I got a used Palm Tungsten E2 just over two years ago, and for awhile I loved it. I like having it with me all the time, I liked the alarms, I liked how sleek it was.
But the honeymoon is long over. At first, the battery lasted forever. Now it runs down all the time and doesn't hold a charge very long, which is super irritating. I know I could replace the battery, but that's not the only problem. The E2 doesn't have built-in wifi, which really reduces its functionality. I got a wifi card, but it doesn't work anymore. When it did work, it was very slow, and I had to have an open wifi network. Also I don't like the mobile version of most websites. Finally, I have had enough of the Palm Graffiti - it's slow, even when I was really good at it, and I have found that I just don't like taking notes with it. I'd much rather use paper and pen.
I've been using OmniFocus for about a year and a half to keep track of my tasks. For awhile I loved it, but I couldn't sync it to my Palm, so I stopped using the Palm for to-do lists and only used it for the calendar. Now I'm tired of OmniFocus too. I find myself avoiding it in favor of happy paper to-do lists that I can cross off - or completely ignore as I make a brand new one.
I toyed with the idea of getting a smart phone. Not an iPhone, as much as I love Apple products - everyone and their dog has an iPhone and I like to be different. I wanted a Palm Pre. They're beautiful, they have a keyboard, and they have the Palm operating system which I actually really like.
But I have AT&T, which doesn't have the Palm Pre yet. Not that it matters, because I'm not eligible for a phone upgrade until April. But then, if I got a smart phone, I'd have to upgrade to a data plan and pay a lot more per month so I can check email on my phone. And do I really need to check my email even more often than I already do??
I have decided that the answer is no. I have a Moleskine notebook that I love, where I take all the notes I'm not taking on my palm and write all the to-do lists I'm not keeping in OmniFocus. So I got a pocket-sized Moleskine planner (this one) and have been keeping my calendar in it AND in the palm for the last few months while I try to decide. I like the Moleskine planner but the pocket size is too small. So instead of having several different things for different functions, I have just ordered the large Moleskine daily planner (this one) which will give me enough room for to-do lists and to keep notes at meetings on the days they occur. I am very excited!! (Because it's true, buying something new always makes things better.)
Bonus: I got a pretty new vintage Kate Spade purse on eBay for a very nice price! It arrived yesterday and it is beeeeaaautiful. My new planner will fit in it very nicely.
11 comments:
I can't give up my paper dayplanner either - I love being able to physically cross things off, and it's just easier to look at than the one on my iPhone. I still put stuff in my calendar on my phone, but it's more of a backup (I set alarms just in case).
LOVE that purse!
Not only is new stuff fun and therapeutic, it's useful! And pretty! And cool!
That said, I use my iPhone for many many many things, and find that electronic lists and notes is just not me. Nor, unfortunately, are cool day planners. I'm still trying to find something that works for me...
I did the same thing as you a few years back -- I had loved my Trio but grew tired of the battery wearing out and the bulkiness. I went back to a Molskine planner and have never looked back (I use the version with a week on one page and notes on the facing page because I just don't need a full page per day, and I like to be able to glance at my week). I also carry around a Blackberry pearl which is small enough to slip into a pocket, but allows me to email on the fly.
Oh yeah, and apart from the sheer tactile joy of a beautiful and sturdy book, the Moleskine is fantastic as an archive. I keep my old books on my bookshelf -- if I am ever wondering what I did on any given day in 2007 or 2008, it is all right there.
I love using a paper daytimer. I still write my lists on paper.
I have to admit, I love my IPhone, but I hate AT&T.
That purse is freaking adorable.
I too will be returning to the paper tracking system at the turn of the year. I'm trying to decide between the Moleskins (as I have loved there little notebooks for years) or PaperBlanks (which are similar in format but prettier).
As for smart phones and AT&T-bad duo. I got a Blackberry Pearl with data plan my last year or so of grad school. I actually liked it a lot (although have constant email access is not always a good thing). If you're in a major metro area (like I am now), data streaming sucks. I gave up my data plan because I was paying an $30/mo for something I couldn't even use.
I use one of the graph paper moleskines for my note take. Granted my note take is 99% doodles, but still...
I still use a paper planner (I currently have the Anne Taintor one). I find that I stay more organized & tend to keep on top of my appointments and to-do lists more when I actually write them down (as opposed to typing them). I do use the reminders on Outlook or my phone for meetings and small daily tasks, but the majority of my life gets scheduled in the planner!
I am always in favor of changing your organizational system. I can sympathize with your Palm troubles as I went through 8 years of Palm love from a Handspring Visor, Visor Edge, and Palm Tungsten E. Palms were great at synchronizing the things I used (calendar, contacts, Microsoft Money) but I wanted something with data access. I also started working for a company that makes good use of Microsoft Exchange and expects everyone to maintain calendars in Outlook. I try to keep my personal and work calendars separate but connected; I don't want my employer to have access to my personal information, but I do need to be able to access my schedule to plan future appointments.
For the moment I use Outlook at work and Google Calendar at home (and a shared Google Calendar for events that my husband needs to know about), with web access for both so I can check the other when necessary. I WANT a smartphone so I can have quicker access to both. iPhones and data plans are prohibitively expensive in New Zealand, so while I WANT one, I'm looking instead towards a HTC Hero sometime next year.
For tasks, I LOVE Remember The Milk, and I can access it online, offline, through printed to-do lists, and from smartphones/mobile devices. It is also insanely flexible. I'm using it to follow GTD, using the techniques in this article: http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/2008/05/guest-post-advanced-gtd-with-remember-the-milk/
I like the idea of Moleskines, but I wouldn't have any easy way to share events (birthdays, social stuff) with my husband if I used a paper calendar. How do you manage this with Arbitrista?
Unfortunately, the only way I can sync events with Arbitrista is through nagging.
Yeah, I used to use a Palm but have returned to pen and paper. It's more viscerally satisfying, it allows me to browse easily through old notes, and there are never concerns about breaking it or running out of batteries.
Also, I kind of like nagging.
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