Whiteboard walls are a sure-fire antidote for the mental and physical exhaustion caused by the regular use of devices like computer screens, smartphones, smart boards, and tablets. This condition, known as digital fatigue, is increasingly common in today’s high-tech workplaces and academic environments.

The blog post to follow addresses the question of why we get exhausted from exposure to digital media, and how whiteboard paint can offer a way to alleviate our exhaustion and gain greater mental resilience. It’s addressed to HR directors, facility managers, school administrators, and anyone else who’s feeling physically and mentally stressed by the constant use of digital technology and is looking for an alternative.

The year 2025-2026 is being characterized by exhaustion in the workplace, in academic settings, and in many other environments. The employment website Glassdoor chose “Fatigue” as its 2025 Word of the Year, noting a 41% upsurge in mentions of the term within its community. Fatigue is not just a trendy word; it reflects a deep level of burnout among members of today’s workforce and academic community who make regular use of digital media. Studies show nearly 80% of professionals report that news and work events are draining their energy. And much of this effect is due to the prevalence of digital devices.

In the American Psychological Association Dictionary of Psychology, “cognitive load” is defined as “the relative demand imposed by a particular task, in terms of mental resources required.” For today’s workers and students, this demand stems mainly from prolonged use of electronic equipment throughout the day.

Excessive cognitive load can impair a person’s working memory by reducing the brain’s recall function. Looking for long stretches at the screens on digital devices imposes a great cognitive load, resulting in the above-mentioned digital fatigue. This practice depletes both our capacity to remember information and our mental stamina. In 2025-2026, digital fatigue, the physical and psychological exhaustion caused by long-term exposure to screens, is impacting 69% of the global workforce.

A major cure for digital fatigue is the process of writing by hand on whiteboard walls, which offers cognitive relief and allows us to work healthier, both mentally and physically. The whiteboard painted wall is a valuable tool for disconnecting from digital media and connecting with our inner selves, thus fulfilling the wish to escape the nonstop digitalization of work.

Yes, research shows that when writing by hand, people have 47% longer focus duration, 52% more creative ideas, and 73% better recall of information. These results occur because the neural pathways related to the brain’s learning and memory functions are activated by the physical act of handwriting.

Thus, a writable wall becomes a so-called “cognitive canopy,” a safe area for the neurons of the brain to increase their connections and for the mind to come up with new ideas and images. In the current age of complicated AI systems, the simplicity of the analog writable wall is its greatest asset — a low-tech solution for the problem of high-tech complexity.

For example, today, a usability crisis is going on with respect to smart boards. These highly intricate devices often sit idle because office team members and educators find them intimidating, or they simply believe using smart boards involves too much effort for a quick brainstorming session or classroom lesson. Smart boards thus suffer from “feature bloat.” They include too many features and functions, and so can’t easily fulfill their core purpose.

In contrast, a whiteboard wall requires zero boot-up time, zero software updates, and zero learning curve. It’s an “always-on” operating system that can generate an infinite number of ideas and images and can be readily adapted to today’s latest interior design trends.

A major weakness of most whiteboard paint brands is the so-called “sterile white” issue. Many whiteboard coatings and conventional perceptions limit their products to the creation of white walls. However, the design trends of 2026 are shifting aggressively away from white.

Interior design forecasts for 2026 emphasize depth, warmth, and personality. Gray and beige are fading out, and being replaced by colors such as “warm stone,” “deep plum,” “smoky jade,” and “terracotta.” One major paint manufacturer’s 2026 color of the year, “Hidden Gem,” is a variety of smoky jade, and another company’s 2026 palette includes colors such as “Sherwood Tan” and “Raindance,” a light green shade with gray undertones.

This change in aesthetics poses a huge problem for conventional whiteboards, which stick out like glaring interruptions in today’s thoughtfully designed and curated spaces. However, it creates a great opportunity for applying the clear version of Remarkable Whiteboard Paint. With its transparent quality, clear ReMARKable can be viewed not as a type of paint but as a “protective cognitive layer” that may be applied over any of these trending colors.

Yes, using ReMARKable’s high-grade clear coating, you can paint over the stylish 2026 shades such as Terracotta and Jade Dragon, or any other light-toned paint. However you’ll need to think about the “contrast ratio” or the difference in brightness between the color of your painted wall and that of the dry erase markers you’ll be using for writing and drawing. A high contrast ratio improves the clarity and vibrancy of your dry erase markings. Thus, it’s best to use dark colored markers such as black or blue on your light colored wall.

Besides aesthetics, another important factor to consider when planning to install a writable wall in your space is economics. For example, you can contrast the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the two options. This includes the purchase price of each alternative, plus their operating costs over their life spans.

The Comparison Table below shows the differences between a $2.50/sq ft whiteboard paint application and a $5,000 smart board hardware installation.

Comparison Factor	Remarkable Whiteboard Paint	Smart Board (75″ Interactive)
Initial Cost	~$350 (100 sq ft kit)	$3,000 – $8,000+ (Hardware)
Installation	DIY / Paint Roller	Professional Mounting & Wiring ($$$)
Operational Cost	$0 (Passive Surface)	$600/yr (Software) + Electricity
Lifespan	10+ Years (Warranty Backed)	3-5 Years (Obsolescence)
Cognitive Impact	Low Load (Zero Blue Light)	High Load (Blue Light + Flicker)
Eco Footprint	Low VOC / Zero E-Waste	High (E-Waste & Energy Usage)

Based on these comparisons, ReMARKable Whiteboard Paint comes out on top with regard to cost efficiency, ease of installation, long-term durability, cognitive impact, and environmental friendliness.

Should you decide to install ReMARKable Whiteboard Paint in your office or classroom, a key concern is how to prevent ghosting on your finished writable wall.

The number one complaint in Reddit threads about whiteboard walls concerns ghosting. When the ink from dry erase markers bleeds into the whiteboard painted surface and leaves behind marks or stains even after the ink is wiped off, it’s called ghosting.

Whether or not ghosting occurs on a writable wall is related to the density of the whiteboard paint used to make it after the paint is applied and cures. The fact that Remarkable Whiteboard Paint has a brief 48-hour curing time reflects its tighter polymer matrix compared to those of seven-day-cure whiteboard paints. ReMARKable consists of a high-quality water-based aliphatic polyurethane formula that creates a tight chemical matrix and is highly resistant to ultraviolet radiation, yellowing, cracking, peeling, and ghosting.