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Doin' it on paper
ozhuner | May 23 2006
This one goes out to all of you who are keeping it together on paper, hipster, index cards or whatever. My question relates to living in a digital world while using pen and paper to track your tasks and projects. I'd like to know what your experience is like, given that so much of our information comes to us via email or the web. So much of the information related to (my) tasks comes in email, for example. Do you re-write information on your cards or in your pen and paper system, that originated in email? Do you find this a good thing mentally or a pain? If you do use paper and pen to manage your tasks, then do you also use an electronic system? Do you print out electronic stuff and add to it with pen and then enter hand-written tasks? Basically, I'm interested in knowing how people who work with paper and pen deal with their information that arrives electronically. Thanks in advance for your insights! 12 Comments
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 One system to rule them all...Submitted by krackeman on May 25, 2006 - 11:45am.
Oz - re: one or two systems I have found that when it comes to an analog or digital solution, it pays to use the same mental process I use when filing: Where would I look for this? I do have some lists digitally - "URLs to visit" being the best example I could think of. Writing down a long URL off of your computer screen to paper only to type the whole thing in again later would obviously be insane. If I was looking in someone else's system for URLs, I'd check their computer first. Therefore, that stuff is kept digitally in my system. (Sidebar: combination of toread.cc - for stuff I just want to check out later) I have to be honest - my inner geek HATES this approach. There are so many useful apps for some things. Computers can sort and filter and cross reference and ... and ... in some ways, I am ashamed that my "Books to read list" is in my notebook. (I mean, amazon.com has a WISHLIST), but when it comes down to it, for me, I associate books with paper and despite my best efforts, I will not maintain or use that list if it is digital. As for the question of seperate systems for home and work.... My $.02 - you need hard, like diamond hard, edges on those two spheres of life. I used to just have One Big List and it nearly wiped me out, because at work I would stare at and think about and do Personal stuff and vice versa. I am NOT saying that these systems should be isolated from one another ... if you are at work the whole time your dentist is open for business, you need to make that personal call from work. BUT I needed a system where I could shut away some of my contexts if I needed. For example, my weekends are always a blur of work and personal stuff (I work at a church) and when I do get a weekend off, I need to be able to put work lists away and not worry. On the flip side, I have days at work where I am using personal lists to procrastinate. It helps to be able to put those lists away and just be faced with work-related tasks. Personally, I use a notebook and post-it 3x5s to keep my entire system in one place, work and personal, but have the ability to put the NA lists (the 3x5s) that are not relevant out of sight. I like to keep my "synch points" to a minimum ... and coordinating a family calendar with 2 work calendars (me & my wife) is enough ... Well, another novella from me ... Sure hope this helps. Bill K » POSTED IN:
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