My problem with paper is that I can't keep up with paper. I will lose it several times a day, and inevitably, I will lose it permanently after a year or two. I need the sync and findability that an app on a device affords.
If an item has been on your TODO list for years, it's most likely not worth doing anyway.
Might as well lose the paper upon which the item is written.
This is me.
Skill issue notwithstanding.
You can manage long-term lists without losing items to the abyss by using prioritization techniques.
I personally don't need a reminder to go off for a thing I need to do today or tomorrow, but something happening next week or next month that I need to check up on or arrange. Those tend to be the kind of expensive and really annoying thing to fix after neglecting
I think their point was specific to to-do lists which usually aren't around for that long and in my experience rarely need to be searched.
And sure, if you feel like you forget or cannot distinguish between important things for any reason then a different method is fine too.