The Lost Art of Doodling in the Margins of Notebooks

There was a time when the margins of notebooks were prime real estate. Before screens stole our stares, before productivity apps tried to “optimize” every thought, there was… the doodle. That glorious, spontaneous scribble—part distraction, part diary, part decoding mechanism for surviving the eighth minute of a boring lecture. If you’ve ever turned the corner of a page into a sleepy eye, a flaming skull, or an oddly muscular stick figure with a mohawk (just me?), welcome. You are among the doodlers.

And yes—doodling in the margins was (and still is) an art.

From Medieval Margins to High School Desks

Let’s time-travel a bit. Doodling wasn’t invented by sleepy students in geometry class—it’s got some serious historical cred.

• In medieval times, monks copying manuscripts added weird little drawings—called marginalia—into the sides of holy texts. We’re talking rabbits jousting on snails and wide-eyed cats chasing invisible ghosts. They weren’t bored, just human. It was their way of connecting more deeply with the content and injecting some personality into their work.

• Renaissance scholars? They took things up a notch. When they weren’t redefining civilization, they were sketching out concepts—anatomy, architecture, perspective—all in the margins.

• Fast forward to the 19th and 20th centuries, and notebook margins became home to everything from pop icons to protest symbols. Your grandfather might’ve sketched a classic car or a pin-up girl beside his algebra homework. Your uncle probably perfected his band logo there. Doodling was cultural expression, plain and simple.

So… Why Did We Stop?

Spoiler: it wasn’t because we “grew out of it.”

A few villains enter stage left:

• Screen-first everything: Note-taking apps rarely have margins—just cold, sterile lines of text.

• Test-prep culture: Narrow-ruled notebooks crammed with data leave no breathing room for creative chaos.

• Stigma: Teachers (and bosses) often see doodling as a sign you're not paying attention. Meanwhile, you’re mentally organizing the entire meeting into a graphic novel.

• Social media perfectionism: When you know everything might be photographed and posted, suddenly those goofy margin monsters feel… vulnerable.

But the consequences of this doodle-decline are no joke:

• Creativity plateaus

• Personal cues disappear

• Idea retention drops

• Meetings feel longer than a ‘90s dial-up connection

But Wait… Doodling Was Good for Us?

You bet your graphite it was.

Research backs it up. A 2009 study by Jackie Andrade showed that people who doodled while listening to a list had 29% better recall. Twenty-nine percent! That’s like remembering where you left your keys and what you walked into the room for.

In 2016, fMRI scans found that doodling activated reward circuits in the brain, including the hippocampus—the part responsible for memory and emotion. It's not just fidgeting—it's cognitive reinforcement.

Doodling helps:

• Sustain attention during boring tasks

• Bridge our brain’s default-mode network (daydreaming, reflecting) and executive network (focus, planning)

• Trigger divergent thinking—that free-range kind of creativity where good ideas breed great ones

• Create a visuo-motor trace, which is just a fancy way of saying: when you draw it, you remember it

It’s no coincidence that the most innovative workplaces now encourage “sketch breaks” or even install “doodle walls.” Turns out, that mindless sketch of a robot playing guitar? Could’ve been the seed of your next big pitch.

The Modern Doodle Renaissance

Doodling isn’t dead—it’s just evolving.

• Bullet journaling and sketchnoting have brought structure to scribble culture

• Stylus tablets and infinite whiteboards let digital artists channel the same energy

• Offices install “brainstorm mats” and “visual thinking walls”

• Some schools are even building doodle time into their wellness curriculum (because it’s meditative, too)

And if you’ve ever tried to explain a new idea to a friend using only words and failed miserably—then drew a goofy little diagram that instantly clicked—you know the power of a quick sketch.

Also, let’s face it: nothing looks cooler than an old notebook crammed with cryptic little drawings and symbols, like the personal journal of an eccentric genius—or a time traveler with trust issues.

Not Just Art. It’s an Identity.

Your margin doodles are like fingerprints. They’re personal. They’re raw. They reflect what your brain is doing when it’s not being told what to do. That’s the magic.

Remember those weird symbols you used to draw in high school that looked like graffiti but were probably just alien hieroglyphs from your future self? Yeah, those mattered. They meant you were alive in that moment. Engaged. Processing. Creating. You were in flow.

Just like how a solid denim jacket from Newretro.Net can tell the world you're into timeless cool with a hint of rebellion (without saying a word), a margin doodle says, “I’ve got something cooking up here.” It’s an attitude. And attitude, my friend, never goes out of style.

P.S. Speaking of style, if you're the kind of person who appreciates the analog charm of doodling, you're probably also the kind of guy who gets why a VHS-style sneaker or vintage leather jacket still hits hard. Retro isn’t just a look—it’s a mindset. That’s kind of our whole thing at Newretro.Net. Just saying.

