Going Paperless Not Such a Good Idea?
After using a Tablet PC for over a year now the rush of rotating the screen and scribbling away with my stylus has lost some of its flare and pizazz. My MIS class even helped me to realize that despite how much we may invest in some new piece of technology, if it does not improve our well being and live up to our expectations we must be willing to suck it up and say "It doesn't work and I don't want it." I suppose this is why I stopped using my Tablet PC (I still use and love it as a very portable notebook) as often as I once did.
My recent experiences reveal that productivity increases when I use it more as a notebook and less as a Tablet PC. Of course, when scenarios arise that absolutely require a Tablet PC to ensure success and efficient use of time I joyously perform that magical rotate and flip maneuver. However, when I contemplate whether I can perform an activity faster in notebook mode or tablet mode, I discover few situations where tablet mode is the best possible choice (currently).
When the Tablet PC was new it was instinctive to try to squeeze every bit of juice out of it it. I would switch to tablet mode whenever I could and infrequently questioned whether such actions were the best possible use of my time and energy. Previously, I viewed my Tablet PC as a Tablet PC first and then as a notebook second. This was a mistake, and currently I view it as a light portable notebook that doubles as Tablet PC.
With that said, I have also retreated back to former methods that involve the use of paper. I have found that reading real textbooks (instead of ebooks) and peforming homework on notebook paper (and then scanning it as a backup) has actually increased my performance in school. My personality seems to place higher value on those items decorated with blank ink than documents that are displayed on a computer screen. Of course I have reduced my paper consumption and now save the printing for high priority items only. It seems their physical existence is directly linked to my subconscious priority assigning scheme. Therefore I am much more likely to read something that I have printed out than an item that sits hidden somewhere on my notebook/ Tablet PC.
These are just my experiences but it seems I am not alone....
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Print important e-mails and reports! Research shows that people are less likely to understand material or find it interesting if they read it on screen, compared with on paper. And a stack of a paper serves as a reminder."Of course this is different for everyone but I personally find I am less stressed and more productive when I use a system that integrates both paper and paperless items. Finding a happy medium is key here and each individual must devote some time and energy to discover which levles are appropriate for them. Only then can we surely become more productive.
Note: My New Cingular 8525 PDA/Cell Phone has helped me enormously in putting aside many activities that once required my Tablet PC. It has opened up the possibility of simply carrying it with a file folder to important events. My previous thought process was that since I was already bringing my Tablet PC (as it was the soul guardian of my schedule and to-do/next actions lists) I might as well load/scan all items into it and carry just that versus carrying the Tablet PC AND a file folder. Although it made sense at the time I find my new methodology to be much more reliable and practical. Expect my full impressions on this new device sometime next week!Labels: Paperless, Productivity, Tablet PC
Pleasant MindManager/OneNote Link Surprise
I am not quite sure if it has always been this way but today when I was setting up a folder link, using the smart map folder ability, I accidentally created a link to my entire macroeconomics folder which includes my OneNote Macroeconomics "notebook" and it's appropriate sections. A smile then rolled across my face when I realized it had also created the appropriate links to the sections in that notebook. Curiosity now flowing, my finger pushed forward and clicked on the link to see if it actually worked and before I knew it OneNote was opening and my macroeconomics notes section was in front of me. Wow....I was impressed.
I was not aware of this ability, however I do remember previously trying to create links to those notebooks sections but had to do it manually in order for it to work. This was automatic and brings us one step closer to eliminating that barrier that currently exists between MindManager and OneNote.
Does this feature require the
new plug-in? I am not quite sure but either way I must admit MindManager once again has found a way to make me go "wow" despite my latest efforts to tone down our symbiotic relationship.
