7 Reasons To Ditch Your PDA And Switch To Pen And Paper

May 7th 2008

On Monday when I discussed how you can simplify the actual practise of Getting Things Done, rather than focusing on a GTD lite approach that misses the point, one suggestion was to stop messing around looking for the latest clever program and hi tech solution. Instead pick up a pen and paper and get on with it! If you need any more persuasion here are my top seven suggestions.

It’s simple
What’s more simple than a basic biro pen and notepad from your local stationary store? A pencil perhaps? Really, this should be a no brainer.
It’s portable
Ok, sure. Maybe a iPhone, Blackberry and even a laptop is portable. You can travel from city to city with them fairly easily. But they simply don’t match up to paper solutions, which come in all sizes and can be folded, bent and even ripped up as required.
It’s cheap
No hi tech solution comes close in price. The gulf is so wide that you could even buy a good quality pen and a Moleskine and still have change spare for an holiday to Spain… maybe. Another plus is you won’t have to upgrade your notepad every other year to keep up with your techie friends.
It’s easy to use
I really don’t think you need to flick through a big, bulky manual before you can start putting pen to paper (well, I certainly hope not). Think of all the time you waste simply trying to research how to add an event to your electronic calendar. You could do it in seconds on a paper based one.
It’s quick
Assuming you’ve actually figured out how to use your PDA, you still have to move through a bunch of menus before you can add a simple note to your shopping list saying you need bananas. And that’s assuming you can type efficiently on the miniature keyboard.
Less chance of failure
Where do I begin? Imagine dropping that expensive laptop on the floor or have the battery of your fancy gizmo run out at a critical moment. Perhaps it crashes before you have chance to save anything. Or maybe it’s just so sunny there is too much glare on the screen. Compare all that to a paper solution. Oh no! The ink in my pen just ran out! Whatever will I do…
It’s a break from all that technology
The top reason I always give for not using hi tech solutions is that I spend so much time on a PC I don’t want to then have to use it to organize my day. Seriously, how often do you have to look at screens and monitors and keyboards everyday? Give your eyes (and brain) a break.

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