Lost My Planner, Now I'm Lost!

[eLady]

After months & months of intense researching & shopping for a planner; spending tons of money on planners, binders & pages, that are now in the drawer, I had finally found the planner that worked best & was everything that I wanted & needed... & now its gone!
All of my notes, both personal & business related appointments, goals, mind maps, ToDos and Projects,.... gone.
And whats sad is, I feel like a part of me is gone also; its like i'm in a daze. I just cannot seem to get in gear! Not being able to look back over my notes, its unbearable.
Who would have thought that one could be so attached & dependant upon a spiral bound notebook!

[Todd V]

There is some truth to the fact that we become co-dependent on what we entrust our systems to. This is true for software that is no longer supported or a binder that is nowhere to be found. But there may be some new opportunity here:

(1) The Value of Starting Over
The longer you have your system, the larger it gets. Things start to become stale, things on your list lose their connection with outcomes you used to be committed to or deadlines that no longer exist. Having to start over gives you a chance to collect everything fresh and to articulate things in ways that reflect your most current life circumstances. So starting over can be a good thing.

(2) Rediscovering 'Instinct'
When first beginning with the GTD approach, we focus on the little things - things like contexts, tools, and next actions. But what GTD is really all about is clearing the decks so we can become more in tune with our instinct on what we should be spending our effort on at any given moment. That instinct is always there telling us what we should be doing, but it gets muddied by undefined stuff, unclarified outcomes, unclean edges in our systems. By defining, clarifying, and cleaning it all up, and -- most important of all -- doing the weekly review, we reconnect with that instinct and learn what to say 'yes' and 'no' to at each moment of the day.

So in some ways, your system isn't your system. Yes, it's all in a binder no longer accessible. But that binder doesn't hold your instinct. That's something that only you have. That you still have. So it will take some work to re-collect what has been lost, but having to start over really helps you get a sense of what is most important to you right now; and that will go a long way toward helping you collect in a way that is more in tune with that instinct you have. You may be able to collect now in a way you otherwise would not have been able to had this not happened.

(3) Considering New Tools
It also makes it possible to consider different tools. Having a great system that works can sometimes keep us from trying new tools. And if it weren't for a lost binder or unsupported software we became accustomed to, we never would have migrated out to try them. So consider trying something new. You may find some new tool or way of doing things that your old system would have held you back from discovering.

Nothing's going to be as nice as getting the binder back, but there may be some new opportunities here in what appears -- on the surface, at least -- to be a total loss.

[mkeene98059]

You have my condolences. I just misplaced my Palm Treo with my "life" on it as well. All at the same time as my hard drive failed, so my first backup isn't available either. So even us techies run into it as well.

I remember forever ago when I went to an all-day Franklin Planner class, and someone in the class had the concern of the same eventuality of losing their soon to be almighty notebook. The instructor recommended putting a note in the first page of the planner offering a $50 reward if the planner was returned "no questions asked". Seemed a bit steep at the time (on my then limited budget), but it seems a small price now.

You might consider it for your next go round.

Good luck

[ellobogrande]

I actually got to watch someone ask David Allen personally how he would deal with a catastrophic data loss. I'll summarize his answer.

First, just give it all over to God. Then try to view it as an opportunity for a fresh start. Everything that was in your system is going to start piling up into your head; grab a pad and start dumping it out and rebuild the system. It's the process that matters, not the final result.

Make sure that you have collection tools ready and near you at all times--especially in this time of rebirth. You're going to be looking for any clues and cues of commitments in your environment and you never know when a thought is going to come to mind. Capture it, process it, and rebuild the system.

I'd say the most damaging thing about this experience is the loss of your appointment calendar. You might need to make some calls to your most important contacts to make sure you don't miss any meetings.

I'm not knocking paper systems, but they have one single weakness that has driven me to use an electronic system: the inability to back up your data. I just know that I'll leave a paper planner behind somewhere in a moment of absent-mindedness.

I have multiple redundant backups of my data both locally and offsite at Mozy in the event of a catastrophic event. I suggest you consider using an electronic system eventually. For now, just get yourself a cheap 3-ring binder, some tabs, some paper, and get a working system going again. Use the article on this web site titled "Organizing a Paper Organizer" to help you get going.

Best of luck to you.

[Brent]

I'm not knocking paper systems, but they have one single weakness that has driven me to use an electronic system: the inability to back up your data.

Ever heard of copier machines?

[eLady]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm slowly getting things together again. I've printed letter-sized monthly calendars with lined notes from Outlook for my appointments, and have sinced found that I love the large view that it gives me.
I also found a spiral notebook that has a ToDo section with checkboxes (which I love). Even though its not my beloved At-A-Glance Action Planner, these two are working out quite nicely.
Todd, your words were very encouraging. Thank you

[dschaffner]

I actually got to watch someone ask David Allen personally how he would deal with a catastrophic data loss.

I also remember someone relating a story about watching David when his Palm rebooted and he lost all his data.

He just picked up a piece of paper and starting dumping the stuff that was on his mind!

- Don

[kewms]

I'd say the most damaging thing about this experience is the loss of your appointment calendar. You might need to make some calls to your most important contacts to make sure you don't miss any meetings.

I'm not knocking paper systems, but they have one single weakness that has driven me to use an electronic system: the inability to back up your data. I just know that I'll leave a paper planner behind somewhere in a moment of absent-mindedness.

I agree that the calendar is the most damaging loss. I use a paper one, but if I had a heavier appointment schedule electronic would be the way to go.

FWIW, I've lost more data to electronic mishaps than to misplaced paper. As they say, if you're going to keep all your eggs in one basket, *watch that basket!*

There's also a bit of a paradox at the heart of GTD. The idea is to get things out of your head, but if you do regular weekly reviews, you'll find that you have a pretty good mental picture of at least your short term commitments. That makes recovery much easier in case of data loss.

Katherine

[ellobogrande]

Ever heard of copier machines?

Yeah, but I'm not willing to sacrifice a rainforest to backup my planner.

[mcogilvie]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm slowly getting things together again. I've printed letter-sized monthly calendars with lined notes from Outlook for my appointments, and have sinced found that I love the large view that it gives me.
I also found a spiral notebook that has a ToDo section with checkboxes (which I love). Even though its not my beloved At-A-Glance Action Planner, these two are working out quite nicely.
Todd, your words were very encouraging. Thank you

The Action Planner? My local office store still had some academic year ones available (start August), and 2009 is not far away. Perhaps the new Mead GTD planners will be similar, but with even more list pages!