Thing 14: Personal Information Management

Personal information management is an ongoing challenge for me.

I’m a survivor of a brain tumor and a subsequent stroke that’s left me with encephalomalacia—softened, inactive, even dead nervous tissue—in both frontal lobes of my brain. (For those of you somewhat familiar with functional brain anatomy, my best guess is that most of the damage is in my dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Thus I can’t regale you with tales of binge drinking or compulsive sexual behavior. You’d have to settle for far more boring accounts of finding myself unable to mentally calculate tips for cab drivers, or forgetting the proverbial milk when buying groceries.) 

Having brain surgery in one city, recuperating in a place five hours away, and returning to a home a full day’s travel from there, I fell through the cracks in the healthcare system. I wasn't referred for a neuropsychological assessment after my operation, nor was I sent off to a rehabilitation specialist to address the “executive function” issues that emerged—a less than optimal experience. Consequently I had to figure out my own approach to organizing my life, and I’m always interested in hearing about alternative tools and approaches.

Rehabilitation neuropsychologist Pamela S. Klonoff described paper datebooks as “the foundational compensatory tool after acquired brain injury” (Psychotherapy After Brain Injury; Principles and Techniques, Guilford Press, 2010, p. 126). Michelle Ranae Wild has published books on “making cognitive connections” using iOS and Android devices. In the abled world, “bujos” or self-designed “bullet journals” are in fashion. Clearly, there’s no single universal or optimal solution for personal information management problems.

What do I use (for now)? Mostly a combination of a bullet journal, the suite of Google apps I need to use for work, and two apps that came with my iPhone—Reminders and Notes. For shopping lists, I use the sophisticated technique of grabbing a piece of scrap paper and pen, then quickly surveying every room in my residence to see what needs to be restocked.

I tried a couple of the apps recommended for this Thing, and quickly eliminated Remember The Milk. The free version requires access to a data plan or Wi-Fi. This was an unwelcome contrast to the Google apps that permit offline work. Inexpensive data access is not a reasonable assumption for life here in the boondocks. There are literally times I have to stand at one particular window in my home and wave my phone around to connect to my data service. And with only two transformers for the entire town, all it takes is one squirrel or raccoon jumping onto the wrong part of the equipment to produce an hours-long power failure and no free wireless hotspots for a couple of miles in every direction.

I’ve been using Feedly (recommended at the start of this MOOC!) for a few months—albeit on my workstation rather than my phone—and find it a useful addition to my routine, although I do have to fight the urge to subscribe to feeds in packrat fashion. Pocket and Evernote look interesting, but the start of the semester means it will be best to revisit them after the pace at work slows down a bit.