I agree. I still design my algorithms and software architecture on paper, and keep "lab notebooks" for serious projects.

I find it's beneficial for my memory, concentration and general brain fitness. Also, as a result, I write less code. What I write lands closer to optimal for the case at hand, so I debug and tune less.

All in all I enjoy designing software more and write better software at the end . Win-win.

Plus, fountain pens are nice.