Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: In Context Blog

My friend Skellie has a post this week about “Origami Productivity” that you should see:

I love paper in all its forms and always have. In fact, if given the choice between a notebook and a web app to fulfill the same function, I’ll choose a notebook every time. I tried Google Calendar and didn’t like it. Instead, I have a plain old calendar that hangs above my desk. I’ve got a pen stuck to the wall with bluetac next to it, so it takes about two seconds to update. I tried Remember The Milk, but I found it to involve a lot of unnecessary complication when compared to writing items down on a slip of paper. But it’s portable, they say. Well, so is paper. It even works outside wi-fi hotspots.Photo by /kallu

I agree, and if you have been reading here at all, you will know that I am a paper-planner devotee. I love the tactile and emotional response of a nice notebook, and I spent a lot of time developing a calendar system for maximum efficiency. It is so very easy for me to track my to-dos and next actions on paper, I have tried a couple of PC- and web-based systems and, well, Skellie says it best:

You want to create a to-do list? Option 1: take one small slip of paper and one writing implement. Write out to-do list and put in pocket or bag. Option 2: Navigate to RTM. Create or log into your account. Learn interface. Digitally enter and categorize tasks. To view your to-do list in future, make sure you’re near a working computer (and have a nice day).

And that is the trick, isn’t it? You can not always be near a computer, nor always have access to the internet. You can, however, always have a pen and paper with you. And most organizers are faily compact and do not require any electricity.

I know from the recent survey that you all prefer Paper-based productivity practices over Electronic versions by two-to-one. So here is another paper-planner tip:

Make sure that your organizer has an index or table of contents. Update this page every week as part of your Weekly Review. You can even write it on a 3″ x 5″ notecard and keep it in the front of your notebook with a paper-clip, especially if you update a lot.

I use my Index constantly, as I do not try to remember anything anymore. I have found that this method allows for much more creativity and time for reading and writing. Let’s face it, those activities are a lot more fun than searching your office for those files you stuck “someplace safe”.