Anyone using Livescribe pen and paper?

[jennytg3]

I'm considering plunking down the $119 for a live scribe pen, plus extra for paper, but was curious what other's experiences were in relation to GTD.

I'm planning on mostly using it for meetings with clients where I'm acquiring a great deal of info that I then have to write up as marketing collateral, create project lists, calendar items, etc. I find I'm a terrible notetaker - I can capture the to dos ok by putting an * by them, but my general notes often contain cryptic messages to myself that I can't decipher, like 'send amy info.' What info? I can't remember.

Apparently with the live scribe pen you can click on that note and it will repeat back what was being said when you took that note.

However, I don't want to freak my clients out that everything that's being said is being recorded. Does the live scribe pen look like a normal pen? Anyone else have this issue?

Apparently you can print out your own recordable paper so you don't have to keep buying their special paper, and they even have sticky notes.

How do others use it to manage their GTD system? Thank you so much for your help and input!

[mcogilvie]

I'm considering plunking down the $119 for a live scribe pen, plus extra for paper, but was curious what other's experiences were in relation to GTD.

I'm planning on mostly using it for meetings with clients where I'm acquiring a great deal of info that I then have to write up as marketing collateral, create project lists, calendar items, etc. I find I'm a terrible notetaker - I can capture the to dos ok by putting an * by them, but my general notes often contain cryptic messages to myself that I can't decipher, like 'send amy info.' What info? I can't remember.

Apparently with the live scribe pen you can click on that note and it will repeat back what was being said when you took that note.

However, I don't want to freak my clients out that everything that's being said is being recorded. Does the live scribe pen look like a normal pen? Anyone else have this issue?

Apparently you can print out your own recordable paper so you don't have to keep buying their special paper, and they even have sticky notes.

How do others use it to manage their GTD system? Thank you so much for your help and input!

I looked into it a few weeks ago, and decided not to invest in what seemed like regressive technology with no mass appeal (ugh! fire good. Chisel good for making next action list in rock.) The pen looks like it's been taking steroids and is in the running for Mr. Pen Universe- there's no way people won't notice it. Comments I've seen generally like the software, but the pen goes through ink, and the paper is a notable added expense. Before buying, I'd consider something like iPad note taker software, on whatever your choice of software platform is, or try the Cornell method for paper notes.

[jennytg3]

Your response is super helpful, thank you! I had to go google the Cornell method as I didn't know what that was. Thanks for the tips!

[lzaretsky]

I've been using the Livescribe pen for about a year now, and find it extremely useful. Yes it is somewhat fatter than the usual writing device, but that is to accommodate the tracking electronics. I use it for notes in meetings because: (1) It can track audio with the notes that I write, so that I can play back discussions at a later time, and (2) Devices like laptops, tablets, etc are banned at company meetings since so many people chose to surf the web or answer email while the meeting was underway.

The pen works flawlessly, and provides an easy mechanism to archive notes. With additional software, you can easily convert the written notes to digital text if desired. And you can print your own paper to use with the pen, but note that you'll need a good quality laser printer for the paper to be read reliably; I've found that the average home inkjet printer is insufficient.

Hope this helps.

Lee

[enyonam]

Ditto on Livescribe being helpful. I do also use the Cornell method with the Livescribe and have a series of notations I use to identify what's a next action, waiting for, research question, important point, must be done today item, and so forth.

[ProfessorSue]

I've been using the LiveScribe pen for many months and find it immensely valuable in meetings, to be sure that minutes are accurate. (I'm Chair of a committee but I review minutes before they are posted.) I also use it when students give oral reports (I'm a college faculty). I don't use it in one-to-one meetings, though I would like to, for fear of making the other person uncomfortable. You do need to alert others that you are making a recording (mandatory by law in many states, and generally advisable anyhow). The pen is easily recognized by anyone who has seen one before. I have not had to replace the ink yet, and I use both the pre-printed and my own printed paper. It is time-consuming to print your own forms, and you do need a high quality printer -- but the advantage is that you could have only a few sheets of paper to carry around, instead of a whole notebook. Another advantage is that, if you take the pen home with you or sync it to your computer, you don't have to have the actual paper with you to read the notes (and listen to the recording). That lightens my carry-all bag!

[larstein]

You mentioned identifying Next Actions etc in your notes. what is your "set-up" for incorporating those into your GTD system? ...getting them from Livescribe notebook to whatever else you use for list tracking? Or does your system live in Livescribe?