Despite digital media proclamations of the “paperless office” and the death of hard copy, paper purveyers are flourishing.
Sure, you can keep all your data on a PDA, send email on your BlackBerry or write memos on your Treo. But can you paste a wine label from a memorable restaurant meal on these? Can you draw a quick sketch of an amusing scene or a breakthrough idea? Can you fold your Palm Pilot into a real paper airplane and send it sailing across the room?
To all these I say no. And surprisingly, the digerati are with me! In fact, they are recognizing (even celebrating) that there are just some things for which paper is a more elegant or satisfying solution than a laptop, handheld or digital paper.
Getting Things Done by David Allen is the productivity bible for many of today’s techno-savvy workers. And what does this scribe and his fanatical fans recommend for keeping our increasingly complex lives sorted? He suggests a deck of index cards snuggled together with a paper clip. Or a series of colored file folders. How retro, and yet…how modern. And let’s not even mention how many paper stickies are plastered around our monitors–to remind us of all the digital things we need we do.
Of course, there are more elegant solutions than these such as my personal passion for moleskine notebooks or the myriad stylish journals available from paper emporiums like Kate’s Paperie or Levenger. Oh, and there are even homemade notebooks for those abandoning their digital personal managers but who want something a little more classic than a pile of clipped yellow note cards.
UPDATE: I got a nice email from Rick Kantor from Getting Things Done who kindly allowed me to reprint it below:
Hello Mimi,
I have the privilege of working with David Allen, and enjoyed very much your post about Paper for many reasons. I spent the earlier years of my career in the paper industry and had the great fun of knowing Kate from Kate’s Paperie when she had her first little art supply store at Parsons School of Design in NY. Lovely lady, indeed, with exquisite taste. Suffice it to say my love of paper made me especially appreciate your blog.
Because your column is devoted to products, I would be remiss not to point out one of the most essential, unassuming, inexpensive and necessary paper related items I have, and yes, it does happen to be one that The David Allen Company just produced themselves to fill this need: GTD File Folders. I use mine specifically for travel, when the scraps of paper, reports, travel confirmations and support notes can eat you alive. Not to mention the receipts ! I love paper but unpacking my bag at the end of a trip was like a Jack in the Box of unexpected crumpled bits. Now, a place for everything in my computer bag. So simple. So ordinary. But for me, at least, a life saver.
Thanks for mentioning David’s work. I hope we may meet in person, perhaps at one of David’s GTD RoadMap seminars in the Fall or WInter.
Kind regards,
Rick
Hi, I just wanted to say great post! I completely agree with you here. I’ve never been a fan of the paperless movement. There’s something about putting an idea out on paper in my own handwriting that solidifies the concept for me. I can’t give that up!