Iam an early-adopter tech geek at heart, and generally am among the first to embrace a new technology. I love my gizmos, although I focus on how they can be used to streamline and simplify life, not add unnecessary complexity. But there’s one area where I’m still decidedly old school.

I like to write—by hand. I’ve tried electronic planners and journals, but they just don’t work for me. Instead of having to open my iPad, turn it on, select the right app, and then start writing in a somewhat clumsy manner, I prefer to open my small moleskin and just start scribbling.

Each morning before I start work I write down my top three tasks for the day, and I take a moment to record some gratitude—it’s amazing how that creates focus and changes your perspective and outlook. During the day I’ll take notes on calls, ideas, and to-do’s. And at the end of the day, I'll review—hansei—my top three to see if I accomplished what I set out to do, and if not, then why not and how I’ll improve. I'll record any final thoughts, which at my age is starting to be a necessity, so the next morning I’ll remember where I left off. Instead of an electronic task manager or online personal kanban, I have Post-It notes arranged in careful symmetry and order on my desk. Portable? No. Effective? Very much so.

 …