Featuring a list of lists

I love lists. I have shopping lists, to-do lists, lists of websites I want to check out. List of books I want to read or DVDs I want to see. Lists of things I need to remember to tell Mum next time I speak to her. Lists online. Lists in my head. Lists in folders and journals. But mainly, lists on little squares of paper.

LOTS of scraps of paper. If I was to turn my handbag upside down, I wouldn't be embarrassed by all the miscellaneous stuff that fell out - my bag usually has my wallet, my phone, a hanky, maybe some paracetamol, definitely a zip-lock bag with some crackers for the boys. I'd be too worried about the five-hundred and eighty-three lists and receipts that would come spilling out and make it look like it was snowing.

But I think I may have found a solution. Not to the list-writing thing, it's a trait I inherited from my mum and it's here to stay. But a way to cut down on the uncountable pieces of paper I use. I did buy a PDA about 10 years ago, and while I liked the idea of using an electronic organiser, I still found myself using pieces of paper to jot things down. Enter PocketMod.

PocketMod is billed as "the free recyclable personal organizer". You can choose from some pre-done widgets, which include lines, grids, music staffs, diary pages, shopping lists, or even sudoku puzzles. Or you can create your own in PDF format and convert it to PocketMod. Then you print it out on a single sheet of paper, do a bit of simple origami (don't worry, they have instructions) and voila, you have a credit-card sized, 8-page booklet. If you're like me and can't handle uneven edges, just trim them with your scissors to neaten it up.

I've just printed out a spending tracker so I can write down what I spend, as part of my effort to write and stick to a realistic budget in 2008 (more on that in another post, maybe). I can even slip a few receipts in between the pages until I get time to write the details down or enter them on my PC. Pretty nifty.