Has anyone gone back to paper?

I wanna get way more deliberate about what I'm doing the way I was when I was on paper. That's possible on digital as well I guess, with a li'l self-discipline, I dunno.
I came back to GTD a few months ago after trying a number of other systems and several different apps. This time I chose a largely paper system based around an A5 Filofax organiser and an A4 paper tickler file. The thing I've noticed is that the system seems to encourage me to be more intentional. There is something about having one piece of paper in front of you, whether it's a page in a planner or an A4 sheet from the tickler file, that increases focus. The lack of automation is actually its strength. When I've finished a task, I can't just click a checkbox. I have to decide what to do with the paper, which makes me think more carefully about what needs to happen next in the project.
 
I tried and worked with 3 main softwares : Omnifocus 3 (I still use), things 3 and Nirvana. A few month ago I felt exhausted and fed up of digital systems. It exhausted me as I spent my all time in front of a computer so, I tried to use paper with paper folders and sheets of paper. The experience was interesting. I wrote about it. I felt more involved, focus and less tired. Now, I am thinking how I could make it on my bullet journal. Paper could seems to be and old fashion tool. For me it is one of the best way of simply managing, thinking, acting and doing stuff because your are not forced to work like the developper thought. Paper is faster and simplest.
 
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Whether paper or digital, another benefit of any system that makes us more intentional and deliberate is more precise lists. And more precise lists are ultimately faster, because there's less time rethinking about what I meant when I wrote that action or outcome.
I totally agree. One of the benefit I found with the bujo is intentionality. Wondering WHY we do things seems to be more important than the How. Sometime we are engaged on certain things that has no matter to our lives so we loose time and success just because we focused on the wrong target. With GTD Horizon we can define the right target and the WHY. With Contexts we define the HOW. With the calendar we define the WHEN.
 
I tried and worked with 3 main softwares : Omnifocus 3 (I still use), things 3 and Nirvana. A few month ago I felt exhausted and fed up of digital systems. It exhausted me as I spent my all time in front of a computer so, I tried to use paper with paper folders and sheets of paper. The experience was interesting. I wrote about it. I felt more involved, focus and less tired. Now, I am thinking how I could make it on my bullet journal. Paper could seems to be and old fashion tool. For me it is one of the best way of simply managing, thinking, acting and doing stuff because your are not forced to work like the developper thought. Paper is faster and simplest.
I've tried the bullet journal several times but never kept it up. I think that having everything arranged sequentially confuses me because a 'collection' in bujo terminology, if spread over more than two pages, may be scattered within the journal. In the end, I set up the bujo in a Filofax and used dividers to separate day logs and other types of entry. I find it much easier to make sense of things when similar materials are given their own section. But then it wasn't really a bullet journal any more and became more like the GTD setup I have now.

However, one element common to both the bullet journal and GTD is the emphasis on frequent review. For me, this is key to their success because, even with a bad memory like mine, the material becomes very familiar. I review the first four sections of my Filofax (capture, calendar, action lists and agendas) every morning.
 
I'm just back from a conference where I left my real GTD life behind and took some conference-specific projects and actions with me. My tools were a notepad, a pen and a highlighter.

I loved it and am considering migrating my GTD system back to paper.

If anyone here has abandoned an electronic system for a paper one, I would love to hear from you. I'm a bit apprehensive about the migration so I would appreciate hearing as wide a range of successes and failures as possible.

In the meantime, I'm going to work from some printouts so I can easily go back.
Yes, , I got sick and tired of going from one app to the other and the money/time invested in them. Decided to cross back to paper only…have been using it now for over a year.
 
What I find most exciting about paper based GTD is, that you can design and print out your own forms. Have two binders: one that contains your system and one for archival of used forms, a special kind of reference.
 
I use paper with my digital system. Come to think of it, the sparing but important use of paper seems to offset digital fatigue with my tools. A little bit of tactile physical paper and pens scratches an itch I apparently didn't know I had.
 
I have tried about every system in digital and paper. Digital allows quick organization of entered tasks. My Outlook seamlessly integrates with my android phone using gSyncit and ClearContext. Projects and contexts are mapped. But I tend to create projects with many tasks and my system becomes overwhelming. So I keep the digital system to mainly track things that keep my household running. Stuff like repeating bills due and the dates. And my phone has all of my contacts.

I like paper much better in my vocation. I have used Franklin, Planner Pads, Purpose Planner, and Bullet Journal. The Bullet Journal lasted about two weeks. I needed more structure and I don't have time to draw out days, weeks, and months in a blank notebook. My main need in my vocational planner is a place to record conversations, next actions, and short term tasks, and meetings. I also want my paper tool to be portable, not a burden to carry, and must have adequate or expandable note taking pages. Only two planners meet this for me, the 8.5x11 Planner Pad with replaceable 8.5x11 cashiers journal, or the roterunner Purpose Planner. The Purpose Planner lacks the space I prefer to record detail, and I had to modify the task format, so I am replacing it with the Planner Pad in January. I found a leather cover for the Planner Pad which adds durability, yet doesn't add bulk like a 7 ring binder. BTW, the Planner Pad I will be using is the wire bound version.
 
