Right now I am working full time on finishing my master’s thesis. So, I have been employing whatever motivation/ time management/ efficiency/ productivity strategies I can to write and be done with the thing. One that has been useful is the Hipster PDA. You can get all of the organization of a Covey planner with the flexibility of sticky notes. Write to do lists quickly, track calorie consumption, jot down tips that have worked for you, keep frequently used phone numbers—all without opening a binder. I have been reviewing my quarterly goals more often because they are so easy to view with the Hipster PDA. Also, being a student I don’t have a lot of money, so, the price of a pack of index cards is about all I have to spend on a calendar.

Having worked two internships in Corporate America, I know that the hipster PDA will most likely be looked down upon. My fear is that once I return to the world of corporate America (an inevitable return), I won’t be able to use the planner because it is well… different. Alas! One strategy would be to take the clip off the PDA and set the index cards on your desk—this way they don’t look so homemade and …different. In meetings, notes can be taken on a single card, or if the meeting is actually productive, you could write in a notebook. Even still, if you want to jot something down when someone catches you in the hall or at lunch, you would have to pull out your hipster PDA for the corporate world to see. Maybe if enough people start using them, they will be accepted and seen for the tools they are rather than the crafty cards they appear to be…Na!