I visited our local stationers earlier, and somehow found myself buying this year’s week to view diary for my old Filofax. I have no idea why I bought it, beyond the admission that I am turning into a productivity/organisational idiot.
At the moment I seem to be caught in a three way battle for the heart and mind of my organised self. The main protagonists are the iPhone, the Internet, and the Filofax (and Moleskine). This could be whittled down to “gadget vs. web vs. paper”.
The iPhone could be great - if only it played well with others. It’s like a snotty twerp that thinks it’s better than everybody else, and won’t share. The iPhone is the French in The Holy Grail (“I fart in your general direction”).
The internet (Backpack, Toodledo, Things, Google Calendar, etc) is of course by far the most persuasive option, but is useless without easy access. A little like knowing you have an aircraft carrier on-call, but you’ve lost the phone number.
The paper alternative is the most reliable option, and also the most disorganised. Unless you use a pencil like a five year old child, your plans cannot be changed without making an enormous mess.
There is no easy solution. Each one has both benefits and failings. The eccentric part of me says the Moleskine and Filofax are the best solution - perhaps from a damn fool romantic paper and pen perspective. The technologist in me knows damn well the internet is the winner - and destroys even the mighty iPhone - except of course none of the modern solutions talk to each other as they should. It’s enough to make you go mad.
What do you use to stay organised? Paper? The computer? Your phone? Something else?