When it comes to organization, does paper beat computer?

July 26, 2007  |  By Travis  |  Articles   

Seinfeld

I’ve used Google Calendar, off and on, Ta-da lists, off and on, and every other organization app, off and on.

The problem: they’re easy to forget. I’d use it faithfully for a few days, then be away from my computer one day and completely forget to use it the next. Like most things in life, productivity and organization can resemble a rollercoaster.

So I think it may be time for a little old-school practice. Thanks to both Jerry Seinfeld and Lifehacker, I’m giving the ginormous calendar on the wall approach a try. Here’s how Seinfeld said it works:

He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big red magic marker.

He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. “After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain.”

“Don’t break the chain.” He said again for emphasis.

Being that I have a few large projects and goals on my plate, I’ll use a different colour marker to mark of a portion of each day off for each project. Plastering this calendar inches away from my desk should help a bit too. So we’ll see how this goes.

Based on my experience, writing a task on paper and tossing it out when it’s done, or putting an X on the calendar, is much easier to stick to than receiving SMS messages or e-mail notifications when it SHOULD be done.

What do you use?

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Travis
About the author, Travis
One of the original members at YGG, Travis became a partner back in 2006. He's responsible for all the creative and mischief you see before you.

9 Comments

  1. tanya said on July 26, 2007   

    I still use a yearly diary *gasp* and my cellphone calendar - and gcal which is more of a backup. The cellphone calendar is great because it can alarm for appt. reminders and sync to an electronic calendar. The diary is the best method for me - because I can write stuff down wherever I am, plus make notes, write extraneous info that may or may not be impt and easily flip through to find something.

  2. Satish said on July 26, 2007   

    For me, with regards to calendars and task management, I stick to the trusty desktop application approach. The problem is that, more often than not, I have *my* laptop versus any available computer with Internet… and I like to be able to manage them where I receive my e-mails (i.e. my Outlook 2007).

    I’ve given some of the online apps a try, but with little success. I do use a to-do list and notepad on my Netvibes startpage to manage quick reminders from anywhere back to me when I open my browser on my laptop as well. That fills in any gaps.

    My question for you: which wall calendar did you buy and from where?

  3. Eric said on July 26, 2007   

    The cell phone calendar is my best approach so far and that’s only because it’s the one device I am NEVER without. I tried a PDA, but they are too bulky to take everywhere. I tried my iPod syncing with iCal, but I just don’t have it with me all the time (and the alarm is too quiet). My cell phone has a full QWERTY so it’s easy to add appointments.

    The one problem is that LG doesn’t integrate well with Mac’s and iSync so I can’t sync iCal to my En-V phone. If I could, my life would be complete.

  4. Travis said on July 26, 2007   

    Satish,
    I’m going to try and pick something like this up later today or tomorrow:

    Annual Reversible Planner

  5. jdoc said on July 26, 2007   

    I use a smartphone (HTC TyTn), and I wouldn’t go back to any other way. It syncs with Outlook and Google Calendar, although the latter requires me to do it manually. I’ll never go back to a regular cell phone (or at least one without a qwerty keyboard).

    I find anything paper based doesn’t stick with me, since it’s not on me at all times. With the smartphone, I can jog down quick notes, write up appointments, and send out quick messages to people.

  6. Travis said on July 26, 2007   

    Just noticed that exact annual calendar poster thingy on my client’s wall, across from the kitchen. Luckily, they haven’t used it since 2002.

    Saved me a trip to Staples and $20. Yipee!

  7. Aaron said on July 26, 2007   

    Pesonally I like writing things down on paper and crossing them off or throwing them out.

    If I don’t write it down I forget.

    However, recently I’ve been using my gmail account as a to do list. I write an email telling me what I need to do and then save it as a draft. Then I start completing the tasks and just delete the draft as it’s done. It works for me because I have my email open 24/7

  8. Satish said on July 27, 2007   

    Alright Travis you sold me. It looks pretty similar to a U of T one I scooped up a few years ago, I’ll dust that off and give it a go… wonder where I have markers though… hmm.

  9. Noah said on July 28, 2007   

    I still prefer a paper pocket calendar!

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