Keep writing by hand - e.g. thank you letters - as hand-writing can improve thinking skills. In one trial, students who took notes on their laptops understood less about their subjects than those who jotted things down. The act of writing seems to make us think harder and remember more.
Recent research also shows we are less likely to (literally) lose the plot when reading a real book rather than the same text on an e-reader. This might be because we use mapping skills to read and remember, which is easier when we turn a real page. That gives us more brain space to concentrate on the meaning, so improving comprehension.
Good Housekeeping, January 2015