So now that we've wandered through the historical wonderland of doodles and established their deep, brain-boosting power, it’s time we ask the obvious question:

Can we bring doodling back—and should we?

Spoiler: Yes. Yes we can. And yes we definitely should.

Making Space for Spontaneity (Literally)

One of the biggest culprits in doodling’s downfall? The modern notebook. Ever noticed how margins have gotten narrower and narrower? It’s like page designers conspired to say, “Nope, no room for creativity here—only facts, figures, and standardized test prep.”

What we need are wide margins again. Give the brain a little buffer zone. Let the pen roam free. Print companies, if you’re reading this—bring back those beautiful, blank borders! Students and professionals alike are starving for space to be messy, weird, expressive, and human.

And here's a life hack: If your notebook won't give you margins, just draw your own. A Sharpie ruler line down the side, and boom—welcome back to the doodle zone.

How to Reclaim Doodling in Your Daily Life

You don’t need to be an artist. Heck, you don’t even need to be awake, fully. You just need a pen, a bit of space, and permission. Let’s break it down into simple strategies:

• Start meetings with 2 minutes of free sketch time. Not “What did you have for lunch?” small talk—just scribble whatever’s in your head. A lopsided dinosaur? Excellent.

• Incorporate icon sets into note-taking. Instead of writing “growth” five times, sketch a little sprout. It’s faster, and you'll actually remember it.

• Use doodling as a break tool: Tired brain? Don't doom-scroll. Grab a sticky note and draw a superhero version of your boss. (Maybe keep that one hidden.)

• Try “concept mining.” Flip through old notebooks and look at your doodles. You’ll be shocked how many ideas are buried in those scribbles.

One underrated tip? Archive your doodles. Yes, like a real artist. Snap pics or scan them. There are even apps that can turn your hand-drawn symbols into searchable digital tags. Welcome to the hybrid future, where analog charm meets AI-powered creativity.

Doodling as Therapy

In a world constantly shouting for your attention, doodling is whispering, “Hey, slow down.”

It’s meditative. It’s grounding. It lets your brain float, but not drift. That’s why some therapists are now incorporating “therapeutic doodling” into stress management sessions and wellbeing programs.

The action of drawing repetitive shapes—like spirals, waves, or grids—actually reduces cortisol levels. It’s like a fidget spinner with a PhD. When your mind is racing, a pen can become a brake pedal.

And guess what? You don’t have to post it online. No filters. No captions. Just lines on paper that belong to you. It's kind of rebellious, in a quiet way.

From Doodles to Big Ideas

Some of the biggest innovations in history started as napkin scribbles. The first Apple iPod? Sketched. The original Star Wars logo? A doodle. Probably in the margin of some poor intern's notebook.

Doodling isn’t just decoration—it’s a gateway to ideation.

• You sketch a spaceship.

• That leads to thoughts about space travel.

• That spirals into a new marketing pitch about “launching” a product.

• Suddenly you’ve got a campaign called “Retro Rockets” and a denim jacket line to match.

Okay, maybe that last bit’s just us at Newretro.Net doing our thing. But you get the point.

That little spark of visual play can ignite a creative fire.

And if you're the type to sketch wild ideas while sipping coffee, chances are you'd vibe with our whole aesthetic—retro but recharged. Just like doodling.

The Future: AI Meets Analog?

Now, let’s go full sci-fi for a second.

Imagine a notebook that scans your doodles in real time and connects themes across time. “Hey, you keep sketching spirals during product meetings. Maybe you’re circling around an unresolved idea.” Or “This motif shows up every time you brainstorm—want to turn it into a logo?”

That’s not a fantasy. With paper-to-cloud tools and motif analytics powered by AI, it’s coming. Soon your messy scribbles might be your brain’s new search engine. Creativity won’t be linear anymore—it’ll be spatial, visual, intuitive.

But even as tech enhances doodling, the soul of it stays the same: a raw, analog connection between brain and hand. A place where ideas don’t have to be clean or finished or optimized. Just alive.

So… Should You Start Doodling Again?

Only if you:

• Want to think better

• Remember more

• Pay attention longer

• Unlock creativity

• Reduce stress

• And enjoy meetings without chewing your pen in frustration

Yeah. You absolutely should.

And next time someone sees your notebook filled with creatures, stars, patterns, or wild little arrows and says, “You’re doodling again?”—you can proudly answer:

“Heck yeah. I’m sparking my neurons.”

Just like you don’t need to dress like everyone else, you don’t need to think like everyone else, either. It’s okay to go analog. To slow down. To draw outside the lines—literally.

In fact, it’s more than okay.

It’s retro.

And around here at Newretro.Net, we believe retro isn’t just a style—it’s a revolution.

Now go grab a pen. The margins are waiting.