The Blackberry 8830 World Phone

Today my new Blackberry 8830 World Phone arrived. Thus ends my experiment with non-digital time managment and planning.

I have been a Blackberry user since the devices first came out. I purchased mine (or rather my company did) at the JavaOne conference around 1998. I remember watching the RIM guys at the conference and finding it amazing how fast they could type with their thumbs. I learned to type the same way pretty quickly.

As I progressed in my career I used the Blackberry to it's fullest potential. It worked great for email (duh) and calendaring, but it was horrible for note taking. I hated the fact that I had to have a notebook or tablet to take notes on. I really wanted only one device for everything.

About a year ago I began to notice that all the other officers in my company and all the good managers, directors, and C-level client folk I interacted with used Franklin-Covey planners to manage their lives. I figured I must be missing something. So I decided at that time to try something new and abandon my Blackberry, buy a Franklin-Covey planner and just use a regular cell phone. I chose a full day view planner and the Sanyo Katana.

Now, after about a year I find I still do all my time management online thanks to Googles slick SaaS tools. Despite how hard I tried I never found the secret to blocking out time using a pencil on paper. I found myself using my Katana phone in ways that I never thought the little device capable and I got very good at T9 and SMS text messaging with it.

Then it happened. July hit. I went into my drawer to retrieve my Franklin-Covey July notebook to replace June in my planner and guess what. No July. Hmm... Do I go give Franklin-Covey another $100 or so for the next 12 months of notebooks so I can fit in with my less than technical peers and clients?

Forget that garbage. It's time for me to get over it. I now realize that, despite common opinion, there is such a thing as a technically savvy executive and I fit the bill quite nicely thank you.

So from now on as I track performance, measure billable efficiency, and decide on what market direction to create or follow I'll also be typing like a crazy man with my two wonderful opposable thumbs. I'll also use a Moleskine as a backup for more free hand things.

Long live the Blackberry, may it become the device that unifies all devices into one. Down with paper notebook planners, may they become 100% post-consumer material and find a better use containing my morning coffee.