With the advent of myriad electronic gadgets to help us keep track of our calendar and task lists, I have to confess — I’m finding myself more effective (and efficient) with a yellow legal pad that I carry throughout the day.

Call me old-fashioned (I don’t mind). There’s a difference between deleting or checking something off on an electronic list and physically checking off an action-item on a hard copy. I like looking at that piece of paper and seeing all those check marks. Even better, I like throwing it away at the end of the day.

Perhaps someone with deep psychological insights can explain my preference. All I know is I get a much greater sense of satisfaction — and as a result, I seem to “push” myself more throughout the day — when I use paper instead of plastic.

This isn’t to say I avoid electronic aids altogether. Quite the contrary. In many cases I think much clearer and my planning and organizing phases are much more effective when I work electronically. But after all the organizing is done, it’s back to the legal pad for me.

How about you? When do you prefer paper, and when do you prefer “plastic”?

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Filed in Technology, Work, Motivation, Management, Workplace