Yellow Pad or SmartPhone?

How’s this for a technological upgrade… until yesterday all of my to-do lists were on yellow pads.  All of my meetings were kept in a paper-based planner.  As of today my Blackberry Storm is one stop shopping for to-do lists, calendar functions, email, text messaging, and about 89 other functions I haven’t touched yet.

Why did I switch?  Well, I guess I primarily felt a need to catchup to the rest of the planet.  But now that I’m on the to-do list technological superhighway I couldn’t help but wonder if technology really makes me more organized, more efficient, and ultimately able to get more done in less time.

As you might imagine, my opinion is mixed.  On the one hand it’s great to have my entire life in my pocket.  Right away that feels more consolidated, more optimized compared to bulky yellow pads and planners.  However, I’ve also come to realize that so much of efficiency comes down to your working style.  I for one happen to be a traditional Virgo and that means I’m rarely late, handle details with the best of them, and know how to complete a check-off. 

So while the Blackberry is another way to get organized, by nature I had a pretty good handle on my to-do’s and meetings in paper land.  So my advice to you is by all means jump on the smartphone, blackberry bandwagon.  But don’t assume it will convert you from a late arriving, to-do missing, out of sorts worker into an efficient machine.  That part still falls on you my friend!