43 Folders

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”What’s 43 Folders?”
43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

3x5 organization

How do you organize yours?

I ended up with quite a stack of cards I'd printed out at one time or another, all mixed together. I finally decided to find a stand-up holder for my desk (clear lucite, made to hold brochures and purchased at Office Depot for about 4 dollars).

I've made labels (using post-its) for each card (NAs, Shopping, Projects, etc.) and now can find the card I need at a glance. I still have a stack of extra cards in the drawer but I'm hoping this will stop me from not being able to put my hand on the right card and printing more.

To make the post-its easier to read, I put the major ones across the top, and subsets down the side.

Example:

Actions or NAs is a yellow post-it sticking out of the top of the stack.
Waiting For and Agenda are yellow post-its staggered down the side, as they seem to me to be subsets of "NA."

This is just to keep things separated and easy to spot when I need them.

I haven't come to terms with the way to best organize ongoing projects, though.

TOPICS: Lofi
 
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The Podcast Feed

Inbox Zero

The 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.

Making Time

3-part series on attention management for artists and makers. Read Bad Correspondence, The Job You Think You Have, and One Clear Line.