# I start the morning with pen and paper

Published: 2026-08-12T00:00:00.000Z
Canonical: https://wow.pjh.is/journal/i-start-my-mornings-with-pen-and-paper

I'm back to starting my mornings on pen and paper. Minimum 15 minutes, with the option to extend.

I did this for a while in the spring, then lost the habit. I need it back. It is *so good* to have it back.

Why? Digital environments have always been hostile to deep thought—they're so distracting, even if you lock them down a bunch. My [centaur workflow](https://wow.pjh.is/journal/what-my-morning-looks-like) makes this far worse again. The nuclear option is justified.

The setup:

* Pen and paper.
* Café.
* Laptop and phone in bag.
* Thinking happens on paper.
* Task capture also happens on paper.
* Take a photo.
* A `/paper-to-tokens` skill reads the photo, saves notes to the relevant projects, and routes tasks to my inbox.

I often voice-note-to-think, while walking. It's good stuff, but sometimes you need to see your chain of thought to generate a great next token.