I'm just back from a conference where I left my real GTD life behind and took some conference-specific projects and actions with me. My tools were a notepad, a pen and a highlighter.

I loved it and am considering migrating my GTD system back to paper.

If anyone here has abandoned an electronic system for a paper one, I would love to hear from you. I'm a bit apprehensive about the migration so I would appreciate hearing as wide a range of successes and failures as possible.

In the meantime, I'm going to work from some printouts so I can easily go back.

I'm a beginner at GTD. I've studied David Allen's books over the years, but I have not implemented a system. I've been considering a paper-based system. I've been finding that it's important to me for things to look neat and orderly and attractive, and that it bothers me that my handwriting and hand printing are messy, hard to read, and even at times illegible. A paper-based system does appeal to me, but I'm not attracted by the result.

On the other hand, I've had the unnerving experience of losing data several times when computers have crashed. This made me cautious about trusting technology with my data. Also, when I enter my data into a computer program, my data seems buried and inaccessible in there, and this bothers me. In addition, I don't like the idea of my data being anywhere but private. Finally, I've read here about the difficulty that can arise when a manufacturer stops supporting a program and there turns out to be no good way to download the data in usable form. I would feel more comfortable having my information in a safe and accessible paper system.

However, I enjoy using technology, to the extent that I understand it, and it might be that a combination system would work for me. I could enter information into a computer program, perhaps one I know, such as MS Word, and I could print pages containing my data, so my system would be both accessible and attractive. I would need the tools and equipment to do this.

If I'm not mistaken, I read here on the Forum that you have been using a paper-based index card system for your projects and next actions, which has worked really well for you, and that recently you are doing something different, which I believe is also paper-based. I've been considering an index-card system. I'd be interested in what you liked about your index card system and what motivated you to make this change.

It's inspiring to hear of your enjoyment in using your paper-based system. I think it's a wise move that you are working from printouts to back yourself up, so your data is protected while you are migrating your system.
 
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I've been considering a paper-based system. I've been finding that it's important to me for things to look neat and orderly and attractive, and that it bothers me that my handwriting and hand printing are messy, hard to read, and even at times illegible. A paper-based system does appeal to me, but I'm not attracted by the result.
I can understand this as my handwriting is messy, but it has been improving since I started using a paper system so I guess it is partly practice. When I was a kid, children all had large callouses on their middle finger from using a pen or pencil so much. How often do you see that now? :)
when I enter my data into a computer program, my data seems buried and inaccessible in there, and this bothers me.
Yes, I think this is one of the main things that influenced my choice of paper. I tend to have mental blocks, and I can look at a computer screen and be completely blank about where to find something, or even what it is I'm looking for. If that happens now, I just check the sections in my Filofax, going through them from cover to cover if necessary (although the logical structure means it rarely is). I soon get back on track.
I could print pages containing my data, so my system would be both accessible and attractive. I would need the tools and equipment to do this.
One thing I have found immensely helpful is my printer's ability to do 'booklet printing'. I don't know if this is standard on all printers. It means that any A4 document can be printed double-sided onto A4 paper in landscape orientation, then the paper cut in half and filed in an A5 planner in such a way that the pages all in the correct sequence.

I can recommend a paper system as I have been finding so many benefits over the last few months.
 
I'm a beginner at GTD. I've studied David Allen's books over the years, but I have not implemented a system. I've been considering a paper-based system. I've been finding that it's important to me for things to look neat and orderly and attractive, and that it bothers me that my handwriting and hand printing are messy, hard to read, and even at times illegible. A paper-based system does appeal to me, but I'm not attracted by the result.

On the other hand, I've had the unnerving experience of losing data several times when computers have crashed. This made me cautious about trusting technology with my data. Also, when I enter my data into a computer program, my data seems buried and inaccessible in there, and this bothers me. In addition, I don't like the idea of my data being anywhere but private. Finally, I've read here about the difficulty that can arise when a manufacturer stops supporting a program and there turns out to be no good way to download the data in usable form. I would feel more comfortable having my information in a safe and accessible paper system.

However, I enjoy using technology, to the extent that I understand it, and it might be that a combination system would work for me. I could enter information into a computer program, perhaps one I know, such as MS Word, and I could print pages containing my data, so my system would be both accessible and attractive. I would need the tools and equipment to do this.

If I'm not mistaken, I read here on the Forum that you have been using a paper-based index card system for your projects and next actions, which has worked really well for you, and that recently you are doing something different, which I believe is also paper-based. I've been considering an index-card system. I'd be interested in what you liked about your index card system and what motivated you to make this change.

