Working with low-tech solutions
by Celine Roque
We’re surrounded by ever more sophisticated hardware and software to manage most of our daily work tasks. Even so, there are instances when some of us prefer to use more traditional ways of working using plain equipment. Take Bill Gates, who must have had all the latest technologies at his disposal as the CEO of Microsoft. In an article he wrote for CNN way back in 2006, he detailed how the company’s shift to digital documents made them more efficient, and how he was able to do (almost) everything on his triple-monitor desktop and Tablet PC. However, there was a certain “primitive” artifact that he couldn’t do without:
“The one low-tech piece of equipment still in my office is my whiteboard. I always have nice color pens, and it’s great for brainstorming when I’m with other people, and even sometimes by myself.”
Like Mr. Gates, I’ve also found that having a whiteboard in my (home) office quite valuable. Always in plain view, it’s an easy way to remind myself of important things at a casual glance. I’ve divided my 100×70cm whiteboard into several sections with different functions. There’s an area for my personal goals for the current month & the rest of the year to keep me focused. I also have a small calendar drawn on it so I can make notes on pertinent dates. Additionally, there are spaces for brainstorming special projects and a random ideas repository. The closest technology I can think of is Microsoft’s Surface, but the cost is too prohibitive, the technology has yet to mature, and the added complexity seems unnecessary at this point.
Back when I was a student and didn’t have a laptop, I used to print out Outlook calendars and scribble my daily schedule in-between classes. I found it more convenient than a “proper” organizer, because I could bring it wherever I went, it offered a quick bird’s eye view of my activities, and it was easy to fold and put in my pocket. Nowadays, I use Google Calendar, but sometimes I go back to an old-school paper calendar when I have to go to places where the Internet is scarce or bringing a laptop is too much trouble.
As for others, I’ve read about people who create their own customized solutions for GTD like the Mind Depositor notebook by Patrick Ng. Instead of using one of the various software available to implement the system, it utilizes formatted index cards and a notepad tucked into a well-crafted leather jacket. Similar but even simpler systems exist like The Hipster PDA featured on 43Folders.
Do you have your own favorite work-related low-tech equipment? Why do you keep it and what would it take for you to switch to an electronic/digital solution?
