Blackberry to the Rescue

It looks like Blackberry holds the secret to living a more organized life. If only I had got a hold of this device earlier and used it as it`s very powerful. It combines the functions of the conventional personal organizers (paper-based calendar, daytimer, and to-do list) into a more flexible interface that goes along with you as you carry it.

Blackberry has many more features than just personal organizers but I want to focus on 3 features that I've been able to make use of.

First is the calendar and daybook combined. You can flip through the days and view highlights as you would a regular calendar. You can also schedule detailed appointments within a day, timed to the half-hour, and programmed with alarms that let you know when the appointment has arrived.

Next is the task or the to-do list. These are not time-specific like appointments but you can schedule a due date for the tasks if you want and it will warn you when the time is up. You can also "check off" or defer the tasks as you like.

The last part is the idea pad as mentioned earlier. This is basically a scratch pad using the memo feature on the Blackberry where I can write down some idea that comes to mind. Later I can see at a glance what has gone in there and decide what to do with it. For example that idea could turn into an appointment or task as above.

One thing I'm also looking into is how to do `quick lesson plans` on the Blackberry and make it function like a teacher`s daybook. That way if the boss ever asks to see my daybook it would be shown electronically.

With all this in mind, if I ever lost my Blackberry I'd be screwed. No wonder they nickname this thing the Crackberry.