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The Hipster PDA Keychain
I have carried around a notebook for some time now, but the linear format of notebooks has never really suited me. Let’s say I’m out and about – here’s a scenario that may occur if I’m carrying around a notebook:
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- I think to myself, “Cock Robin‘s self-titled release is really excellent,” after much searching, I write down Cock Robin: Cock Robin on the page that has the list “Top Ten Most Underappreciated Albums of the Eighties.”
- A little later I think to myself “I really need to get some fresh baking soda for my SinusRinse,” then I flip to the page that has “Things to Buy if I Ever Go Grocery Shopping Again.”
- Then I envision a feature for a MySpace-killing web application, so I write it down on the “MySpace-killer” page – but there is no “MySpace-killer” page, and I’ve already written “MySpace-killer” on the “Pie in the Sky” page along with some other features, and I’m running out of room on that page…
…it just doesn’t work for me. Even this scenario is idealistic because it assumes:
- I have the presence of mind to immediately recognize what category each of my thoughts belongs to (I don’t always)
- I have the discipline to actually keep dedicated pages for all of these categories (not a chance)
- I have the right notebook, which contains the page in question (I have several strewn about)
- I have a notebook with me at all (even a 3×5 is a bit large to carry around)
I’ve seen that there are many variations of the Hipster PDA, which sort of takes care of some minor linearity issues. But a 3×5 is usually too big for the one or two thoughts belonging to one category that I have at any given moment, still carries the linearity issues of assumptions 1 and 3, and is cumbersome as seen in assumption 4. Even the Hipster Mini is too big for my tastes.
I call my solution the Hipster PDA Keychain, and it’s construction is very simple:
- Take a stack of 3×5 cards, and cut them in fourths with scissors or a utility knife, until you have a stack of 1.5×2.5 cards about 1/4″ thick
- Bind the stack of cards together with a 3/4″ binder clip
- Loop the eye of one of the binder clip handles onto your keychain
Now when I have a thought, I can jot it down on one of the cards and be on my way, then I can sort out the cards and assign them to my BaseCamp todo lists when I get back to home base. For very large projects that are just a collection of ideas, I can just sort the appropriate cards to project-dedicated Hipster PDA Keychain, which despite the name, is still handy to have at one’s desk.
Yes, I have considered just putting a ring through the cards a la the Pierced Edition, but while the binder-clip solution still holds the danger of your cards falling all over the place, it does offer the convenience of easy re-sorting of cards, easy refreshing of cards that have spent too much time on your keychain, and less wear and tear on the cards themselves.
Obviously, the Hipster PDA Keychain can be well-supplemented by the Cross Ion Keychain pen.
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