Typewriter
A manual or electric typewriter for drafting, with nothing else on the machine
One machine, one job. No cursor to jump backwards with, no tabs, no notifications, and the page comes out physical. Writers who keep one tend to use it for first drafts and rough thinking, then retype into a computer, which doubles as a revision pass. Mid-century portables such as the Smith-Corona Galaxie are the common choice, built in huge numbers and still repairable. A secondhand machine costs less than a phone. Servicing is the ongoing expense, and the hard part is finding someone who still does it.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Austin KleonDoes it
Writer and artist · Steal Like an Artist
A 1960s Smith-Corona Galaxie sits among the analog tools he lists in the studio. He introduces the whole list as things he uses rather than endorsements, most of it picked because it worked and he stuck with it.
Source: AustinKleon.com: Studio gear
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under focus or productivity.
- Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it
- Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Standing desk
A desk that raises, so part of the working day happens on your feet
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 recommends it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it
- Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Paper notebook
A bound notebook for thinking on paper away from a screen
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Phone lockbox
A lockable box with a timer that puts the phone out of reach for a set period
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it
Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.