Discussion Forum > Mourning a More Complicated System
Mel:
I'm not exactly a slouch when it comes to things electronic. I run a website and a blog without the help of a website designer, I use facebook, I text my children on my mobile phone, I order my books through amazon and hire my DVDs through Lovefilm, I download TV programmes through BBC IPlayer, I write books on a wordprocessor, etc, etc. So for someone in his mid-60s who started his working career long before any of these things had been even thought of, I'm really quite with-it and trendy (as we used to say).
But for the life of me I've never been able to understand why anyone would want to use electronic means to do a job which is better done with paper and pen. And writing lists and crossing off items from those lists definitely falls in that category as far as I'm concerned!
The desire to have everything in one electronic gadget, which has been expressed by a few people on this forum, reminds me of those wonderful items which appear only in Christmas gift catalogues, which do about 50 different jobs - none of them particularly well.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/dec/06/shopping
These are just the ravings of a grumpy old man - please ignore! :-)
I'm not exactly a slouch when it comes to things electronic. I run a website and a blog without the help of a website designer, I use facebook, I text my children on my mobile phone, I order my books through amazon and hire my DVDs through Lovefilm, I download TV programmes through BBC IPlayer, I write books on a wordprocessor, etc, etc. So for someone in his mid-60s who started his working career long before any of these things had been even thought of, I'm really quite with-it and trendy (as we used to say).
But for the life of me I've never been able to understand why anyone would want to use electronic means to do a job which is better done with paper and pen. And writing lists and crossing off items from those lists definitely falls in that category as far as I'm concerned!
The desire to have everything in one electronic gadget, which has been expressed by a few people on this forum, reminds me of those wonderful items which appear only in Christmas gift catalogues, which do about 50 different jobs - none of them particularly well.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/dec/06/shopping
These are just the ravings of a grumpy old man - please ignore! :-)
January 16, 2009 at 10:04 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Sounds familiar.. I have made a choice of using COTS products (Commercial Off The Shelf) and tweaking them for my working style. I have a dev background and have started a GTD app about 5 times...
I use OneNote for everything now and If I need something I will just create a plugin in for it but so far I can do everything out of the box and sync it via Live Mesh (www.mesh.com) so I have it at home and on my work laptop.
Once they come out with a table netbook ill be set with OneNote on it! No need for paper but until then ill have my trusty notebook and cross it out when it goes electronic.
I could make a plugin for OneNote that would applaud then all items on the page are tagged :)
I use OneNote for everything now and If I need something I will just create a plugin in for it but so far I can do everything out of the box and sync it via Live Mesh (www.mesh.com) so I have it at home and on my work laptop.
Once they come out with a table netbook ill be set with OneNote on it! No need for paper but until then ill have my trusty notebook and cross it out when it goes electronic.
I could make a plugin for OneNote that would applaud then all items on the page are tagged :)
January 16, 2009 at 10:21 |
Jon B.
Jon B.
Mel
One thing I've finally learnt after years of regretting buying things that then I don't use for long (or find something better to take its place) is to just:
Let it go and move on!
Easy to say, hard to do, but once done the feeling of release is wonderful...
If you can find some poor sap to unload it to as a 'gift' all the better (although in fairness telling them about the wonders of Autofocus might be kinder).
Sometimes buying things that become obsolete soon after because you either grow out of them or find something better is just part of the process. We don't spend time as adults crying over not being able to wear clothes we wore as a kid that we've grown out of so we need to look at other things in a similar way.
It's taken me years but I'm finally managing to see this.
And one more thing that I read somewhere that's always stayed with me "you can't recoup the value of something just by keeping it!!!"
One thing I've finally learnt after years of regretting buying things that then I don't use for long (or find something better to take its place) is to just:
Let it go and move on!
Easy to say, hard to do, but once done the feeling of release is wonderful...
If you can find some poor sap to unload it to as a 'gift' all the better (although in fairness telling them about the wonders of Autofocus might be kinder).
Sometimes buying things that become obsolete soon after because you either grow out of them or find something better is just part of the process. We don't spend time as adults crying over not being able to wear clothes we wore as a kid that we've grown out of so we need to look at other things in a similar way.
It's taken me years but I'm finally managing to see this.
And one more thing that I read somewhere that's always stayed with me "you can't recoup the value of something just by keeping it!!!"
January 16, 2009 at 10:56 |
Hannah
Hannah
Who says we don't spend time as adults crying over not being able to wear clothes we wore as a kid that we've grown out of? <grin> Love the comment "you can't recoup the value of something just by keeping it!!!"" That is so true yet invariably ignored.
Mel I know exactly what you mean about purchasing the latest TM software, books, etc - Have all the TM T-Shirts nicely filed away! Part of what I do is create systems - I love systems - can create systems to do most administrative tasks and anything else besides - but do I like following them ...........? I'm always looking for ways to improve on them - but thank goodness Mark is the same and came up with AF!
Have to admit that my immediate reaction to your question about applauding software was "ooh, I'm sure I could do that in OneNote" Sad huh?
Mel I know exactly what you mean about purchasing the latest TM software, books, etc - Have all the TM T-Shirts nicely filed away! Part of what I do is create systems - I love systems - can create systems to do most administrative tasks and anything else besides - but do I like following them ...........? I'm always looking for ways to improve on them - but thank goodness Mark is the same and came up with AF!
Have to admit that my immediate reaction to your question about applauding software was "ooh, I'm sure I could do that in OneNote" Sad huh?
January 16, 2009 at 12:16 |
Christine B
Christine B
Mark, you sound just like my husband (also Mark)! I am always giddy over the latest must-have gadget and dh says, "We don't need it." LOL He runs his business with over 500+ clients catalogued in 3-ring binders.
As I have mentioned several times before, I am using www.tadalist.com because of its portability. It has NO fancy bells or whistles whatsoever and it's free. I realized this morning that its plain-jane nature is what bugs me. I have nothing to fidget with so I actually have to do my tasks. LOL! I will keep all my calendared tasks in LifeBalance since they're already entered and will keep going with AutoFocus. Maybe I can celebrate successes with another iPhone app that has nothing to do with productivity. LOL
As I have mentioned several times before, I am using www.tadalist.com because of its portability. It has NO fancy bells or whistles whatsoever and it's free. I realized this morning that its plain-jane nature is what bugs me. I have nothing to fidget with so I actually have to do my tasks. LOL! I will keep all my calendared tasks in LifeBalance since they're already entered and will keep going with AutoFocus. Maybe I can celebrate successes with another iPhone app that has nothing to do with productivity. LOL
January 16, 2009 at 14:54 |
Mel
Mel
I think Stark's post has something related with this thread:
"My compulsion to complicate the AF system is the surest way to avoid getting anything done at all."
http://www.markforster.net/forum/post/633631
"My compulsion to complicate the AF system is the surest way to avoid getting anything done at all."
http://www.markforster.net/forum/post/633631
January 19, 2009 at 0:20 |
Silvia
Silvia
As thrilled as I am that I am completing tasks I've put off for years, I'm kind of bummed that I spent all the time and money on a system (lots of systems actually!) that probably won't work for me. I've wracked my brain trying to come up with a way of incorporating the two approaches, but I don't think there's a great solution. Can anyone else relate to what I'm feeling? I've had a similar experience in the past. I spent hours working on software to record school lesson plans and hours. It was so complicated, it drove me nuts. So I ended up using a paper system with 3-ring binders. As well as it works, I can't help hoping they'll develop better software in the future. Maybe Mark can develop software that applauds when you finish a page. LOL