Linking MindManager and OneNote
So what inspired that past rampling and jumble on OneNote and MindManager? Well consider it a combination of current goals, recent doubts, and future wishes. The
latest add in from the MindJet's Labs also helped to initiate a few of those feelings but mostly my current efforts to rework and deploy a new system for GTD. There add-in though may bring some relief though at it does link together MindManager and OneNote for the first time. The item I was most curious about was the send to MindManager button in OneNote and although I do prefer it to my previous work around it is very limiting in that it only allows you to link to that current page. I was already doing something very similar with OneNote 2003 but it does make the process more automatic. Linking to actual pages, subpages, paragraphs, images, etc. is where my wants lie at the moment however I question whether I will even continue to try to bring those items from OneNote into MindManager in the first place. Simply using OneNote more often as an information storage base may actually be easier with some of the new features.
You can read about all the features of the new
OneNote 2007 + MindManager add-in at the site but I think the image below presents the basic overview from my perspective.
MindJet Labs OneNote 2007 + MindManager Solution
MindManager and OneNote Thoughts
First off I must again apologize for the long delay. As I am sure you have guessed I have joined the following of individuals striving to become more productive this year. To accomplish this feat I often find myself transferring all those items and subjects I would like to blog about on DorkoTech onto that ever increasing someday/maybe list. Maybe when I wipe out all those Incompletes from last semester, trim down my current hours at work, and find my place in some of these new business classes, things will return to normal...but knowing how my world operates I wouldn't invest too much into that thought.
However this subject required special attention as it involves the two programs (I really don't count outlook or IE) I use most often as a student, web master, investor, sales rep....etc. MindManager and OneNote have always had this magnetic pull on me that seems to grasp onto my notes, research and planning and then pull in opposite directions.
OneNote may sometimes seem linear and fall into that category of boring traditional note taking but I can't replicate the experience and instant ability to capture my ideas and write anywhere, with any color with such ease. And then to have the ability to audio record lectures, OCR images, and even recognize and find my own handwriting continues to amaze me to this day. Of course the Tablet PC makes much of this all possible but even without a Tablet PC OneNote can still holds its own. (I've been using OneNote years before I had a Tablet PC) Also with OneNote 2007 and my new phone/toy I find the Microsoft posse of aplications actually working in sync with one another while leaving my valuable mind maps to fend for themselves.
Then there is MindManager and its ability to capture and organize my ideas in a visual manner that also allows me to expand and collapse ideas and topics at will. Throwing Gyro-Q and ResultsManager definelty allows me to pass on the responsibility of holding everything anything and allowing me to devote more brain powers towards creative thinking on the go. I also am trialing
Pocket Mindmap at the moment so that I can at least view some of my maps but I still finding difficulty in setuping up a process and allows me to edit maps on both systems with ease. I really have no desire to save my maps to the activesync file folder but simpling copying them over all the time doesn't work well either. Although I loved using ResultsManager and MindManager on my tablet all the time I find using my smartphone to view, edit and orgazine my tasks easier and more automatic. Taking all that MindManager stuff on the road doesn't work out to well and may have to be demoted to project planning only and leaving the actionable items and daily GTD topics for OneNote.
I use both programs each and everyday and if I had to pick just one I honestly would probably go with OneNote as its 2007 features have really stepped up its use as productivity tool. Sure ResultsManager and MindManager together automate much of my day but I sometimes question just how many programs do we really need in order to be more productive. Also considering ResultsManager alone is more expensive than OneNote I feel I may be able to get away with doing a lot of that dashboard creation jazz simply by keeping more structured and up-to-date context lists. If I want to bring my mindmaps with me on my phone I need to buy the $63 (in US dollars) version of Pocket Mindmap. To bring OneNote 2007 with on the go... install the free version of OneNote Mobile.
All this along with thoughts (do I even dare say it) of possible going the mac route in the future have left a lot of doubt in my current system. GTD is suppose to be simple with a fluid with a process that flows and doesn't form bottlenecks at every turn. I actually that feel getting away from all these many programs that everyone tells me will make me more productive may actually allow me to find this dream path of productivity. A pipe dream at the moment I guess but one that I will continue to ponder about.
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