It's inspiring to hear of your enjoyment in using your paper-based system. I think it's a wise move that you are working from printouts to back yourself up, so your data is protected while you are migrating your system.

I also don't trust technology. Backups are really important. Here are two kinds of backups that I use:

* An off-site backup. This is important in case your house burns down. It should be automatic, either scheduled daily or done instantly. It can be set up easily with a cloud provider, of which there are several.
* A manual backup. This is done by copying the entire contents of your hard drive to external storage. It is important in case you lose access to your cloud storage. Maybe the cloud provider deletes or loses your account (I've heard stories about this happening), or the automation goes wrong and deletes things. You want this to be so simple that it cannot go wrong. Simply copy all the files in one go. Ideally, you have several external hard drives that you can rotate between, so you have backups at different ages.

As far as software vendors stopping support for a product, here is my advice:

* Always look to see if the software can export data. It should be in a standard or open format, preferably plain text. Export the data regularly, maybe just before doing a backup. If you have regular, up to date exports in an open format, then you will always be able to find software to read it, even if it is Notepad!

* If there is no export in an open format, then look for a commonly used format in the industry. For example, there will always be software to open xls files, even if something happens to Microsoft.

I know what you mean about information disappearing on a computer. I think that engaging with the content can help reduce that effect. You do this in the weekly review but also every day when you are adding to and working from your lists.

My handwriting is also messy. It always has been, but lately I have been making an effort to be neater and it is beginning to pay off. It is still not great but it is much better than it was, and it is so satisfying to see. I watched some videos on YouTube about handwriting and they motivated me to make the effort. I also have the concept of longevity of the writing. Projects might be on my list for a year, so they have to be written neatly so I can understand them later. Items that I capture will be processed in a day or two, so it is OK if they are messy, as long as they serve as a reminder while I am processing. Actions fall somewhere between the two.

I made the opening post in this thread years ago. Since then, I have had several different digital systems and a couple of paper-based ones.

I no-longer use my index card system but I really enjoyed it for a while and may go back to it one day. Here are some things that were great about it:
* Easy to focus on just one card while doing or reviewing.
* If my lists were too long, it became very obvious!
* Project one side, action on the other made linking them an effortless side effect.
* I could easily "select" a subset of a list.
* I could spread them out over the whole floor or desk, grouping them in different ways.
* It was nice manipulating information on a physical medium.

I moved to using notebooks a couple of months ago. The index cards were a bit clunky to take to different locations so I found some nice notebooks that I like.

Finally, I would say that the perfect is the enemy of the good. You've read the books, so you know how to clarify, organise and review. Start with four pieces of paper: Inbox, Projects, Actions and Someday/Maybe. Make a start, and make improvements as you feel inspired. Congratulations. You have graduated from "beginner" to "fully-fledged GTDer".
 
I also don't trust technology. Backups are really important. Here are two kinds of backups that I use:

* An off-site backup. This is important in case your house burns down. It should be automatic, either scheduled daily or done instantly. It can be set up easily with a cloud provider, of which there are several.
* A manual backup. This is done by copying the entire contents of your hard drive to external storage. It is important in case you lose access to your cloud storage. Maybe the cloud provider deletes or loses your account (I've heard stories about this happening), or the automation goes wrong and deletes things. You want this to be so simple that it cannot go wrong. Simply copy all the files in one go. Ideally, you have several external hard drives that you can rotate between, so you have backups at different ages.

As far as software vendors stopping support for a product, here is my advice:

* Always look to see if the software can export data. It should be in a standard or open format, preferably plain text. Export the data regularly, maybe just before doing a backup. If you have regular, up to date exports in an open format, then you will always be able to find software to read it, even if it is Notepad!

* If there is no export in an open format, then look for a commonly used format in the industry. For example, there will always be software to open xls files, even if something happens to Microsoft.

I know what you mean about information disappearing on a computer. I think that engaging with the content can help reduce that effect. You do this in the weekly review but also every day when you are adding to and working from your lists.

My handwriting is also messy. It always has been, but lately I have been making an effort to be neater and it is beginning to pay off. It is still not great but it is much better than it was, and it is so satisfying to see. I watched some videos on YouTube about handwriting and they motivated me to make the effort. I also have the concept of longevity of the writing. Projects might be on my list for a year, so they have to be written neatly so I can understand them later. Items that I capture will be processed in a day or two, so it is OK if they are messy, as long as they serve as a reminder while I am processing. Actions fall somewhere between the two.

I made the opening post in this thread years ago. Since then, I have had several different digital systems and a couple of paper-based ones.

