Open Loops

Product Review: Agendus Pro v9.0

A few weeks back, I switched from using my Palm Tungsten-C as my GTD tool back to a paper-based methodology.  I’ve been very happy, but then, something happened.  I was checking my email and found an email announcing the newest edition of Iambic’s Agendus Professional v9.0.  The tag line was, “Your Palm Reborn!”  Curious, I opened the email and temptation set in.

I’ve always been a fan of Agendus as a strong GTD tool.  It had everything I wanted, but the other issues with the palm enticed me to lay it down as an organizer (I still used it as a note-taking tool, phone log, etc.).  But now, with all the improvements, I’m tempted to go back.

Will That Be Paper or Plastic?

I did what I had thought would be the unthinkable.  After 10 years of working with my Palm and after considerable investment in various programs to customize my Palm to suit me and my working styles, I've decided to make the move back to a paper-based system.  Ok, I just heard that collective gasp from all the PDA users out there.  How could I do that after all the advantages that a PDA has to offer!?!  Sorting...Alarms...Quicker updates...The amount of info that can go into that little thing!  Around my district, I'm even known as Inspector Gadget because I've always got my Palm out and using it.  How could I leave that?  Even David Allen uses a Palm!!  Frankly, I feel I've become too dependent on it and, because of this:

• I rely too heavily on alarms to remind me of appointments, which makes me tempted to not review my calendar as often as I should.
• Because I'm visual, I find it difficult to scroll through all my next actions to choose the most appropriate one to do.  I can only see three to four next actions on the screen at a time.  When I have 20 - 30 to look at, it's better to see the whole list, rather than small chunks, at once to make my decision.
• I've been finding discrepancies between my Palm desktop lists and my Tungsten C's lists.  I'm not confident that the list of next actions is complete to allow me to make great decisions on what to do next.
• A paper-based system doesn't need recharging.
• I still need to manage paper support for projects and next actions.  For me, these need to be portable, so I'm carrying a notebook anyway.
• In my art courses in college, it was said that human beings have an innate desire to "make a mark".  I'm feeling that desire.

In David Allen's Getting Things Done...Fast CD collection (which I absolutely love and listen to over and over) he makes a bold statement that one can walk into Staples, Office Depot, Office Max, or any other office supply store and, under $15, create an elegant and effective system.  I'm going to put him to the test on this and, in the next few hours, I'm heading for Office Depot to see if I can create a great system.  Keep following along and I'll update you on the progress.