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Hipster PDA: Why?
fade | Aug 14 2006
What is the advantage of the hPDA? I've looked through a great deal of sites that concern themselves with the hipster or variants thereof. Most of them deal with the construction of the hipster, and the physical advantages it offers. So what's the advantage of the hipster otherwise? I understand what to use it for, I just don't see a huge advantage over the cheaper prebound option of a memo book. You know, those tiny little spiral notebooks that cost a few cents? They fit in a front pocket better, and are already ruled vertically. They have a hole punched already, so if need be, any tear-outs can be consolidated. They can't be re-organized, but if that's the only advantage the hPDA offers over the memo book, is it really worth it? You pay the price in the danger of losing all your cards when you remove the clip. One bump on the train, and it's 52 pick-up time. I'm not trying to nay-say the hPDA, I truly want to know. 13 Comments
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 Why the hipster? Let me...Submitted by mdl on August 17, 2006 - 12:54pm.
Why the hipster? Let me count the ways: 1) I like the ease of writing stuff down. On one side of my binder-clip style hipster is always a blank card. (The inbox is in the middle; my action stuff is on the other side.) Writing something down is as easy as whipping out the hipster. No opening or closing required (as is the case with the Moleskine). 2) Loose 3 x 5's force me to process stuff. When I used a notebook I would write stuff down and then conveniently neglect it. Now I make it a goal to process all my new 3 x 5's by the end of the day. 3) Easy to incubate and reorganize stuff. If I have an idea that I don't have to act on right away but want to save, I can put it in my handy 3 x 5 incubate file (which contains books to read, movies to watch, brilliant or not-so-brilliant ideas to mull over, etc.). 4) I finally understand why all our grade school teachers wanted us to take notes for research projects on 3 x 5's. Now I approach all my thinking/research/writing at the atomic level appropriate to index cards. I can lay out, shuffle, reconsider, reorganize, visualize, etc. Nothing short of revolutionary... 5) I never hesitate to write stuff down for fear of "permanence." I generate ideas quickly on index cards, then (if necessary) flesh them out or fix them permanently in my Moleskine. This division of tasks has helped to clarify my thinking process. 6) Makes context and project lists very simple to manage. 7) My laptop just broke. Since I don't have the money to fix it right now, I'm relieved to have a paper system as versatile (and more portable and reliable) than most digital organizers. 8) Why would I settle for anything less than the Swiss Army Knife of personal organizers? 9) Fresh and new every week. Can be perpetually replenished. » POSTED IN:
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