Philosophical implications of a planner
Phrases like, “Just because we’ve always done it this way, doesn’t mean it’s right,” often cause me to question the status quo. It can lead you to assume a newer method is better than the old.
Former generations established families and built international organizations with less technology than today’s digital calculator.
Sure, technology provides many benefits. And the newer methods often give way to greater efficiency. But that’s not always the case.
I was recently reminded of this truth. For as long as I can remember I’ve carried a paper planner with me. Over the years I’ve developed a strategy that works well (many of the tasks and appointments are cross-referenced on a digital calendar). But I’ve received a fair amount of criticism over the years because of it.
At the very least, I was advised to get a more “up-to-date” planner. One that provides tutorials on how to best use it. So, I ordered one.
And after sitting on my desk for over three months I finally decided to give it a try.
I took time out of my day to watch the tutorials so I understood how to use it. I committed to using it for enough weeks to get adjusted.
But the headache wasn’t worth it. Because I realized a few things along the way:
- Newer is not always better. Sometimes the old way, the original method, is truly the better way.
- Sometimes the old way is better for the time being. And maybe I will return to this “newer” method later on. When it’s more appropriate and its technology will be better used.
- Don’t be afraid to revert back to the old method.
So, yesterday, I made it to the third lesson. I realized newer was not better, but maybe in the future, it will be. And because of this, I ordered another one of my old-school paper planners. It arrived yesterday and I already feel more organized.
Back to my old school, out-of-date, good ol’ fashion paper planner.