A Better Personal Assistant: Paper Planners Versus Handheld Computers

You've been lugging a paper planner everywhere for years and eyeing the relatively small palm handhelds, pocket PCs or smartphones. Should you make the switch?

The first thing to consider is the actual act of writing. Nothing beats the feel of writing with a good pen on fresh paper. And, you may be more likely to retain what you write. Learning how to write on a handheld can be difficult with some people never managing to master the art. Several devices come with built-in keyboards, but these are small and difficult to use. Add-on keyboards are available, but then you have yet another item to carry. And, some of the keyboards have reliability issues and are difficult to use since they are smaller than a full-size keyboard. There is also the option of entering data on your PC and then syncing to your handheld. However, you may not have continuous access to your PC all day. If you are entering data without using a keyboard, writing in the planner will probably be faster for you.

The next issue is data loss. If your paper planner comes up missing, all of your information is gone. With regular backups of a handheld/smartphone, there may be some hassle in loading information from an old device onto a new device. But, if you are reliable about syncing your unit to your PC, you should eventually manage to get your data back unless you are unfortunate enough to suffer a crashed hard drive the same day that your handheld crashes.

Another consideration is ease of use. With a paper planner, you open to a page and start writing. With a handheld, you have to turn the unit on and navigate to the program that you wish.

Storage is also a concern. There is a limit to how many pages one can load into a paper planner. A handheld should be able to hold much more data than can be fit into a paper planner.

Wear and tear is a consideration. Handhelds can easily break if they are dropped or be rendered unuable if an errant soft drink is dumped on it. Dropping a paper planner might cause a few bent pages, and the soft drink spill might cause ink to run and pages to crinkle, but chances are, you will still be able to use the planner and access most of the data.

Tracking of data is another issue. For a paper planner, you may be able to get budget worksheets, list sheets for your record collection, and be able to make other information sheets. Then, you can handwrite the information that you want to keep. With a handheld, software is available to handle various tasks such as list-making, balancing a checkbook, and creating a spreadsheet. Often, this data can be synced to your PC.

Another concern is loose paper with paper planners. Inevitably, documents are printed from the PC and then loosely stashed in the planner because the planner rings can't hold another page. Handhelds/smartphones can have software installed so that actual Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets can be carried on the device.

Cost is probably a toss-up between the two methods. It's possibly to get a low-end handheld without much included storage/software just as it is possible to get a cheap vinyl binder for a paper planner. In reality, many will opt a fully-featured handheld and a leather binder for the paper planner along with designer pages. Handhelds can have ongoing costs for software, and paper planners require refills. Eventually, both will require replacment.

A major issue with handhelds is keeping the battery charged. On some models, failure to charge the battery can result in the loss of all of your data. Depending on your usage, you may have to charge the battery daily or less often. A paper planner doesn't require batteries, but it does require a functional pen or pencil.

A great feature of handhelds is the ability to search for specific words. For example, if you wanted to find out when you saw the dentist last year, you could search on dentist, and go right to the date. A paper planner would require you to look page by page.

Another useful handheld feature is the ability to set multiple alarms. You can link alarms to calendar events or to a to do on your list.

A major plus with handhelds is repeating events. For example, if you have a meeting every Monday at 2:00 for the entire year, you can enter the appointment once and set a repeat option. With a paper planner, you would need to enter this meeting 52 times for each week and more if you also log the appointment on a monthly calendar.

Updating items is much easier and neater on a handheld. If you need to reschedule an appointment or change an address, you can update the current entry. With a paper planner, you would have to cross out or white out the incorrect entry, and possibly make a totally new entry elsewhere. This can get to be very messy, especially in the address section.

Should you make the switch? If you are technically-oriented, then you will probably prefer the handheld/smartphone option. If saving time is a compelling, then the handlheld would be the better choice. A traditionalist who prefers to put pen to paper will probably be happiest with a paper planner. Either method can get the job done. Choose the one that gives you the most enjoyment so that you will use it..