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Since my kitten has decided I've got to stop filing, I've got some time to update stuff.
Why am I filing? I'm trying a new organization system called Getting Things Done by David Allen. It's seen tons of recent coverage, and it sounded like just the thing for me.
I like GTD because it's a very lightweight system. In fact, it's so lightweight it's hard to call it a system, compared with some of the other "organize everything in your life down to shoelace replacement" systems. GTD concerns itself with one basic purpose: making sure that everything you have to do is recorded in a place that you can find, review, and not forget stuff.
GTD does not tell you why to do things. It doesn't tell you when to do things. It doesn't tell you how to do things, except how to make sure you don't lose track of things. It can be done on plain paper or with all the cool digital toys you can find. I don't want a system which wants me to reevaluate my life, my goals, and my spiritual needs. I don't want to play audio loops all the time affirming my basic existence. I don't want to wallpaper the bathroom with positive sayings. I just want to get shit done.
That's where GTD comes in. In barest terms, you write down the various things you want to do. Figure out what the absolute next thing to do is for each. Review to make sure you don't miss anything. And do stuff on your list, except when you don't.
Sure, there's more to it than that, which is why there's seminars, web forums, and the aforementioned book. But really, if you really understand the above paragraph, you'll be good to go. The rest of the systm is just a bunch of tricks and tips helping make things work. It appeals to me since in some cases I've already been doing pieces of it, for certain projects. So I'm gradually putting more and more projects and tasks into the system, and it's really great to have it all on paper.
Yep, paper. I used to have a Palm, but the calendar bugged me so I switched stuff into Emacs's calendar and bbdb. And to carry around, I print it onto 4x6 cards and pop it into a Circa notebook. (I like levenger covers, but the system is really Rollabind's and they have lots more options.) It's just more fun for me to play with my fountain pen and paper than it was to use a Palm and a small screen. I have an Ipaq, too, but it's just a toy... the PDA functions of it are crap. But that's another entry.
Which brings me back to filing. An important trick is to have a general reference file you can find things in, easily. All those manuals, receipts, warranties I have were in there. But it wasn't too organized. (Alphabetical order? You gotta be kidding.) So, I'm working on that. Also, I'm getting it set up enough so that I can save other interesting stuff I might want to take a look at later.
The system has already been inspiration enough for me to start cleaning my desk and filing things which have long been lying around, so it's already worth the price tag....