I semi-ditched the notebook/planner once

For nearly a decade, I carried this leather planner every. Where. I. Went.  Nearly!  It was an upgrade from the student planner I used in preparation for "greater things to come". Since it was a bulky, multi-compartmentalized, tabbed three-ring binder in heavy two-toned leather (the better to go with every purse or outfit *wink*), I couldn't always put it in my purse.  So, wherever I went -- shopping, to work, riding the bus, the supermarket, carrying a tray in a fastfood restaurant, ordering and taking my coffee to-go -- it would be hand-held, tucked between my upper arm and my torso, or hugged close to my chest.  Needless to say, lugging the planner limited the range of movements of one arm.  But I always thought I would die without it, so I didn't mind.

It contained many items I couldn't keep my brain occupied with: numbers, schedules, notes, special dates, reminders, expense tracker, my ID's, my driver's license, my passport, love letters, special concert tickets (souvenirs), receipts.  Years later, a hand-written copy of my wedding vows, my childbirth labor log, my kids' firsts joined the stash.  Why? You see, a time management expert I used to work with once quoted Albert Einstein as saying we have to free our mind.  Then he would add, "write things down".  I took the advise to heart. The only time I put my leather planner down was when I was at home or at my work station. Or dining or fitting something I was thinking of buying -- but always close and in plain sight. You'll never know when you had this a-ha dream you just had to make a note of.

My fascination with all things I.T. has always shared the equal space with my obsession with getting organized, so technological advances brought the inevitable decision to put the leather planner to rest.  Truth is,  I lost it because I put it down in the cart when I was buying groceries.  I had to make a choice between my toddler and the planner. Of course, I chose the former! *gleaming smile*  As soon as I realized something was amiss with my balance (because both my arms had more movement), I made a frantic dash back to the supermarket, but it was gone!  No back-up. Goodbye planner.  The prospect of upgrading to an electronic version, however, took away some of the pain. 

So, I welcomed the palm pilot. Mine had a leather case, but I couldn't quite stash as much into its streamlined pockets. Still, I excitedly welcomed the more advanced time management and organization system. Oh, and it had games! Then it crashed right after the outlook program on my PC.  No back-up. Pffft.

After a period of mourning, during which I overloaded my cellphone and a tiny handy notebook, I shifted to another hand-held organizer, the O2 XDA. I was so proud of it because it was my phone, photo album, and organizer in one, and I synched religiously. Then it short circuited when someone (whom I have forgiven)  accidentally spilled water on it. Shortly after, my laptop's outlook program crashed. No back-up.

And so, while I still dreading having to rebuild my media list with a heavy heart, I bid goodbye to MS outlook with a bitter laugh, and said hello to Gmail, yahoo mail (just in case), a 3G camera-phone, and the good old paper notebook.  I transferred all my grief into rebuilding and rediscovering my love for unlined notebooks. Obsessively. The iPhone is still awaiting my trust to build up, but I know I have to simplify my life and will make the shift soon. But I don't think I'll want to stop using notebooks to write things down. Lessons learned. I hope.  Here's my post-mortem list:

There is something comforting in good old unlined notebooks and gel pens.  They don't need batteries and don't crash. I could store stuff between the pages. I could keep them with other important stuff like photo albums and books. But they can still get lost or devoured by moths.  So I love them but I do not hug them to sleep and purr, "my precious..."

 

I had another devastating crash, this time from my ultra-reliable macbook. That was a pure 'what the...?!'  moment.  A macbook -- it crashed! I lost documents, photos, my itunes playlists! To my horror, no expert could retrieve my data. Was there a conspiracy happening or was I being careless? Ergo: Back-up. Back-up. Back. Up. Digital or otherwise.  My birthday lists and important dates are now in journals, my cellphone, google, facebook, yahoo... etc.  Photos and videos have extra back-up in CDs, printouts, webspace.  O-C? Well, yes, I learned the hard way, several times over!

When cellphones started getting handy, I began to use wrist watches as accessories -- hardware to match an outfit.  Even with a wristwatch on, I would find myself checking the time on my laptop or cellphone.  I should relearn to appreciate wrist watches for what they truly are made to be. I will mourn the exit of wrist watches.  Seriously.

Almost nothing can ruin electronic gadgets and pen-and-paper like water (unless you have waterproof ink and protective seals and cases) , so I have to simply follow the basic rule of taking better care around liquids or rain,  even with coffee.  I realize I can't prevent accidents from happening, and there's wear-and-tear, too. I can minimize the possibilities and do without the unwelcome stress.  Experience and shopping have shown me that I need to invest in protective covers and/or cases. And warranties and insurance.

 

I need to memorize important passwords, birthdays, names and numbers. Use my brain, in other words. I'm sure there's room to spare for new info. (actually, I hope).  While I'm at it, I have to remind myself: do not put entire brain content into a thing. No matter how sophisticated and willing to help.

Data bases can be rebuilt. Contact numbers can be replaced; same with addresses, too. Tricky and challenging, but possible.  A short message of hope.

Ok, I'm over-rationalizing.  Simply put, I love both notebooks and electronic gadgets, but  I've learned (at least for now) to rely on them as aids. They are not "my life!" or "my brain!" as I exclaimed in dismay at least twice before.  I will always gush, and my heart will definitely beat faster, but I try not to obsess over the all-in-oneness of model after model (in paper, that would be, acid-free, anti-moth, water-resistant cover).  After all, even a human personal assistant isn't indispensable.  

Now to check out the iPad *wink, wink*