I miss paper

A few days ago my wife and I were walking through Barnes and Nobel and came across a table full of calendars and planners.  These bound book-like objects were so neat, clean, and inviting.  We both commented on how we missed paper planners now that we are both reliant on the calendar and other functions on our iPhones.

This past week I tried very hard to move my to-do list from Remember the Milk (RTM) to a paper list on an old fashioned composition book.  I really liked the idea of writing out my to-do list and writing on paper.  I thoroughly enjoyed initially composing the list on paper and enjoyed having this list in front of me as my computer was booting up in the morning (I typically use the web-based version of RTM so I can't access this list until my computer is up and running).  However, my affection for this paper list ended when I was on my way to the car this afternoon and needed to remember something I needed to do later today.  In the past, I would simply pause and add an item to my RTM list on my iPhone.  Since I was no longer maintaining the list in RTM I needed to remember this item until I was able to get to a pen and paper.  I am far too forgetful to rely on my memory and, therefore, have been relying on my immediate access to RTM.  I am not back to RTM.

While my migration to paper in my to-do list failed, I have been successful in migrating to paper in another area.  Earlier this spring I began using a Moleskine bound notebook as a type of commonplace book.  The writing experience of recording important ideas and theories is satisfying with the quality paper in the Moleskine.  Additionally, the book format works very well for browsing through the pages and referring back to older entries.  This paper format supports the purpose of the commonplace book for reviewing past entries to maintain the knowledge codified in the book.

I enjoy the act of writing but also enjoy the benefits of search available through the electronic forms.  I am still waffling between taking paper notes in meetings and using my Evernote account on my iPad to record my notes.  I'll have to see this leads to this year.