6 paper based tools that beat their online counterparts

A paper free office is a great idea. It’s friendly for the environment, it’s less cluttered, it’s “web 2.0″ and it makes us feel like early adopters. Unfortunately the modern computer based tools are not always as efficient or user friendly as their old-fashioned paper based alternatives. So (this may sound strange coming from a software developer) although I’m usually in favor of using computers to help us as much as possible, there are some things that I rather use in analog format instead of the digital alternative:

1. Calendar: There are so many digital alternatives available that there must be something wrong about me if I cannot find any that suits my needs. I’ve been using Outlook, Google Calendar and Backpack Calendar and tried a few others during the past few years. All of them have some good features and most of them are pretty solid packages, providing me with lots of useful and some unnecessary features. But they all miss the one most important thing about a calendar: I can’t carry them with me all the time. If I want to simply check an appointment, I have to start my computer, and that takes at least 5 minutes. To fix this problem I have tried using my mobile phone. It has this one thing right, but about everything else is wrong. The user interface is clumsy, the screen is small, and synchronizing the calendar with Outlook is too much work. So, I’m opting back to paper. Although I haven’t yet bought my new paper calendar, here’s my new calendar of choice.
2. Diary: Following Scott’s advice I’ve started writing my thoughts down every morning. I also write any small idea that pops to my mind as soon as I think of it. In order to achieve these goals I have three notebooks: a tiny one that I carry in my pocket all the time for quick ideas, another one for my daily diarying and a deliberatePeople diary for writing down things learned from reading the Bible. I have tried diarying on a computer before, and the problem is that when you open your computer, you’re surrounded with so much distractions that you cannot concentrate to the diary anymore. A paper diary is quick to open to write a few words and close again. And the same way as the paper calendar, you can use your note book anywhere. One more thing to consider is that when your diary or note book looks nice you feel like writing more. That’s why my next diary will be a Moleskine.
3. Sketchpad: When working, I clear my head by writing down every idea that runs through my mind. I draw diagrams, mind maps and sometimes even just a few words here and there. In order to clean my desk from all the paper I have around me, I have tried doing this with Notepad, some graphics programs, even online mind mapping software. Although I think that online mind mapping and Backpack are pretty cool for stuff like this they are not perfect. Paper has one thing extra which is really important for creative thinking: the freedom to draw over the lines, cut off a piece of paper and so on. Basically you can do anything you want with your piece of paper.
4. Task cards: This is something I came up with a couple of months ago. It might not be a new idea, but what I’m doing is that I’m using my old business cards as task cards. On each card I write one clearly defined task and some additional information on what I need to keep in mind when working on the task. I have three piles of cards: empty cards waiting to be used, active task cards (in prioritized order) and used cards. Once a task is completed I take the card and put it in the used pile. It gives me visual feedback about getting something done. This approach needs still some more polishing, but even like this it seems to work much better than the Backpack task list or the Excel templates that I was using before switching to this system.
5. Books: There is one good thing about e-books: you can download them fast – you don’t need to go to a bookstore, a library or wait for the mailman to deliver your Amazon orders. But that’s about the only positive thing I can think of. Regular books are just so much better: You can easily take a book with you on a bus, in bed, in the toilet or wherever you need it. When working on your computer, you can keep the book open on the table next to you so you can look at it whenever you have something you need to check. If you were reading an e-book, you’d have to switch windows every time you need to look at the book. Also, book shelves look good and browsing books in a library or book store is a great feeling.
6. Time tracking: I’m currently using an Excel based time tracking, but the problem with it is that I always remember it only after I’ve turned off my computer. If I would have a note book on my desk for writing down my hours, I wouldn’t have to worry about that, opening the note book wouldn’t take long and I could write down my hours right when I remember to do it.

Now it’s your turn. Are there some paper based tools that you like better than their electronic counterparts? Or do you disagree with my list? Do you think there are improvements coming in the near future?

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