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[Jason Echols]

In today's (2/19) blog post, I write about how tools can be used as motivation to keep our system going.

Do you use productivity products as motivation?

[Nathan Hale]

Great post...loved what you said about habits. In my post tomorrow I talk about how I really fell off the bandwagon over the past couple weeks due my lack of discipline.

Do I use tools for motivation? Heck yes. An elegant and useful tool almost always inspires me to get something done. Of course, the Molkeskine is a classic example, but well designed software and even furniture can go a long way toward making getting stuff done a little more of pleasant prospect for lazy procrastinators like myself .

[Patrick Rhone]

 When I was a little kid, and I got new sneakers, I was absolutely convinced that they made me run faster and jump higher. Therefore, for the next several days I ran everywhere and jumped around like I had ants in my pants.

Same thing applies for switching tools for me. Sometimes, I switch tools just for the sake of putting that extra jump in my step.

That being said, I always find myself going back in fairly short order to pen and paper. It just plain works for me.

[RogerW]

(pardon my  english - I am swedish)

@productivity products:
Sure we do. And there's nothing wrong with motivational tools. But I also find that many stuff can be used as a stepping stone for productivity
Some months ago, I was on sick leave, and beeing the Mac productivity software junkie I am I thought, "let me get interested in something completely else" and for some reason it was fountain pens.

Now even if they were only ment as a relaxing hobby they are integrated in my daily work life. I find I like handwriting a whole lot better with (for instance) my Lamy CP1, and combined with some coloured pencils they make great sketches, too

Now I am there again. This time I am looking at notebooks. I've been using Moleskins and Leuchttum 1917's notebooks because they go so well with the fountain pens, but now I am curious about a Levenger Circa junior bomber jacket notebook (but they seem to expensive to ship to Sweden, see my other post). With a good notebook, a nice pen, and a nice cup of coffee away from the office phone, my brain WANTS to plan, craves to plan, enjoys to plan.

Anyway. Habits and inspiration are good combinations. We need good internalized habits (Covey) and a reliable system for the next steps (GTD), but we also need to feel good about doing all the stuff along the way.  And here are where all the new gadgets come in. Although I must admit they can alsobe effective "time consumers" (likeI just found this forum) 

[Stephen Smith]

My personal fascination with blank notebooks has led me to re-vamp my system completely, and these lovely new notebooks are very motivating for me. I am very tactile, and like Patrick, I enjoy the feel of pen on paper.
The bonus for me is that these hand-written notes can serve as a rough-draft for entering things into any digital application that I need to use.

[Stephen Smith]

I'd like to change the topic from notebooks to whiteboards, if you don't mind. The post and pics on the blog show some of the ways that I have been using my whiteboard, not just for creativity but for motivation. I find it cumbersome to work with design tools because I do not do it very much, nor am I very good at it.

And while I am no artist, I can do well enough that I can figure out what I am trying to say, then go to the digital application and make a higher-quality image.

I also believe that using my hands and the pens gives me more of an opportunity to analyze and deepen the understanding of the problem that I am working to solve. Using the digital design tools somehow feels too "formal" and constraining. Or I start playing with features that I do not need to be using. Using the dry-erase pens encourages "rough-draft" thinking and keeps me away from more finely-grained decisions.

How do the pro-designers here start out when crafting an idea?

[Brad Blackman]

I don't use it, but our Creative Director and Copywriter have them in their offices (I don't have an office, just an open space I share with 2 other creatives) and they love theirs for much the same reasons. It really helps with "big picture" brainstorming.

[SteveC]

One of the most common complaints in our (huge open plan not even cubicle) battery farm office is that there are no walls to put white boards on.  The last project I worked on managed to borrow a board, but we had to prop it on a stack of archive boxes and lean it against the railings that surround the atrium space.   

I think they are one of the most useful inventions ever. 

Steve

[Nathan Hale]

I have one on the wall in my office. While I don't use it all the time, it's certainly handy, especially when brainstorming with multiple people. Photographing whiteboards is a great idea as well!

[Flominator]

My two main tools: Headphones to know I have to do some programming and cereal bars to make my go cycling.

PS: You got a broken link to your blogpost

[Brad Blackman]

@Flominator thanks for the broken link notice. I fixed it.