I have always been looking to increase my personal productivity but it is really difficult. Been trying to find a solution/products or way to manage all my information and knowledge assets. The best that I could come up with is Microsoft's OneNote so far which in the end I also seldom use. In the past, I used a mixture of spreadsheets, Palm PDA, traditional notebook, then O2 mini PDA phone and then back to the notebook again . But really, the system I am using is not what I am entirely proud of.
So, Ihave been looking around in the internet and found some simple but elegant solutions which I intend to try out:
The PocketMod
An simple alternative to our modern PDAs. Just a tool to turn our A4 size piece of paper into a useful pocket booklet where you can store all kinds of information. I will probably try using this; or otherwise buy a moleskines (thought I saw it being sold in Borders). Easy and portable which can fit into my backpocket, easily accessible whenever I want to use. So far, OneNote sits inside my computer notebook and the traditional notebook is too cumbersome for me to carry around most of the time. So, I am hoping either the PocketMod or Moleskine will be my breakthrough solution which will enable me to keep tabs on everything.
It seems I keep finding links to the GTD (Getting Things Done) by David Allen. Think I will look and find out what the hype is about his way of personal productivity. Then I found blogs that extols the virtues of various applications that will make our lives much more easier and efficient.
1) Kinkless
2) Life Hacks
The blogs provided lots of suggestions and I found links to download two applications: a mindmapping software: Freemind (supposedly helps in our thinking process through pictures and illustrations) and a GTD tool called Thinking Rock. So far, looks good to me; but the real test is still whether I will fully utilise them as part of my daily routine of scheduling, prioritizing and acting on the to-do lists.
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I had the same "journey" - starting with a conventional notebook supplemented by handphone organiser/ calender. Haven't tried PDA yet but i suspect it won't stick. For a while i got lazy and tried to live life without my trusty notebk(s) - i accumulated several - and found my work life generally messed up.
So i'm back to using conventional notebks: a small 5x8 Azone notebook for personal musings and a bigger one for work-related stuff. The latter's where i jot down my personal records of discussions/mtgs, plans for work etc. The former's for more personal matters such as recording brilliant ideas that struck me from time to time.
I was thinking abt my reasons for going back to notebooks. I suspect my reasons are that notebks are:
a) small and portable (the smaller one's no bigger than a PDA and i keep it in my work bag all the time)
b) ease of use (you may be fast on the PDA but can you really beat scribbling on a notebk?? Plus no need for battery charging!)
c) versatile (i can write long-hand/short-hand, draw flow charts/cause-effect diagrams/mind maps all with just a pen and a flip of the notebk)
d) feel-gd-factor (a notebk filled up with my writings/drawings makes me feel strangely fulfilled but i don't feel the same way with a handphone and presumably a PDA)
Simplify - don't "gadgetise".
Perhaps you shd buy an Azone or if you want to boost (d), the moleskin.
Yeah, can't agree more with you. Simple solutions like a notebook actually is more effective than having PDAs.
I had tried out the PocketMod, but its drawback is that it is not permanent, rather temporary and is disposable.
The moleskine I had checked out in OnePage. Too ex for me as it looks strangely familiar to the notepad we used in the army (which costs $1 compared $23). Of course the quality is much better for the moleskine and it gives some bragging rights... hahaa
I will look out for the Azone 5X8 as suggested by you, perhaps a middle of road cost-effective solution.
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