# Following your own advice **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 28, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253 "2017-03-28T23:09:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253/1 "2017-03-28T23:09:03Z")
After decades of having atrocious handwriting, I decided that I ought, at this late date, to make a stab at improving it. So I’ve been looking at the internet for “improving handwriting” - there’s a TON of stuff out there! However, I have noticed an interesting phenomena. All the advice in these sites state early on that one should not use just the fingers in writing, but instead use movements in your shoulder and arm to form the letters. (Just like your 5th grade writing teacher always said when trying to teach the Palmer Method.) These sites are very insistent about this. Then they always show videos of examples of people writing, and here’s what I’ve noticed. In one hundred percent of these examples, you cannot detect one tiny bit of motion in the arms and shoulders of the demonstrators. All of the writing is being done with finger movement alone. A classic example of “Don’t do as I do, do as I say”. Well, the title of this message board says it’s “mundane and pointless”, doesn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253/2 "2017-03-28T23:54:50Z")
Maybe they’re referring to writing on a chalkboard. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253/3 "2017-03-29T00:30:53Z")
I’ve heard that described in the “Palmer method”. It’s supposed to ease fatigue when writing for long periods of time, iirc. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253/4 "2017-03-29T02:42:22Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > …an interesting phenomena. Phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2017, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253/5 "2017-03-29T04:31:07Z")
I’ve discovered,at a very late age, that the only way I can make my signature look similar each time is to not rest my hand on the paper, but to write with my shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253/6 "2017-03-30T05:27:22Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > A classic example of “Don’t do as I do, do as I say”. I prefer, \*“Smart enough to know better, but stupid enough to do it anyway”. - ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2017, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/following-your-own-advice/783253/7 "2017-03-30T06:17:36Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Phenomenon. That too.