We Need to Bring Back The Hipster PDA
A couple of months ago I came across an article that stated that Gen Z was disproportionately responsible for the consumption of ‘dumbphones in North America. While I couldn’t find hard numbers, other articles claimed that Nokia was selling ‘thousands’ of feature phones to under-25s. Further supporting this is the fact that /r/dumbphones on Reddit seems to now be in the top 5% of Subreddits by size and has been growing quickly.
The reason why Gen Z wants a ‘dumb phone’ seems to me, a Millenial, to be an overreaction. If you don’t want distractions then you should just have better control over your smartphone’s notifications and app limits. Both Android and iOS make this trivially simple.
That being said, my generation can’t exactly be preachy about the trend of reviving old tech. After all, we brought back the film camera, polaroids, and a plethora of other vintage trends during the heights of our 2005-to-2012 Hipsterdom.
But what I can be preachy about is the importance of the Hipster PDA. Maybe it’s time for its comeback.
As Gen Z starts maturing as a generation, inevitably coming to positions of greater responsibility. If they’re serious about wanting to avoid distractions while also keen on staying on track and focused, then the Hipster PDA is primed for a revival.
What is the ‘Hipster PDA’
It strikes me writing this that Gen Z probably doesn’t even remember the PDA. The ‘Personal Digital Assistant’ was a pre-SmartPhone device that basically served as your calendar, task manager, calculator, and more.
The Hipster PDA is an ironic tongue-in-cheek appellation that pokes fun at the businessmen who dominated the early-2000s with their PDAs by presenting a more cost-effective, barebones solution: a stack of index cards bound together by a binder clip.
How Does The Hipster PDA Help With Productivity?
Simple. It’s a portable system that you can personalize to your liking. Add sticky dividers based on contexts like ‘commute’, ‘work’, ‘low energy’, ‘focused’, etc to ensure that you always are
working on tasks that are relevant to you at any given moment during your day.
Studies published in the Journal of Human-Computer Interaction found that the use of mobile productivity tools can help improve task completion rates and reduce procrastination. Surely you don’t want to miss out on those benefits, right? The Hipster PDA lets you keep your decidedly low-tech setup while still benefiting from a portable system for task management.
Embracing Kinesthetic Retention
Those of you who have been reading the blog know that I like to evangelize the importance of an analog productivity system. After all, study after study shows that actually writing things down with pen (or pencil) and paper actually improves memory retention and task completion.
The act of physically writing down tasks, crossing them off, and flipping through the cards is something you just will never experience with a digital system. It’s the little things that force you to be more mindful and, ultimately, focus on being more productive and improving your intentionality.
How Do I Create My Own Hipster PDA?
Simple. Go to Amazon, Office Depot, Staples, Walmart, or anywhere else that sells index cards. Purchase them and get some binder clips while you’re at it. Boom. You have a Hipster PDA. You can now use it to write down your notes, to-dos, and reminders on the go.
How Do I Pimp My Hipster PDA?
Get creative. Use highlighters for certain types of tasks, sticky dots for compliance with whatever tasks attributes you have chosen to prioritize, use it as a place to do on-the-go mind sweeps, or whatever else strikes your fancy.
The beauty of analog tools is just how much freedom they afford you. You aren’t forced to use what someone else thinks is the optimal experience. As you embark on your own productivity journey, you’ll realize that there are no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions. Some people have gotten close, such as David Allen from the Getting Things Done system or Tiago Forte with his Second Brain/PARA system, but all systems are ultimately flawed and you’ll need to experiment with what works best for you.
The Hipster PDA Improves Creativity, Too
It’s an open canvas! Get some completely blank index cards to doodle on, scribble ideas on, or whatever else might float your fancy. Rearrange the cards so that you can present ideas back to yourself that are meant to get your creative juices flowing (sorta like a tickler system for creative prompting)
Is The Hipster PDA Cringe?
Is the Hipster PDA cringe? No. Is the act of pulling it out in the middle of a social gathering cringe? Yes. But then neither of our generations are stranger to cringe. Cringe is in the mind of the beholder. So why not embrace a tool that will help you in all spheres of life?
Ready to Party Like It’s 2004?
If you want to get started with a Hipster PDA setup that’s a little bit more ‘upscale’ than the DIY system I described above then sign up below to have my Hipster PDA templates sent directly to your mailbox. You’ll be able to download the following:
Today Cards
Next Cards
Someday Cards
Context Cards
