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A PDA can make your life run PDQ

Affection for this hand-held computer runs high not only among professionals who are (or want to look) busy. Much love comes from one woman using it to keep home life going smoothly.

By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE
Published January 18, 2005

PDAs have been marketed heavily to the business community, so few people realize how useful these things are when running a household. When you add pets and kids to your hurricane-force schedule, a PDA can be your life raft.

A PDA, or personal digital assistant, is as powerful as most computers. And by backing it up on your home computer, you still have all your information if you lose or break it. (I've dropped two of them.) I suggest you get a sturdy carrying case, by the way.

When searching for tips on using PDAs, I was surprised to find that most Internet sites were for techies, listing cool games and downloads. Few gave practical advice for actually using one.

As a longtime PDA junkie, I'm happy to pass along mine.

In my memo files, I have a Recipes group. But these aren't the actual recipes. It's an ingredient list I use if I want to make fajitas or white chili or Oreo brownies. I call it up and see a list of what I need. That has made grocery shopping a lot easier if I get a whim to make an old favorite.

Similar to my Recipes list is my Recipes to Try list. It has the ingredients needed for recipes I have been thinking of attempting. If I get in the mood, I can easily pick up the supplies without hunting for the recipe first.

Here are some of my other household uses for a PDA:

-- A list of measurements of windows and rooms so if I run across something in a store, I can tell if it will fit in my house.

-- A Christmas gift idea list. I have everyone on my list, and as things come up in conversation over the year, I make a note. So when my sister-in-law said in August that she'd love a pedometer, I noted that, and come December, I also had ideas for her. My permanent list also keeps me from forgetting someone.

-- I subcategorize phone numbers to find them quickly. One is medical (including the vet). They are also divided by car pool families, co-workers and household repair people. My Palm has a search function, but I find this easier.

-- I have a Weight Watchers points list and a restaurant list. I can call up virtually any restaurant and find what's healthy on the menu.

-- I set up my To-Do list to give me reminders for monthly and annual duties. Examples: Give the dog his heartworm pill (monthly), apply fertilizer (quarterly), book appointments for checkups at the doctor and dentist (for myself and kids), due dates for library books or when to change the air-conditioning filters.

-- Annual calendar events: Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays can be recorded once and remembered forever.

-- Packing lists: for camping, vacations, picnics, tailgating or any outing that requires a lot of gear.

-- Party lists: I put the whole to-do list (cake, invitations, guest list, goody bags, etc.) and refer to it every year. You can do the same for any other annual party you throw, from Super Bowl to Christmas dinner.

-- Books to read and videos to rent lists: Because I never could remember that great book or movie someone mentioned at a party, I started writing it down in my Palm.

-- Maps while traveling: This one was from my gadget-loving husband, but it has come in really handy. When traveling in Portland, Ore., last summer, he downloaded city maps onto his PDA, and we referred to them often when driving around town. I should add that he also downloaded the addresses of all the microbreweries in the area, including directions.

-- Sharon Kennedy Wynne can be reached at wynne@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 17, 2005, 16:09:05]