[PLUG] Re: The well-scheduled man

[Keith Lofstrom]

Jeme writes:
> I've come to believe my life could use some organization.
...
> Anything stand out as the tried-and-true old stand-by?

My scheduler is vi.  Emacs will do in a pinch.

For the last 20 years or so, I have carried a one-page "to-do" list
on a standard sheet of paper, printed out from an ASCII file.  I keep
the paper in a pocket.  On this list are:

lines 1-2:  My own critical contact information.  Who to call if I croak.
lines 3-4: Must do now only stuff.
lines 5~20: Next month of scheduled events, flights, motels, car rental, etc.
lines 20~25: Noncritical things to do.
lines 26~62:  Some phone numbers, addresses, other info
lines 63-65:  Books to buy or from library.
margins and back:  Handwritten notes for new stuff.

I rewrite the page and print it about every two days.  On trips it gets
very marked up.  Some noncritical things disappear.

When I print a new one, the old one goes into a file.  I have a foot thick
stack of old papers live in a filing cabinet.  Good place to look for old
phone numbers, etc.  This is the real value of the paper system, as most
PIM software doesn't keep old snapshots, and just accumulates data forever.
Too much data makes important data less valuable.

Low tech, maybe.  A couple of years ago, I was at a conference with
Carl Helmers, the guy that started Byte magazine.  We were shooting
the breeze, and I pull out my paper to check something.  He pulls out
his.  Eyebrows raise.  He has done the same thing for 20 years.

Note:  I also carry an old REX-3 sometimes.  I erased it three weeks ago
while fuddling a battery swap.  I haven't missed it, though I really
should reload it before my next out-of-town trip.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom           keithl at ieee.org         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs