brianmc,
Here is an earlier thread with discussions about paper systems:
http://www.davidco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5803
And one of an individual's experiment with paper/hybrid system:
http://freeflowlife.net/2008/07/17/gtd-hybrid-system-30-day-trial-complete/
My apologies for the long post, but I thought I would share my experience with paper versus digital. I have also been practicing GTD for almost 2 years now and initially experimented with paper vs digital. I initially liked paper because it was more "real", tactile and visual, which helped me remember my calendar and next actions and was generally more convenient (e.g. no boot up time, doesn't crash, can jot down notes quickly). I tried different paper-based systems using 3x5 note cards, lists written down in a Moleskine notebook, loose leaf lists in a binder, etc.
There are several discussion threads on this site and other GTD blogs on the topic of paper vs digital vs hybrid arrangements. For me, I have concluded that digital, in general, works best for my specific situation but the right answer depends on the individual.
For several years, I was a consultant traveling every week and so the digital path provided me with a greater level of flexibility and mobility. In the past year, I changed jobs to reduce my travel and finally have my own office/workspace (vs a temporary one - as a consultant, I was always borrowing a temporary conference room or cubicle). Yet, I continue remain MOSTLY digital, with only a couple of caveats. Below, I provide a little more detail of my set up.
1) Calendar: Because my company uses Lotus Notes for scheduling, I keep all my calendar information in Lotus Notes, which sync with my Blackberry. The nice thing is that meeting invitations that arrive via email can be processed and will sync up nearly real time with my Blackberry. This is handy when impromptu meeting requests arrive at various points during the day because I have a high degree of confidence that my calendar is up to date and that I won't be double booking myself. I obviously have the option to print if I want to see and carry around my daily or weekly schedule. But I have found that on some days, meeting schedules are so dynamic that the schedule that I print in the morning is obsolete by noon.
2) Contacts: I pretty much have always kept my contact lists in digital format (previously in various Palm devices and now on a Blackberry). It is very convenient for me to call someone or look up an address when it is digital. I also keep notes on other items such as birthdays, names of spouses or kids, etc. which makes recalling such items when I need it very convenient.
3) List Manager: My list manager is digital. Nothing fancy. I just use the Task function in Lotus Notes, which syncs with my Blackberry and vice-versa. Originally, I did play around with paper next action and project lists...but after a while I became frustrated because I found myself doing a lot of rewriting or shuffling actions from one context list to another (e.g. an initial action@call would become @waiting for or triggered @online or @agenda next actions). I found updating my lists easier digitally (e.g., copy / paste).
The other nice aspect of my digital list manager on a Blackberry is that it is always with me in case I need it. For example, just the other day, as I was driving home from work, I decided to stop by the Home Depot because I knew I had to get some items there, but didn't immediately remember what the items were. So I pulled out my Blackberry, filtered my next actions to see just the @Errand-Home Depot list and bought the three items I needed. In another example earlier this year during my annual physical exam, I was able to review some of the health questions with my doctor that I had captured in my @Agenda-Doctor list. Again, it was in my Blackberry and readily available at a moment's notice.
Finally, a general aspect about digital that is very positive for me is the ease by which I can back things up and the associated peace of mind that it gives me. Each week, I back up my Lotus Notes databases and Blackberry information on an external hard drive. For paper, you can indeed copy or scan paper lists and calendars to back them up, but I feel the digital process is more efficient.
A few caveats to the digital aspects of my set up where paper is still involved:
First, I do have a DAILY TASK LIST on paper. On it, I only write down 3 to 5 key next actions that I want to accomplish that day after reviewing all my context lists either the evening before or early in the morning. This way, I am able to clarify for myself the FOCUSED or CRITICAL items that I want or need to accomplish before the chaos of the day begins. I realize that this may not be proper GTD methodology, but it is a slight modification that has worked for me. I also realize that the day could turn to chaos if emergencies flare up and my list goes out the window...but at least I have a starting point for daily goals. I have also found that on most days I am able to accomplish the items on that Daily Task List (without too many emergencies completely blowing it up). One of the nice things of having it on paper (it's first page in my letter-sized Levenger notebook), is that it is in front of me throughout the day. Even as I run to meetings or are on conference calls or get distracted by someone stopping by my office, I can always be reminded of what I need or want to get done that day.
Second caveat to digital: I do print out my Project and Next Action lists on paper to work through during my weekly reviews. I have found that I am less distracted by incoming emails or other online temptations by working with the lists on paper rather than looking at them on the screen. It is easier on the eyes and I can review them anywhere (e.g., in the back patio, on the living room couch), which gives me more flexibility.
Third: I do still take meeting notes on paper once in a while. In general, I try to capture notes digitally (I type faster than I can write and I can quickly send the notes out to everyone in attendance). But there are times when jotting down notes in my notebook is more appropriate versus clicking away on my laptop (e.g., short impromptu meetings, interviews with clients where I want to do more listening, etc.).
Anyway, I hope this helps and good luck on your GTD journey.
Mahalo and Aloha,
David
