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!
Dear Lord that was a long winded explanation. My key to keeping organized is throwing shit out that I don’t need therefore there isn’t much to organize in the first place. Oh, and excel sheets for my dollar bills yo.