How to use both digital and analogue tools together to organise your life.

Life is hectic; we are part of family groups with complicated work, home and school schedules. Should we manage all this digitally, or by using traditional diaries, or is there a happy medium?

Being a technology geek, I have always been keen to use the latest apps with modern gadgets to organise my life. At times I have found that I was using a system that was way more complex than it needed to be, just because I could rather than because it actually helped me. I’ve settled down now and have honed a system that combines both digital and analogue, that works well for me and my family.

Here is what I use and why:

I have two systems; a Main system and a Subsystem.

Our Main system is digital. We use this for diary events, passwords, tasks, general bits and pieces.

Diaries:

My husband and I each have our own personal Google calendars and also a shared family calendar. Each of us can view each other’s calendars. Digital calendars work for me as they are ultra-portable and, as I pretty much always have my phone on me, they are with me all the time. It allows me to see quickly if we are both free or who has what child responsibilities. Whoever gets to the diary first, gets the booking, and the other person has to work around this.

We use Google Calendar just because we have Gmail accounts and it’s convenient. If your family is fully Apple based then iCloud calendar would be just as good, or for Microsoft users Outlook etc. The important point is that everyone in the group must be able to access the system and it needs to be able to synchronise across everyone’s devices. Just because we use Google calendar does not mean we all have to use that particular app though, as other calendar apps are easily set up with Google/Outlook/ iCloud data so we can each choose the app we like the look of and find works for us. Personally, I like Fantastical on my Mac and the default calendar app on my phone.

General information, passwords, shopping lists and tasks:

We try to adhere to a paperless environment where we can as far as bits and pieces go — receipts, recipes, utility bills, statements, school timetables/reports etc. We scan and store within Evernote. If this information needs to be accessed by both of us then it’s stored in a shared folder.

Passwords etc are stored in 1Password. We have private “vaults” and a shared “vault”. Information within 1Password is synchronised across all our devices so readily available when we need it. It automatically completes user id/login screens for us.

Shopping lists etc are dictated to Alexa who sends them to a shared shopping list within Apple’s Reminder app. This works because when we’re out shopping we always have our phones with us, and so we always have the up-to-date shopping list. too.

To keep on top of tasks, I use Omnifocus across all my devices. My husband uses Apple’s Reminders.

So the above covers diary scheduling, general information, security and tasks. Where does the analogue Subsystem come in?

The disadvantages of using all this tech for the tasks above is that it is all so distracting. I go to check a diary event and before I know it, I’ve just wasted 20 minutes looking at Facebook or reading emails. It leads me straight into “doing” rather than actually planning what is important to do. I become reactive rather than proactive.

The analogue system is so much better for encouraging me to be both proactive and productive. It allows me to get focus and not be so easily distracted.

Here is my workflow:

At the start of each day, I review my diary; who is doing what, and my task list. Then take out my notebook/planner and plan my ideal day on paper. I use the Main system to feed the Subsystem with just what I need for that day. I find working “live” in a todo app can be quite stressful — seeing all those tasks that are waiting to be done along with all those red overdue tasks. I much prefer to extract the top three / absolute essentials I need to do, then close the app. Same with diary events. I use a vertical timeline in my paper planner where I draw out my planned day, time blocking as I go. I fill the blanks with the tasks I need to do.

During the day, I’ll make notes in my planner; mainly in a bullet journal style. I record key points from conversations etc. I’ll sketch out thoughts and ideas in pencil using mind maps. I find physically drawing somehow draws things out of my brain better than using a digital version. I get great satisfaction physically crossing tasks off my list.

At the end of the day, it is important to transfer this information, and any events made in my planner, back to the Main system to keep everything in synch. This may sound tedious, but it gives me a chance to review the day, realise how productive (or not) I have been, and hopefully give me a sense of accomplishment for the day. If my handwritten notes are important then I’ll snap a scan photo and send this as a note to Evernote which will automatically read my handwriting and make this text searchable for later.

As a slight aside, there is quite a lot of research on the benefits of handwriting over typing. Writing improves creativity, problem-solving, memory recall and encourages critical thinking. It slows us down and forces us to think before we write — there is no backspace. We summarise rather than write copious text. Many people are non-linear thinkers and find generating text on the computer too rigid and stifling.

So that’s how I mesh analogue with digital. How do you embrace them, or do you prefer one over the other? Let me know in the comments…