Ever wonder if all the electronic gadgetry you sling around from flight to flight, and port to port is getting you anywhere? After forgetting one of your highly proprietary adapters to some miscellaneous piece of gadgetry, do you stop and think “ah, the good old days of landlines, pen, and paper?”
C’mon, you can admit it. Amid all the electronic trappings of today’s “modern age,” you secretly long for a happier, simpler time. A time when “backup” meant having an extra sheet of paper and pen. “Redundant systems” were paper copies of your documents. You know the tiime…
I wanted to take a moment and follow up on a topic we started in “Mobile Business Owners Podcast - Episode 3.” In the last episode (in case there is any way you possibly missed it,) I discussed the topic of “Do you really need a PDA?” During a major business reorganization just a few months ago, I had the same question - over and over - every day. People get to that question in different ways, for different reasons. For some, it is the endlessly increasing complexity of things like “smart phones” and multi-multi-function devices. For others, it is the endless “cost hole” of special plans, connectivity fees, dropped connections, endless ringing, and screens that fry when you need them most.
For me, the moment came when I forgot an adapter for one of the three PDA-type devices I was carrying. Yes, I was (and still am, to a large extent,) a gadget junky. Everywhere I go, a big bag of cables and custom adapters go with me. But, I was finding that my “trusted systems” could no longer be trusted, and I could no longer remember which device, in which program, in which system were supposed to have my details. Contacts…calendar….email/messaging….to-do…notes….etc. “Damn it!!” I said. “Where is that bleeping…..adapter?????”
As I sat there bemoaning my lack of gadgetry, something hearkened me back to the dusty memory (the human kind…) of an old boss. A boss from a different industry and another time. He had a system - several in fact - which just seemed to work. What I remember most though was his endless pile of small yellow legal pads. He would write up a day on them, track his tasks and “to do’s”, and just top flip to the next page when the previous page was done. When it was filled up, he would just relegate it to a pile of “done and file.” Essentially “backing up” what he was doing. Dan - he was the man, I thought. That man was together! He didn’t struggle daily with PDA’s, cables, broken screens, software upgrades, lost license files, and the like. His tools were lots of pens and pads. Probably spent less on those in 5 years, then I would spend on a single moderately-priced device. Using his home-baked, analog system, he managed staggering numbers of employees, countless clients, and endless details.
With the memories spilling forward, I did the decent digital thing, and went to to the web for some research. Finding others on the net having long since reached the same conclusions, and inspired further by books such as “Getting Things Done” (Insert my amazon.com link) and “Upgrade Your Life”, I could see that there was hope and a possibility of a productive, analog life. Putting everything together, I came up with a system that has served me well now for three months. Yes — working very very well, thank you very much. Curious?
Before going on, let me just say a couple of things. First and foremost — no — I’m not bashing gadgets. We use a lot of them, and cover them in our website and podcasts. Where they’re necessary and useful, we share our thoughts on same. But — and here is my main point — many gadgets have the following properties:
- Very short lifespans
- Damage easily
- Very costly, especially those such as sms-based text services, ‘pay per use’ Internet, and asundry smart phone services
- Short battery life
- Various incompatibilities with their own software, much less integrating cleanly with other external software packages
- Proprietary adapters (even those that don’t, or devices with USB “trickle chargers” trickle too much, and too long for my taste)
- Have a habit of not being available when you need them (screen issues, lockups, hard resets, power issues, etc.)
Ok - with that said, here is a general description of my current analog system. It is a work in progress, but works very well for me. I encourage you to find a variation that works for you and give it a try.
Corbin’s analog task management system - the nuts and bolts
Equipment you’ll need:
1)Comfortable pens — any that you like writing with. The brand, type of tip (fine, medium, felt, etc. matters not)
2)A packet of cheap thin-spiral notebooks. The kind with that cheap-looking coily metal spiraled through the sides
–>Hint: You can pick up whole packages of these for under $5.00USD at most office supply stores
3)A life, and some tasks to manage.
