5 Office Items that Just Won’t Be Replaced With Web Apps

The Internet is great, isn’t it? Remember the time when there was no broadband and no computers at all, when you had to to write notes on a piece of paper or order food by calling someone? And by calling, I mean putting a finger in the dial fn your phone and repeating that for each digit.

Those times are far behind us, but still, as much as Internet and IT technology provide for us today, there are some old-school things that we just can’t let go off.

1. Post-it Notes

Personally, I use Evernote a lot. As well as Google Calendar and several more to-do tools. As a smartphone owner I have installed several note taking applications, but still, I don’t find them intuitive or usable.

The most efficient tool for me are those small yellow (or any other color) post-it papers that sit on my desk, waiting to be written on. It’s the fastest and most convenient way of taking small notes, reviewing them after and once completed – throwing them away. The problem with those web and mobile applications is that they have some boot time. When you’re on the phone and you need to make a note, you can take a pen and paper and start writing immediately. With any other app you’ll need to wait for it to load. No matter how fast it is, post-it’s are still faster.

2. Whiteboards

Once you realize that you’re sketching things on several pieces of paper, you should buy a whiteboard! It does two things perfectly: it’s perfect for taking notes and it makes you feel like a scientist in the process! Kidding aside, whiteboards are a great help in the office and different online whiteboard apps, although very good, won’t replace the one on your wall.

3. Desktop and Mobile Phones

VoIP is great, no doubt about it. Actually, some teams, like Vox.me, are working hard to make it even better. But there is no better feeling than the one you get when your phone rings and you pick it up.

You just can’t get that feeling with a headset (or without one) and clicking the “Answer” button on the screen. Although, there are some VoIP phones that connect to your computer via USB, but still… ring ring!

4. Calculations and Document Management

Google Docs is an online system for creating, viewing and sharing all of your documents, spreadsheets and slide presentations. Personally, I use them a lot, but I also keep my calculator nearby. It served me well through my education and I don’t want to let it down by replacing it with some online application. 🙂

The same goes for documents; when I get something I have to read, I’d rather print it out and save it in a folder or that plastic outbox box than to have it somewhere in the cloud.

5. Calendars

I remember when I got my first three-part wall calendar. The middle part showed the current month, and the previous and next month were around this one. It also had that little red date marking which I love to move every day. Many online calendars, like Google Calendar, don’t have that and that’s why I’m still using my good old wall calendar.

How about you? What offline things you’re still using, despite having an online alternative?

Title image credit: http://bit.ly/oZj9YF