43 Folders

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

How do you keep your office portable?

I'd like to throw out a comment/question for everyone.

The day will eventually come when handheld computers are as robust and powerful as laptops and desktops. Likewise, eventually all our applications and files will be remote, accessible from any digital entry point--Gmail, Writely, etc. are obviously just the beginning. But until that time, how does everyone keep their office as portable as possible?

I work from multiple locations and on different computers/platforms. It seems to me that the appeal of analog tools like the Moleskine and the Hipster PDA stems in part from people's need for a platform independent way of "syncing" everything they do--without the hassle of trying to get all those portable electronic peripherals to talk to one another.

I'm trying to keep my own office as portable as possible and I still haven't quite got it right, as I often find myself in a work location (be it the office, the coffee shop, the library) without the right tools. Maybe it's a stapler. Maybe it's the most recent revision of an electronic draft of a paper. Maybe it's a book I need to read. Maybe it's the support materials for a project that someone has just called me about. Obviously, this is what laptops were designed for. But what about all those pesky little analog items: letters to mail, important paper project support material, etc.? And what about times when you travel light, without the laptop? How do you remember to carry along the right things?

I'm interested in hearing how everyone else keeps their offices as portable and universally accessible as possible, whether through digital or analog tools.

 
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