43 Folders

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Oh, yeah..._the name_

A couple people had asked.

This site’s title, 43 folders, refers to the number of manila folders required to build a physical tickler file system.

Twelve monthly folders and 31 daily folders are used to build a rotating, one-year “look ahead” system. Maintained daily, it’s a powerful lofi hack for never forgetting to do something (and, consequently, not having to worry about forgetting to do something).

It beats (or at least complements) your electronic calendar in at least one way by letting you store hard-copy items like cards or bills in the folder associated with any day between now and a year from now.

The tickler file is an important tool used in implementing David Allen’s Getting Things Done system. You can read about how to set up your own tickler file on his site or in his Getting Things Done book.


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Sean O's picture

I've been doing this for...

I’ve been doing this for years. Except I get one of those numbered 1-31 file sorters. I also paperclip off weekends and vacations so I won’t file things on days I’m going to be out.

dunsany's picture

I've been just fine for...

I’ve been just fine for decades putting things in a tray on my desk, writing things in a calendar or just plain remembering. I never worry about forgetting things.

CaptSolo's picture

Intersting semantic of the blog...

Intersting semantic of the blog name. :) Congratulations with setting up your blog then!

re. 43 folders - an interesting idea.

i kind of struggle with organizing things to-do and how to do it. used Palm organizing for some time, but one has to remember to look at the screen in the first place.

so I have found that writing the stuff to-do on a sheet of paper (yes, physical medium) helps a lot. the action of striking out done lines from your to-do list is … rewarding? satisfying. and … having a single sheet of paper with things to do works better than having more fragmented daily lists. just that you need to update and rewrite this to-do quite often.

i do not have that much need to plan ahead further than a month (and if that is a very imporant event far away, i won’t forget it anyway), but in general the lookahead system sounds like a good idea.

what are you going to file in it (the blog)?

LikeSoy's picture

Funny, I've gotten into GTD...

Funny, I’ve gotten into GTD over the last year or so, and one thing I’ve not yet implemented is the Tickler file … partly because of the name … kinda creepy.

Haven’t gotten into the habit of the weekly review either. Am making a renewed effort soon, and glad I stumbled across your sites!

DrFu's picture

interesting collision... In my head,...

interesting collision… In my head, 43 evokes the dreaded old Mac OS error -43, ‘file or folder not found’. Just about the opposite of your intent.

fixedgaer's picture

Is it ok if I...

Is it ok if I use two accordian folders, one labelled 1 -31 for days of the month and the other Jan - Dec? Just kidding, Merlin, I like the site and the net result is 43…

Fancy Robot's picture

43 Folders Whew. I've spent the...

43 Folders

Whew. I’ve spent the last two days preparing my small studio apartment to run “on its own” now that I’ll be working crazy hours in the publishing industry. I’ve been doing my best to come up with systems for everything

c u l t u r e k i t c h e n's picture

Merlin tickles me fancy with...

Merlin tickles me fancy with his new site of tips and tricks

43 Folders: Oh, yeah…the name That folder system is mindboggling but it might be what I need for organizing my life, online and off….

Murky.org's picture

Organisation: Hit me with your...

Organisation: Hit me with your Tickle Stick.

Today I have been getting organised, and have filled three waste bins to overflowing in the process. I have implemented something with the stupid name of a tickler file, but already it is looking good. Essentially you take 43 folders…

 
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