Bridging the PDA - paper gap, perhaps

[Anonymous]

A while ago I had the same concerns about having "just enough" collection buckets. Instead of looking at just the PDA vs. Paper dillema I mapped the pathways and processes that my stuff/information physically traveled, starting with the various inputs/inboxes I have (computer, notepads, Inboxes, & PDA).

Needless to say it was quite a web and it seemed rather byzantine. However, the exercise made me think about why was a particular path/process necessary. Then, I made changes and streamlined it to a point where each instrument/device/method had its utility defined. Anything else I just chucked.

Admittedly this was a huge tweak/hack but a useful one. I just reivewed the map I made a while ago and I can say that I've stuck to it pretty well since I first generated it.


So what do I use:

on the PDA: Life Balance (The master GTD program & To do list management) and Day Notez (Memo/Diary/Input) & the corresponding Desktop applications. I have DateBk5 but I dont use a lot of the functions such as the journaling

on my person/paper:a Clairefontaine notebook for meetings and a Hipster PDA for all other times.

As I said the mapping exercise was very useful in tying all the gadgets and programs I had and made me justify their usefulness.

Hope this helps...

[Anonymous]

How can you know if PalmOne will survive and will continue to manufacture and support PDAs. . .
I cannot predict the future so I cannot predict if my data will be easily transportable. . .

I can't predict the future either. But I'm not going to restrict my data to an impoverished representation now just so that I'll perhaps save myself a bit of work in the distant future if my PDA dies and there are no more available to replace it.

Whatever happens 5 years from now, I will not need much of the data I have in my PDA right now; it will be obsolete. I can certainly see the value exporting critical data to a text file for backup purposes in addition to backing up the regular, non-text files. But I don't do that either. Just backing up is the important thing because losing data sucks. As long as I have data I can later convert, I'll be OK.

If worst comes to worse (and yes, I sometimes wonder if PDAs will survive or if Llamagraphics will continue to support their software throughout my lifetime), I'll convert my backed-up data to whatever new form I need, only if and when the need to arises. It very well may never happen.

A much scarier potential problem for me is that all my research data reside in an old Sun workstation. All the raw data are in text format, but thousands of data objects are in the proprietary format of the statistical package I use. It's not possible to do meaningful statistical analysis of large data sets in text format. Sooner or later I will have to convert the files to a format for a Linux or Windows machine. It will probably take a day or two.

Bottom line, even text files cannot prevent the need for some tedious data conversion when entire hardware architectures become obsolete.

-andersons

[TesTeq]

andersons,
I think my quest for a perfect file format is the evidence of my "inverted perfectionism". I mean that being disappointed by some deficiencies of other file formats I am restricting myself to the simplest solutions that possibly restrict my productivity. So usage of perfectly forward- and backward-compatible text file format may limit myself to basic productivity level. I must rethink it.
Thank you.
TesTeq

[zen_tiggr]

I guess I'm not too surprised to see that this thread generally wandered onto a subtopic I'd thrown in there.

Just to leave my last two cents, and let it be from there, the largest reason that I decided to move all my datebook and todo entries was the fact that they only export to their own proprietary archive files - no translation / migration possible there.

The second reason I decided to move away from todo entries is that on the Palm itself, the only way to move info to or from a todo entry is to Select All / Cut / <change apps> / <start new entry> / Paste. Since I preferred to have only the things 'do-able now' in the ToDo lists, that meant copying to/from memo's occasionally. Not that easy with the above limit, so I chose to drop the todo app rather than incur that overhead.

I have designed a very intuitive, quickly modifiable Memo prefix system that gives me just the sequence/priority of entries given the different combinations of relevant start and end dates, times, and possible recurring-ness (didn't have a better word.)

And away I go, with a less-tempted-to-tweak, Very Personalized GTD list system.

Thanks again, everyone, for very helpful commentary. :)

[Anonymous]

This interesting thread reminds me of all the different ways of getting things done! Two observations:

1) I'm not worried about proprietary data formats, for the following reasons:
My todo list and calendar are ephemeral. On the GTD Fast tapes, DA says something like "if my palm died, I would just pick up this paper organizer and pick right up." Your lists naturally regenerate because they reflect what's on your mind. Furthermore, there are lots of tricks that can be used to get from one data format to another. Worst comes to worst, I can retype or cut and paste from one format to another in a few hours. Sometimes we want to automate processes that aren't worth automating. Rewriting your lists is one of the oldest forms of review.

2) I am always impressed with people that have the discipline to impose a complicated coding scheme on their lists. You know, where "*Adm-hi-&" means a high-priority administrative project with a due date. I have found I can only do that some of the time, and it quickly becomes worthless to me. I need a system that is "fault-tolerant" when I fall off the GTD wagon!

Happy Holidays,
Mike

[jmarkey]

I'm impressed that some individuals seem to be able to adapt basic text files to suit their needs. If it works for them, that's great. I am much more comfortable using software specifically designed for the purpose. Can I keep my calendar in a text file? Sure. But it's so much easier for me just to keep it on a calendar. Although it's always possible that my favorite software will be discontinued, that risk is relatively small compared to the benefits I receive in the present. Plus, as others posted, the underlying workflow habits are the critical factor. If my software were discontinued, it wouldn't take me long to get up and running in another medium. I suppose the bottom line is that each individual should make an informed decision about what works for them. Paper or PDA, text or special software, it's all about implementing good workflow habits and getting things done.