People sometimes ask why anyone would need a PDA. I thought that I'd jot down some of the programs I use to organize my daily life and how I use them as an example of the benefits of a PDA. Although only a sampling of the programs I use regularly, the uses below greatly enhance my productivity over my old Geodex organizer days.

Datebk5 by Pimlico - My most important tool. I use this to organize my very hectic schedule and Todos. I link contact Todos and schedules to their address entry, and complex ones to memos (in addition to embedded notes). I use custom views to tailor the display for specific tasks and trips, and custom list views to check upcoming or past appointments of specific types. I use repeated annual events to track birthdays and anniversaries, and to cover my daily Bible readings. Because of my schedule's complexity, I use colors and icons in customized categories to provide an "at a glance" view of a day, week, month, or year. Sony hi res support greatly enhanced the usefulness of the text week view and list view.

Shadow Plan by CodeJedi - My todo list is sometimes as complex as my schedule. Shadow Plan enables complex heirarchies in project planning, tracking completion of an overall project by taking into account the child processes, linking to other Palm OS databases and Shadow files, and an incredibly flexible filtering and tag system. It integrates with the built-in todo database (e.g., clearing an item in the todo program or Datebk5 also clears it in Shadow) creating a very powerful synergism. One of my recent discoveries, but now indispensible in conjunction with Datebk5.

MyBible by Laridian - Never leave home without the Word. The right perspective nurtured in a transformed mind provides balance and peace in a hectic life.

WordSmith by Blue Nomad - Another stalwart. I use it to take notes in meetings all the time. I format them and everything on my PDA on the airline or in boring meetings, then eventually sync those notes to my PC for printing without further modification. I also jot down advanced notes and agendas for meetings, and set up talking points for presentations. I can make the display font large enough to talk directly from my Sony w/o written notes. The true WYSIWYG display allows me to finish documents on the airline, saving my home time to spend with the family. I even write personal letters on it with my favorite fonts downloaded through FineType. I also have an entire theology and US foundations library in WordSmith format for instant reference.

MessagEase Stamp from Exideas combined with WordComplete from CIC - Great replacement for grafitti. Enabler that makes taking notes in meetings and writing long papers on the PDA practical for me. I'm not a fast writer in any system, but this has been the fastest and most reliable for me. Macros also save me input time. WordComplete makes long word entry a breeze by suggesting words after a couple of letters. I ignore it for shorter words because it's faster to write them with ME than scan the list in WC.

PopUp Names by Benc - The ability to call up contacts and return to the underlying task uninterrupted proved invaluable. I wish it allowed users to beam categories, but I value its size, speed, and excellent interface. The customizable search routine alone is worth the price of admission.

MiniCalc by Solutions in Hand - I value knowledge-based decision making, and a good spreadsheet can help do quick what ifs on the fly. I've created some interesting study sheets in resturaunts and on airliners, and arrived on-scene with a good handle on the relative sensitivity of a decision to the problem constraints. Syncing flawlessly to Excel allows me to share my parametric studies with others as needed.

Cryptinfo from NormSoft - I can't begin to keep track of all the passwords I have to know. Cryptinfo does, and keeps them very secure with 168-bit 3DES encryption. The stress of forgetting my passwords does not exist.

MS Dict Pro Bundle from Mobile Systems - When you write as much as I do, the right word is very important. IMO, MS Dict has the best combination of dictionary, thesaurus, and phrase databases on the market. I use its progressive search display to help spell words of which I'm not sure.

BackupBuddyVFS by Blue Nomad - Speaking of peace of mind, I back up every morning. If for some reason I lose a document during the day, I can get it back in seconds. Has never let me down.

HandStory and Bejeweled! 2.0 - What can I say. Sometimes you just need to get your mind away from the fray. I read the news or learn new words in HandStory during boring meetings, waiting for trains, etc. Bejeweled! is reserved for waiting times because I love the sound on my Clie!

World Alarm Clock from Sony - It's how I wake up every day on the road. It has never let me down, unlike hotel wakeup calls and clock radios. The Sony polyphonic speaker provides a very loud and musical alarm. This alone is a big stress reliever. Best of all, it came w/my T665C.

I have a ton more stuff on my T665C, which you can review on my website. However, these are the ones I use the most in connection with my daily routine to organize myself. Hopefully this gives an idea of the power available from a PDA to organize oneself and increase productivity.