Yet another to-do tracker … the question is what really works for you?
Being a geek I’m always looking to try new things to (maybe) make my life a little easier. I’ve lost count of how many different PIMs I’ve tried to to-do managers. The thing is, I wonder has anyone really come up with something better than pen and paper?
Few posts inspired this thought in my head. First I saw this interesting web-based app called "What should I do next?". Lifehacker is hosting it and describes it pretty well. You can, I haven’t, download it and run it on your own machine (wonder if it’s like TiddlyWiki). That’s when it first struck me. Man there are a lot of to-do managers out there! Sure having group To-Dos in something like Basecamp is great. Keeps everyone in line. I’m thinking more of personal to-dos
I got from this post by Michael McCracken that he is struggling with some of the GTD techniques, which extended my thinking about to "are we just way too reliant on finding a tech solution for this problem?". Then I read Anne Zelenka’s post "Five Reasons to Use a Paper To-Do List". Ah ha! Someone else is wondering the same thing! Here are Anne’s reasons:
- Using pen on paper just feels good.
- You can’t beat pen and paper’s mobility and accessibility.
- Never hassle over synchronizing your to do list across multiple devices again.
- No application lock-in.
- Pen on paper gets you away from the computer.
You know I can’t point out a flaw here. You’re just as toast if you lose your PDA if you lose your notebook. Yes, millions of pieces of paper isn’t efficient, that’s why they invented notebooks. In fact I happen to have a selection of notebooks, including the fabled Moleskine. I also have a thing for pens. Good pens. Fountain pens. Pens that I refill from a bottle of ink. Looks like my trusty Moleskine is going to come out from its home in my laptop bag and right next to my machine here. Pen? Oh no problem there.
So how about you? What do you think? Are we over-teching a simple thing? Or can online or computer-based to-do lists really do a better job?
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Cool downloads, Cool tools, GTD
5 opinions for Yet another to-do tracker … the question is what really works for you?
Brian Clark
Nov 16, 2006 at 10:43 am
I feel the same way about pen and paper, and there’s something satisfying about crossing things off the list by hand.
I’ve recently been using computer lists, and they don’t do it for me.
I’m going back old school… thanks Pimp! :)
harrowdrive
Nov 16, 2006 at 2:50 pm
My environment requires pen and paper. Electronic gadgets, the outdoors and bags full of sports equipment don’t go well with PDAs.
Tris Hussey
Nov 17, 2006 at 10:59 am
Harrowdrive: Have you tried Rite in the Rain notebooks? The gold standard for fieldbooks. I got one years ago. They work best with pencil I found, but cheap ball points are okay I think.
Brian: Hey you’re welcome! I found that when I kept the habit of always having a pen and paper (PocketMods work great for this) … there was always a use. Writing down phone numbers, messages, notes, etc.
harrowdrive
Nov 17, 2006 at 5:20 pm
Can’t say I have but I will keep an eye out, thanks for the tip!
Tris Hussey
Nov 17, 2006 at 7:40 pm
They might be tough to find, a rather specialized item. Maybe look in a store that supplies engineers and such.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: