Cheers, mate!
Lee

Of course, there’s a special irony at work here. A year or two ago, I would have been the guy at the Vaio thinking, “A paper planner? How quaint. My grandfather and he would have gotten along famously….” My look, however, would have been less critical and more amused.

I explaing away this obvious hypocrisy by rationalising this change to be the result of “an evolution of thought, a re-examination of circumstance, and an exploration of alternatives.”

Last year I still used a PDA, it had all kind of software you could fit in one of those things but most of it were games. My original intention of using a PDA was lost due to games, my original intention was to organize my somewhat chaotic life. It became more chaotic.

When I ditched the little thing to switch back to a paper planner I found myself with no refills for it so I searched a cheap alternative and I landed here.

And I can’t wait until Saturday arrives. All I can say is: Great Work, Good luck and keep writing and creating.

Doug Johnston is launching his new site, DIYPlanner.com tomorrow. Doug created and excellent set of templates for printing out and making your own Hipster PDA. These templates have been so popular Doug has been inundated with requests for new ones t…

I fully agree with your sentiments and it is refreshing to see them in a digital forum such as this.

For years I have been telling my customers that paper is still the best, least expensive, most long-lived and most reliable technology:

- It doesn’t need to be upgraded. Paper has not significantly changed for thousands of years. Paper that is hundreds of years old is still usable — readable and writable — today.
- It does not need electricity or any other power source to function
- It does not crash. Unless you spill something on it, or take the effort to light it on fire, you will not lose your work.
- It uses open standards. Paper comes in standard formats for standard purposes: Letter-size, tabloid-size, index cards, business cards, etc. These standard sizes fit standard devices such as printers, fax machines, etc.
- It is ligher in weight and more transportable than any other technology.
- It’s inexpensive. The entry-level price point is just a few cents.
- It’s easily learned and used. Just about anyone in the world can be up and running in minutes, even a small child.

In fact I feel so strongly about this I think I will post this rant to my own blog.

The back-to-paper movement is in full swing. Viva the revolution!!!!

In the end, I have to admit that I might be more oblivious, as opposed to less paranoid. Besides, you were there, I wasn’t…and people definitely say things with their eyes that they would never express out loud.

The really funny thing is, I probably give a similar look to people (I call them “poor saps” in my head) who I think are struggling to use their electronic PDAs. In a lot of cases, it seems that writing directly on the cash they laid out for those gadgets would have been simpler and more effective. If I really stop to think, however, I’m sure that electronics work out better for some portion of that crowd (and I wouldn’t try to keep my constantly shifting contacts list on paper).

I have already put your templates to use in my personal (paper-based) planning system, and have pointed others to your site. Your generous contributions provide alternatives to individuals who are currently struggling, whether with a PDA or some different paper-based system that just isn’t a good fit for them. Thanks for being there!