How to Create a Hipster PDA, the Ultimate Low-Tech Organizing Solution

If you are tired of dealing with laptops, synching, lost data, and reboots, you might want to try a Hipster PDA. Created by a guy over at 43 Folders a few years back, the Hipster PDA is a simple organizing solution that involves a pack of index cards and some sort of clip or holder to keep them together.

For some years, I did the Franklin Planner thing. This worked for a while but the planner was bulky and I couldn't carry it around in a purse. The refills were expensive and the page-a-day format didn't help me get my to-do lists organized.

Then I tried the electronic PDA thing. I found it was great for addresses but terrible for my to-do list. Then I used a calendar on my computer. But if I wanted to see the calendar elsewhere, I'd have to sync it or upload it or do something else annoying on a regular basis. And it still didn't work as a to-do list organizer.

So, over the years, I've found I have to have my to-do lists on paper. This is because no matter what sort of electronic system I tried, the to-do lists eventually started spilling off the computer and PDA and onto various slips of paper or in numerous notebooks on my desk. It was a mess.

The Basic Elements of a Hipster PDA
Get some index cards. They are a few dollars for a pack of around 200. Colored index cards are a great way to have easily identifiable sections.

Take a standard pen. Write the label on the top of the card, i.e.:

Grocery List
Today's To-Dos
Things to Remember
Clothes I Need to Buy
Songs to Download

...or whatever. Then write your list on the card. It's that easy.

My simple solution for a cover was to get a piece of cardboard, the thin kind that people often mail you to keep an envelope stiff. I used a paper cutter to make it two 3x5 inch sides. One for the front and the other for the back.

A small binder clip can hold the package together. This works great for me. I prefer to have my index cards loose, because I like to spread them out and sort them, but other people prefer to have them clipped together more firmly. If this is the case, try a binder ring.

Hipster PDA Templates
While plain index cards can work for a majority of your PDA needs, sometimes you will want a calendar or other form for organizing. D*I*Y Planner offers a variety of free templates that you can print directly onto 3x5 cards or cardstock.

You can also create your own templates using a word processing program and print them out on a standard printer. I prefer to use 8 1/2 x 11" card stock and then cut the cards using a paper cutter.

A Few Organizing Tips
One of the biggest strengths for me with the Hipster PDA is that I can shuffle through my index cards, spread the cards out, and look at a variety of items at once. If you have multiple projects or roles going on, then create a separate index card for each project/role, and put the individual to-do items on that card. It makes it much easier to switch gears from project to project.

I have yet to find an electronic solution that creates such an easy visual method of sorting through project to-dos.

Another idea is to keep a few spare cards in your Hipster PDA to use for ideas, thoughts, and notes.

Get a cheap 3x5" card box (only a few bucks) to hold extra index cards, keep archives, and file other cards for reference or future use.

Fun With the Hipster PDA
The Hipster PDA has a growing community of "users," many of whom have a good sense of humor. To see the Hipster PDA in action, and how one might add music to it, check out the tongue-in-cheek video, "Hipster Shuffle," below: