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The original 43 folders.
Ryan Norbauer | Oct 25 2007
I was recently skimming through my beloved old 1934 edition of Progressive Indexing and Filing, which I inherited at a young age from my grandmother—probably my first piece of productivity porn (the book, not my grandmother.) On page 85, I stumbled across a delightful little gem. Apparently, not only did the David not invent the tickler file (news to me), but it’s been around since at least 1934. The tickler file has been central to the GTD workflow since David Allen’s first book was published, and I’ve used one (admittedly on and off, and with varying levels of success) for the last four years. The name of this venerable blog itself is an allusion to the 43 folders that comprise the tickler file (12 months + 31 days). Here are a couple of tidbits from text:
For a good bid of historical life-hackery, check out this classic tome. If Amazon is sold out, you can also give Abebooks a try. POSTED IN:
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Inbox ZeroThe original 43 Folders series looking at the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way. Don’t miss the free video of Merlin’s Inbox Zero presentation. Get Started with ‘GTD’David Allen’s popular productivity book and the system on which it’s based help turn ‘stuff’ into actions that support valuable outcomes. |
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Good Old Days
I did admin for a small pension fund manager back in the early 90’s. He used a tickler and had been using it for decades. I always thought it was a great way to work. Kudos to the David, though, for popularizing it, and making it one of the cornerstones of his system.
my dad had one
He used it back in the 70s/80s. He got it from another productivity guru/efficiency expert. David Allen mentions a couple of other productivity folks in passing in his book he says he learned things from, but has no notes. Has anyone looked them up?
The original 43 folders
I think the vast majority of legal secretaries have used such a tickler system for decades, but I agree that David Allen deserves credit for dusting the system off and making it relevant to everyone.
genius
Totally. The genius of David Allen is not in originality of his thought but his broad vision for assimilating disparate hacks into a comprehensive system that can handle almost any input in one’s life.
Flexibility
As well, Mr. Allen recognizes that there is no one exact system for everyone, but rather emphasizes the concepts behind his system. And these concepts can be adapted into many different formats, being flexible enough to allow different personalities to be more productive and less stressed!
Who Would Have Thought
Who would have thought that David Allen did not invent the entire world ?
ha!
I just think it’s beyond amazing that there was something ever called “Progressive Indexing and Filing”, never mind that it was over seventy years ago.
selection
In his Philosophy of Modern Art, Sir Herbert Read states: “The only true creation is procreation; all else is selection.”
Another David "Selection"?
When I read the first time GTD, I remember of a diary with context I used years ago.
Now, when I decided to return to paper (after the years of PDA), I try to use the moleskine diary. But finally I find it again!
It was the Quo Vadis Agenda Planning, born in 1950s…
Maybe they also inspired the 1 week view in outlook. :-)