How Paper Can Make You More Productive

Posted on August 29, 2011 by
Categories: Productivity

Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.

Photo by koalazymonkey

I have a confessions to make — I have gone back to a paper-based system. My electronic data was getting lost, and I was getting increasingly unresponsive and frustrated. So I went back to paper, and I’m more productive. Here’s why:

Everything At A Glance

On paper I can see the whole of a day in one place.My appointments, regular tasks and targets are all there for me to see. I know if I have a busy or relaxed day coming; I know if things need to be shifted or if I can add more.

More Planning

After making the (obvious) discovery that planners are meant for planning (see Planners are for…wait for it…PLANNING!), I found it’s easier to construct a plant on paper. I have a sense of how my day and week are unfolding and I can adjust as needed.

The week where nights are filled with Girl Scout activities is not the time to launch a new e-course, for example.

Limited Real Estate Means Less Overwhelm

With paper, you are physically limited by the paper you are working with. This means you can only add as many things as the paper has space.

For me, this means that the things I want to accomplish are limited to the page. Since I am always over-stuffing my task lists, the physical limitation of the paper keeps this in check.

Gives You A Basis For an E-System

One of the reasons I go back to paper every now and then is because it strips my system down to the basics. It eliminates the unnecessary bells and whistles, removes work-arounds, and leaves me with the simple basics of the system that works.

From that point, I can choose to re-implement it in an electronic format, either making tools work for my system, or using only the parts of tools that meet my needs. In this way, I make my tools work the way I need, rather than trying to bend my work to the tools.

I’ve been using the paper system for a few weeks now, and I’m enjoying the relaxation I am getting from having everything planned. I’m no longer frantic, trying to fit a few more things into the day, and things that were stalled are being worked on.

Do you have any thoughts about paper vs. electronic? Share below.

Photo by koalazymonkey

 

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Comments (5)

 

  1. Thomas (@Don_Sushi) (@Don_Sushi) says:
    August 29, 2011 at 5:14 am

    #SimpleProductivity: How Paper Can Make You More Productive: I have a confessions to make — I… http://t.co/3iMS18b via @SmplProdBlog

  2. GetItDone GTD News (@GetItDoneApp) (@GetItDoneApp) says:
    August 29, 2011 at 5:49 am

    How Paper Can Make You More Productive http://t.co/ITteBps #productivity

  3. Damian Castillo says:
    August 29, 2011 at 9:59 am

    I find it interesting that many people I know who practice GTD are doing just fine with a digital system.

    I never feel like my task are lost and I am usually working on the right things at any given time. No matter if I am at the office, at home or on the road.

    A digital system allows me to tie in many great services that make up my entire GTD system and I am very productive for it.

    I use services like Evernote, Gmail, NirvanaHQ, Google Reeder, Google Calendar and some iPhone apps to tie it all together in a simple and straight forward way.

  4. Björn says:
    August 29, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    I’m also using a trusted system for GTD and going mostly paperless but I have a paper based planner.

    Over the time I have discovered that when it comes to efficiency and the operative work a digital system is much better because it’s always available and can handle speed and dynamic. It helps you doing your work right.

    For planning (choosing the right work for the future) I use my Time/System A5 business paper planner. Thinking about where I want to be in 5 years and breaking this down to monthly plans leads to higher effectivity. This is something where technology won’t help you. You need a quiet place for thinking.

    I’m going to write a blog series about this topic in the future so follow me on twitter!

    Björn

  5. Dr. Bob Clarke says:
    August 30, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    I would agree that at times getting back to basics can be a really good thing. But being on the go all the time, I love the ability to check my calender and To Do lists whenever I want on my iPhone.

    I certainly wouldn’t want to carry around a calendar and my To Do list every where I go:-)