Canuckflack

That’s it. I’ve given up on Outlook. The notes and calendar functions on the Blackberry are too tiny. I’m moving back to analog or, as we used to call it in the 80s - pen and paper.

I’ve picked up some index cards, a Moleskine and a nice weighty rubber band (like the one on McSweeney’s 7, for you literati out there) and I’m going to write notes. Brief notes. I’m not going to write down everything said during that 2 hour planning meeting, but I will write enough to prompt my memory. No more blank stares when you bring up sub-point 5, the one the AVP considered “a line in the sand”!

Nope. With my new cards and notebook, I’ll be just as engaged as I was in grad school … but probably less caffeinated.

I’ve been doing my googling, and I’ve noticed all the GTD addicts out there. I’m not “installing” a Hipster PDA. I really like the “hacks” for the Hipster PDA, but that is just too organized and OCD a system for me.

My take on index cards? You can spend all your time fretting over the quality of your indexing system, or you can just grab the information and run. Like in Glengarry Glen Ross:

Blake: Go and do likewise, gents. The money’s out there, you pick it up, it’s yours. You don’t–I have no sympathy for you. You wanna go out on those sits tonight and close, close, it’s yours. If not, you’re going to be shining my shoes.

Bunch of losers sitting around in a bar. (in a mocking weak voice) “Oh yeah, I used to be a salesman, it’s a tough racket.” (he takes out large stack of red index cards tied together with string from his briefcase)

These are the new leads. These are the Glengarry leads. And to you, they’re gold. And you don’t get them.

Because to give them to you is just throwing them away. (he hands the stack to Williamson) They’re for closers.

And before you go and slam me for being a Moleskine bandwagonner, I’ll cop to ordering them online must be five years ago.