New Year, Old Ways

For the last few years I’ve used an electronic calendar device (an old Palm Pilot the office had laying around) rather than a printed organizer. It has its advantages. Primarily, I can update it electronically with the push of a button. Meetings that have been added to the calendar on my work computer through e-mail are added to my hand-held device with the touch of a button. It will also buzz to remind me of things. Plus, it doesn’t suffer from my messy handwriting or from things being crossed out. It’s very tidy. And it has fun games.

Even so, I found myself longing for my old notebook. The tabbed dividers, the pen holder with its sleek Parker, the pretty paper. So this year I’m going back to it, back to the old way of doing things.

One advantage of the notebook is that it gives me a place to write notes to myself, to track ideas. Yes, I know, I can do that on the electronic calendar, but I didn’t. Plus I can tuck pieces of paper in this notebook—receipts, announcements, . . . . I also have a few address labels, a gospel tract, a ruler, and other goodies stashed in the back. And I can’t do that with an electronic organizer.

I know some of you live completely in the electronic age, and my hat is off to you. But I guess my love of pens and paper and all office supplies has won out.

How ‘bout you? How do you keep yourself organized? If you have a good idea, I’ll write it down in my notebook.