document storage

Over the past year I have dedicated a lot of time to making sure that the important things in my life are safe and organized, within reason. I’ve been using the book Getting Things Done as a guide, supplemented with other online recommendations.

Here’s a brief and somewhat complete description of my paper system. Important documents are stored in plastic folders in my plastic file box. Each folder has a label printed with my Brother P-2700, which I connect to my computer for more efficient label-tape use. I got it new, with free shipping for $40. Expect to pay far more – I lucked out. A simpler machine will do the same task, but I really enjoy using it, which means I actually file things. The labels make the folders far more uniform than if they were handwritten. I also avoid hanging folders at all costs. Instead, I use plain manila folders, unless the document needs to be water-safe, as previously mentioned. If I need to make a “group” folder, I simply make a list on a sheet of paper (printed from my computer) of folders that would normally be filed inside. This way, I can still maintain a hierarchy while avoiding the clutter of nested folders. Someday (soon, I hope) I will scan some of the stuff and get a safety deposit box. Finally, everything is filed alphabetically.

On to digital/electronic things. Important files are backed up somewhat regularly on my external hard drive. I’m still looking for a program to do this well and automatically. I don’t have Leopard yet, but I will soon enough – I’d like to give time machine a spin. Right now I simply drag and drop directories that I know have changed since the last backup. Much of my work in progress, especially things that I’m working on for others, is emailed to them and myself – and thus also stored online. I will eventually acquire more permanent online storage, other than my web host. I regularly synch my phone with OS X’s Address Book via Bluetooth, then export all contacts as a group vCard that I upload to Grand Central, which I use to manage my numbers and to log messages and conversations, mostly to note how much time I waste. Then I take a breath. I route my email accounts to Gmail. Replies appear as though sent from the same address the original message was sent to. I bi-directionally synch gCal with iCal using GCALDaemon, a server which I manage using Lingon. Lingon is a GUI for OS X launchd configuration files. It makes managing processes prettier and easier. I also use Jott to update/check my gCal via my cell phone. Jott sends me an email and an SMS confirmation/transcription of added calendar events. Also, gCal sends me emails and SMS texts at specific intervals prior to calendar events, depending on which calendar the event stored in. I use this setup to keep track of everything from class times to birthdays to TO-DOs to celestial happenings, like the Southern Solstice. This mobility and flexibility enables easy task capture and review – read/write access to my calendar whether I’m at my desk or on a bus.

I think I’ve lassoed the bucking steer, caged the paper tiger. Now I just have to keep it that way, forever . One further improvement, however, would be to print hard copies of all my contacts – a proper address book or rolodex seems in order. I figure tertiary storage is good, but a hard copy doesn’t need to be powered on to use. I will update this in the future, and also write more in depth articles, especially regarding gCal, workflow, organization, and staying mobile. I’d like to hear what others are doing!