How it works:
0)On the outside of your binder (cover page) put your first name, and the starting date + year. Make a dash next to the date and year, so that you an track a complete range of dates. I find that my binders hold between 20 & 40 days, depending on the quantity of notes required for any given day.
1)At the top of each page, write out the full day and date (starting from the current date)
2)Start listing your tasks, one per line (use multiple lines if needed)
3)Maintain one full line space between tasks
4)To the left of each task, place a square which will act as your check box
NOTE: At this stage, it is not about prioritization, listing things between “1 and 3 in order of priority” and other such complex mechanisms. The point is to just get the tasks down on paper
Next, sort. Tasks that are very, very important (you should have no more than 5 of these on a daily basis), get two stars or asterisks to the left of their respective task boxes. Tasks that are “great to get done, but won’t kill me if they miss a day or two” can have a circle or triangle instead of a check box. During sorting, don’t rewrite, or reorder. Just follow the asterisk. Simplicity is beauty and analog is sanity….
Ok. Write your date, write your tasks, then leave two full pages between the day and tasks you just wrote down, and and the next date. The full blank pages are used to store notes during the day. The notes you write and collect throughout the day will be used as inputs for future daily tasks.
Ok Corbin - now what do I do with my computer and digital-based devices?
Great question. Notice three major limitations in the system above:
1)It doesn’t help you track things that are way in the future, or more than a few days away
2)It doesn’t manage recurring tasks. You could (and in many cases will,) write similar tasks over several days
3)It says nothing about phone numbers and contact-based information
So we’ll address these limitations. I (personally) use the following tools to manage the limitations noted above. (Your mileage will vary.) My Mac mail tracks things that need to “remind” me. My Google calendar manages things such as client appointments, birthdays, and the like. My Mac address book, Linkedin.com and other various services I use keep track of my contacts. People that I really need to call and talk with, are all in my cell phone. People that I meet that I’ll need to talk with later, also go into my cell phone contacts list, promptly at the time I meet them and/or receive their business card.
Sidebar: Cell phones (as in the regular cell phone) are one digital device that can be fairly reliable. Additionally, contacts transfer nicely between phone upgrades, so there isn’t much to lose when switching phones. Building your basic contact list in the phone can survive upgrades and phone breakages, since your information is stored in your cell service provider’s servers.
What do I do with digital calendars? I print up my daily calendar and paperclip it to the inside of my binder. When the day is done, so is my calendar entry. If it is a business-deal critical “don’t close the deal, don’t eat” kind of meeting, it’s going to be stored in at least 2 places anyway, so I don’t worry too much about it.
As you’ll note from above, there is a mix of analog and digital in the system. However, the part of the system that keeps me on top of things, and maintains the core of productivity is completely analog. Digital is crucial, but also supplementary. Between my cell phone (contacts,) Google Calendar (appointments and recurring-type dates) and my analog task management system, I’m covered.
When the spiral is done, I put the end/closing date on the front cover and file it. Spirals stay on file in my office for six months, then go into deep storage.
What does this have to do with the Mobile Business Owner?
Portability! No batteries! No cords! No cables! Travel in comfort and style with your pen and paper. Amaze your friends and business colleagues with your new low-tech analog technology.
Will a conversion to analog do away with my computer?
A great question, but of course the answer is — absolutely not! The point here is to externalize productivity and personal task management, while improviing efficiency and reducing gadget-based risk.
Have a great analog story?
Share it with us! Sign in to comment below, or better yet call us at +1 206 350 0057. Or, maybe you have an opposite store of converting from an analog system or Day Timer to a digital system? Share that with us well. We look forward to talking with you soon.
Where to get more information
–Right here on MobileBusinessOwners.com
–”Getting S*** Done (GSD)” ->Great article from Bill Westerman which helped tune my process substantially
–“Getting Things Done” by David Allen.
–”Upgrade Your Life” by Gina Trapani.
Best regards,
Corbin Links and the MobileBusinessOwners.com Team
