This middle-aged computer geek has been in love with the idea of going high tech for everything since I was in high school. Except for one area -- good old fashioned paper and fountain pens for taking notes and keeping a calendar.
My favorite thing about Bank of America is that I don't need an envelope or deposit slip at the ATM. I rarely write checks by hand and I don't use check registers. I check my balances online and download my statements each month. I'm holding off on buying an iPad because I don't want to pay for a subscription to the hard copy of a magazine. I don't want the paper clutter and I want a discount for not consuming the paper.
But calendars and notes are different. During one of my stints of being unemployed, I listened to a recruiter complain that his computer was down and, therefore, he couldn't check his calendar about setting up an interview for me. I told him that I preferred to use a paper calendar for that so that I can check it immediately. I can't imagine having to fire up my computer or futz with my smartphone to check a date and time on an electronic calendar. Once upon a time smart families and efficient small offices would hot sync Palm Pilots so that everyone would know everyone's schedule, but Palm Pilots are rarely used today.
As for notes, it's much easier for to take a pad and jot down notes, especially at meetings. At work, I've often just typed out details, contacts and notes on what needed to be followed up to update the higher ups on the status of projects. Recently, I discovered a way to combine both an agenda and meeting and project notes. It's called the Rhodia Meeting Book, a complimentary copy of which I was sent to me by Exaclair, which is well-known for high quality paper goods. Other lines include Excompta, Quo Vadis, Clairefontaine and G. Lalo. Fountain pen lovers are probably also familiar with it the inks from its division, J. Herbin. All their paper is thick enough to be fountain-pen friendly. I'm a southpaw, and I find that fountain pens are easier to write with and make my handwriting more legible.
What I love about the Rhodia Meeting Book is its well-thought out layout. There's ample room for writing the goal of the project or a synopsis of a meeting, contacts, notes and steps to be taken and by whom. Color code additional note, such as for follow-up, and it's a lot more efficient and easier to read than a black and white print out of a Word document or Excel spreadsheet. Of course, you can do that and tape it onto one of the pages. Rhodia paper is heavy enough to withstanding tugging.
My wife, a fully participating member of the Sandwich Generation, introduced me to Rhodia products, and she has a sizable collection of their various notepads. She says she cannot be "tethered" to her computer for calendars, articles she's writing, even correspondence. Paper "liberates" her. And, trust me, she's no slouch when it comes to using technology.
No doubt computers have changed the way we do work and the way we live. My paper calendar and Rhodia Meeting Book make all that better, even with up-to-date technology. My biggest problem? The temptation to buy more is too easy. I work just a few blocks from Art Brown, which sells a wide variety of Rhodia products as well as fountain pens and inks.
