ninagobragh | Have I Moved On from Index Cards?

So, how did everyone do on Hobonichi Day? Did you score the planners you wanted? I ended up with my setup for next year — the A5 Avec and the A5 Days-Free. (I actually picked up another system for something else, but I’ll save that for a future post.)

But what I really wanted to talk about today is something a little different: index cards.

A Brief History

The last time I used index cards in any serious way, I was 18 and working my first job at a law firm. Despite computers (and yes, even the internet!) being around, my boss insisted on tracking clients with index cards in a big box — very Rolodex-style. If you don’t know what a Rolodex is, please sweep me off the floor and deposit me directly into the trash can.

Even before that, index cards were part of my life. I kept a little card catalog for my personal library, noting down every title and author. At school, I remember having to write facts on index cards for history projects and then turn them in as part of the grade.

Present Day

These days? They’re basically retired. I’ve got a stack sitting on my utility cart and in the last two years I’ve used them twice:

once as Hebrew aleph-bet flashcards
once as a last-minute homemade greeting card

And that’s it.

It’s not that I dislike analog tools — I actually prefer them most of the time. I’m a big believer in keeping things tactile when possible. But the truth is, index cards feel optional now. If I need to jot something down and stick it somewhere, I grab a sticky note. If I want to track my books, there are plenty of apps. If I need flashcards, my commonplace book or a digital app does the trick. And if I forget a greeting card again, Canva (or a quick trip to the store) is probably a better solution.

The Future

I don’t mean for this to sound like a eulogy for index cards. Plenty of people still swear by them, and that’s great! For me, though, they may be one of those tools I’ve outgrown. I’ll always have fond memories of shuffling through a box of handwritten cards, but I think it’s time to admit: I’ve moved on.