How do you keep organized? Are you a digital convert, or are you still sold on solid paper, like Donna Mah?

Years ago I attempted to use an electronic diary to organize my life and be more efficient. A friend of mine had a Palm Pilot and loved it. She was a freelance personal trainer and the mom of a toddler. She listed all the benefits - she named many - and that it was all in this handy little electronic device she took everywhere.

Well, I was sold and soon was using a Sony Cli to organize myself. I spent hours inputting contact details for everyone I knew and many I happened to meet during those first few weeks of having my exciting new toy.

It seemed to be going well until the battery died one day. I plugged the Cli into the recharging device and to my horror, I discovered that everything that I had input had disappeared. I had no idea who I was supposed to meeting with and when anymore. I did take the Cli to the Sony repair shop and it seems there was a problem that would cost more to fix than I felt willing to invest.

After that, I went back to a paper diary and haven't been tempted use an electronic one since. Well, until recently.

It seems I'm surrounded by people who all have smartphones. I don't. I have a simple mobile phone. It takes photos, but I use it mainly for making and receiving calls and texting. It has a calendar function and sometimes I use it to remind myself about appointments or as an alarm clock. However, I still have my paper diary that I'm very happy with. I like flipping through the pages, I like getting a pen out and writing in it.

However, other people are keen to have me join the modern age and use the electronic calendar that is linked to my e-mail account. I do see the benefits of doing this. I can share my calendar with family members and colleagues so they know when I'm free and when I'm not. I can set alarms and reminders so that I would never forget or be late for an appointment again. I could color code different types of appointments so that I could identify them easily. It all sounds great. But I persist in using my paper diary.

For some, it's shocking to not use an electronic diary.

"I just put my appointments into my BlackBerry, or on my computer, and then I sync them so that all the information is on both machines," says electronic diary convert of many years, Rudolf Hollander. "I input birthdays and anniversaries once and they're there in perpetuity. I don't have to write them in a new diary every year. Why would anyone want to do that?" he continued.

Well, I don't mind doing that. It gives me a chance to think about each person as I transfer birthday information from my old diary to my new one. Also, as Mr Hollander is my husband, it means that we often have "discussions" about why I refuse to use the electronic calendar.

I actually like to talk about upcoming events and whether or not we have time for everything, rather than just putting on my e-calendar and "sharing" it with my husband electronically. I prefer the bits of communication that occur when I inform him that I'm busy Friday night because I'm attending an ex-colleague's farewell drinks.

According to Ed Bin of Prints, a premium stationery store in Hong Kong and Singapore, "Demand for diaries has been steady throughout the years, but some people have definitely been lured by the functions of smartphones. However, there are many people that are still fond of writing on paper, and with attractive designs, they can always be enticed."

"My diary is cute and I decorate it with stickers. I also use different colored pens or markers to write in it," says Charmaine Cheung, a university student. Cheung owns a smartphone but prefers to keep a paper diary. "I just like it. I can decorate and personalize it. I like that."

Bin also says that his customers have told him that they buy a paper diary because they need to plan ahead for the year with month views and different headings and that the calendar in a smartphone just doesn't do that. For some families, they like having a diary or calendar that is easy for everyone at home to access, which for them usually means a paper version.

Bin also echoes Cheung's comment, "People like to personalize their calendars. Last year, we introduced a mini desk calendar and a DIY calendar which you can personalize each month with photos and decorations. Both have become instant hits." He also added that, "Apart from their own use, customers buy the diaries and calendars as gifts because they make beautiful and functional presents."

I'll probably make another attempt at using the electronic diary that my husband is so keen on, but I will also keep my paper version. I keep it in my handbag and it's handy. I refer to it all the time. It isn't backed up, so that scares some people, but it's what I like to use.

You can contact the writer at sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 10/30/2011 page15)