful and functional handmade items.
Happy stationery-ing!