Merlin Mann’s creation was born after he got sick of his Palm device, and it is still one of the most popular pages on his site. While seem like a big joke to some people, to create a whole theory around a pack of cards for tracking actions, the hipster PDA eventually used by any GTD user at some point.
Mostly used by people who have tried a lot of digital solutions, and got tired of the tech disadvantages, the hipster PDA gives a perfect alternative solution, at least for a while.
The setup seems simple at the first glance, but it may become as complicated as the user wants it to. Plain 3x5 cards can be used, or printed using the diyplanner templates, and by using a simple binder clip to keep them together you got a hipster PDA which does not need recharge or breaks if it falls out of your hands.
The beauty of this little system is that the user can build it the way he/she desires making it simple or extended. Therefore, you usually need a backup store of big projects or big lists (it is almost impossible to manage dozens of cards this way) or you need to split your cards into two or three decks and carry only one with you.
Killer features:
- Extremely lightweight and portable
- Low cost and easy to create
- Cannot beat the use of pen and paper
- Lots of different templates to use
GTD mode: Up to user’s imagination
Weaknesses:
- Hard to manage with many cards
- Cannot handle big projects or lists easily
- It’s non recoverable if lost (some user’s scan/photo cards for backup)
- It may need a hard cover, as cards wear out in your pocket
Cost: Around $3,00
Conclusion : The hipster PDA is a bare bones approach to task management and it may get really addictive for some people to set it up and printing various templates, but in the long run a small number of heavy GTD users will be still using it. Ideal for shopping lists and small systems.
http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/03/introducing-the-hipster-pda
Photo by: Larson Crew