I no-longer use my index card system but I really enjoyed it for a while and may go back to it one day. Here are some things that were great about it:
* Easy to focus on just one card while doing or reviewing.
* If my lists were too long, it became very obvious!
* Project one side, action on the other made linking them an effortless side effect.
* I could easily "select" a subset of a list.
* I could spread them out over the whole floor or desk, grouping them in different ways.
* It was nice manipulating information on a physical medium.

I moved to using notebooks a couple of months ago. The index cards were a bit clunky to take to different locations so I found some nice notebooks that I like.

Finally, I would say that the perfect is the enemy of the good. You've read the books, so you know how to clarify, organise and review. Start with four pieces of paper: Inbox, Projects, Actions and Someday/Maybe. Make a start, and make improvements as you feel inspired. Congratulations. You have graduated from "beginner" to "fully-fledged GTDer".

Thanks, @cfoley.

I appreciate your response about index cards. It seems very convenient to have the Project and Next Actions on reverse sides of the same index card to keep aware of the relationship. Did you turn your index cards with the Next Action side up and put them in order of Context, or did you not have Contexts? Also, what did you do when you finished that Next Action - did you add another Next Action to the same side of the same index card - and what if it was not in the same Context?

You made some good points for future reference about backups and data export and also about handwriting. I have at times looked up handwriting (cursive) online. I thought it came in only one standard form, but there are many to choose from and emulate. Some look much more legible than others. There are handwriting practice sheets (for school kids) with dotted lines between the solid lines to make space for ascenders and descenders. It takes slowing waaay down for me to write legibly, but as you say, that might change with practice. A fountain pen and paper, both of good quailty, might make a big difference.

Thanks so much for your encouragement! I hear that you suggest starting and taking action, and my system will develop. For me it is too confusing to create lists and try to manage them when I have no place to put anything or find anything that the lists are about, so I'm starting first with decluttering. I plan to get rid of things first to make space (declutter). Then I plan to create homes for things (organize), so I have places to find and put things I'll see where I am then in terms of my GTD lists.

I do keep trying things, though. My inbox recently had about 97,000 emails in it. This is the cluttered nature of my life in all areas. I thought it was impossible to get control of this, but this week I got my inbox to zero. I read online that I could archive my inbox, so I followed directions, and I did it. It took about 20 minutes for the computer transfer. All those emails are now in my archive and not in my inbox. I was shocked that my inbox was empty!

I learned a little later that GTD suggests separating current emails from backlog. GTD considers the last 30 days of emails to be current emails, which need to be processed into the system as soon as possible to get email to zero. GTD considers emails before that date to be backlog, which can be processed when time.

Good to have your support, @cfoley. Take care!
 
@cfoley The catch with backups is the the are rarely tested. You can have many backups and nothing to restore…

I have certainly found this to be true. Once on my job we made three complete backups to be absolutely sure that we had the data saved safely. We did not know to test this periodically, and when we needed the data, every one of these three backups was useless. The files opened, but the data looked like meaningless chicken tracks.

I once backed up my dad's computer for him using a windows backup program. I recall that we had to use windows restore to access the files when we needed them. I no longer remember all the details, but my dad's files could not be restored. I don't know which of us felt worse. (John Forrister, this reminds me of your troubling experience with David Allen's computer.)

Another time, I had a friend who was an expert in computers. He created a setup on a computer for my other friend to use as a backup for his current computer in an emergency. I tested it myself to be sure it was okay, and it worked fine. I told my other friend that that I wanted him to confirm for himself that the computer was working correctly. When I got there with the computer, he was too busy to be bothered to check. Later, when he needed this backup computer desperately, it did not work. I went over to help, but indeed, it did not work. I felt badly because I knew it had been done correctly, but my friend had not checked and did not know that.

A different but interesting situation about data loss occurred on my job. It was when computers were first coming into use in business. A colleague of mine was selected to learn to use the computer and to enter data. She had been working intently for about a week when she discovered to her dismay that computer files disappear unless they are saved. At that time, we did not know that. Files were saved on tape then, and nothing was there after all her work. Ouch! Nowdays, I've found that some files don't need to be saved, but because of this and other early lessons, I can't help feeling uneasy that the files might disappear.
 
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I can understand this as my handwriting is messy, but it has been improving since I started using a paper system so I guess it is partly practice. When I was a kid, children all had large callouses on their middle finger from using a pen or pencil so much. How often do you see that now? :)

Thanks for your support with a paper system.

I am laughing with recognition because I haven't thought about that for a long time, but I was one of those children who had a callus on my writing finger. I still do. It's not as large or as hard now, but there it is. It's like a small outward curved spot near my finger tip.
 
This is why there are multiple (as it progressed) printed copies of my novel, minimum margins, seven point type, in two different locations. It would be a huge pain to retype it, but it wouldn't be lost.

If the worst happened, you could scan your novel and not need to type it. Text from an optical character reader scan is editable.
 
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