Buck the Trend and Go Analog: Three Reasons to Use Paper to Track Your Tasks
Posted by torbjornrive on April 30, 2008
Michael was kind enough to accept a post of mine at his Paperweight blog, a post which discusses the simplicities of paper use, and the distractions of technology.
Michael Henreckson blogs on productivity and technology here at his super concise blog.
Enjoy!
Jaclyn said
I liked the post, but I’m a little surprised that as someone who is interested in the efficient use of resources and the environment, you’d write a post advocating the use of paper.
torbjornrive said
ah yes, good point – but as you (and I) say, efficient use of paper is the key. I mention in the intro that it can extend the life of paper. Basically what I’m doing is taking old sheets that would be otherwise straight to the bin, and making use of them at least once more. If they’re lucky I’ll throw them around as an airplane too.
I advocate less paper, but I don’t have anything against its use at an efficient level. And thanks for stopping by!
Michael Henreckson said
I think the decision to use any resource, paper, oil, whatever it may be, is based upon a cost-benefit analysis. Any time we build anything or use any natural resources we are basically using them up. But we have to make the decision based upon whether or not it’s worth it. We could decide to save all the trees and go without books. Would it have been worth it? Personally I think the world is so much better off because of those ideas spread and developed on paper. It was definitely worth the trees that had to be cut down to do it.
The best goal to strive for is not to totally avoid using resources, but to avoid using them wastefully. In the case of Torbjorn’s advocating paper lists as a valuable tool for keeping track of things, it’s a choice between saving some paper and working better and more effectively.