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.

Ask MeFi on Macs and getting organized

Getting Things Done on a Macintosh | Ask MetaFilter

Looks like a good thread in the green to watch and maybe contribute to.

Having recently finished Getting Things Done (and after following 43 Folders for some time), I’m inspired to organize my life. I’ve gathered supplies and plan to organize my physical life this weekend. My on-line life (based on a Mac) needs help, though. How do you stay organized on your Mac? Do you use iCal? (It still seems so buggy to me.) What e-mail program do you use? Is Microsoft’s Entourage all that? I know about Quicksilver, but can you recommend other little apps to keep my digital life organized and worry free? (Tips on physical GTD organization are welcome, too.)


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Nick Dominguez's picture

This is a pretty interesting...

This is a pretty interesting topic and something I’ve been thinking alot about lately. The divide between your analog and digital space, both need to be organized but both require different methods and solutions.

thunt's picture

For Email, use Thunderbird, the...

For Email, use Thunderbird, the open source email client provided by Mozilla.org

http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

what’s really nice about it, is if you get the plugins Engimail and GNUpg you can send encrypted mail using entirely free and open source software.

http://enigmail.mozdev.org/download.html

http://www.gnupg.org/

Thunt http://thunt.net

chris's picture

http://www.backpackit.com/...

http://www.backpackit.com/

george's picture

voodoopad :)...

voodoopad :)

Gustavo Caetano's picture

Jesus, PC users shoud habe...

Jesus, PC users shoud habe something like this also. I’m almost being buried by my to do lists!

Is there any nice PC based software to help me implement “Getting Things Done” methods?

Schlaefer's picture

I heavily use hogbay notebook...

I heavily use hogbay notebook for gtd. Don’t miss the very powerfull function to show and create columns.

http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/hogbaynotebook.php

Mel Walker's picture

I still use iCal, since...

I still use iCal, since it syncs to .Mac and my work machine easily.

I decided not to upgrade my Palm, because I realized that my excuse was to take my address book anywhere, and what I really wanted was an expensive toy. So, I print out my address book every so often and keep it in my car. I haven’t been using it long enough to offer a firm recommendation, though.

What I want is to be able to read the iCal calendar files without having to launch iCal, using Python (or C or Perl or whatever). If someone can point me to something like that, I’d appreciate it. I want to use it to write a program that tells me today’s and tomorrow’s to-dos.

ted's picture

I'm not about duplicating my...

I’m not about duplicating my to-do lists on my computer—I try to keep it analog as much as possible. However, my main problem at the moment is organizing my drives, folders, and such, deciding when and how to get things off the computer onto archival discs, and trying to automate things. I’m using Quatio Observer to tell me when certain folders get too big, etc.

I am slowly applying the principals of GTD to setting up a file system. Just because you can store an amazing amount of data doesn’t mean you should…

kisane's picture

I think I must be...

I think I must be one of the last few people left who’s still using OS 9 on a Mac G3 laptop! I’m using Entourage (and will continue to do so when I upgrade to a new Mac and OS X later!). I use its folders feature for each client I work with. Within that one folder I have 2 - one for work to be done/changes to current work and one for quotes/costings etc.I use the Calendar to prompt me for upcoming deadlines, meetings, to call, to email etc. I don’t use a PDA. I sold my iPAQ when I realised I’m a pen and paper gal, so all my notes and schedules are transferred between my Calendar and Filofax. I don’t think you’d need too many digital apps. Keep it simple. I find the stuff that my Mac has is enough to keep me and my design jobs organised. Folders are good.

ted's picture

"Keep it simple." So true!...

“Keep it simple.” So true! My “big” accomplishment this month was finally cleaning out my inbox (450 emails strong!) and making folders and rules for everything (I had folders before but I needed much more than I thought). I then switched my view from “Inbox” to “Emails received today” and that, along with the “cunning use of flags” (thank you Eddie Izzard), has improved my emailing life 100%.

About Merlin Mann

Merlin Mann's picture

Bio

Merlin Mann is an independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster. He’s best known for being the guy who started the website you’re reading right now. He lives in San Francisco, does lots of public speaking, and helps make cool things like You Look Nice Today. Also? He looks like this, answers questions, and has something like a life.

Merlin’s favorite thing he’s written recently is a short essay called, “Better.”

 
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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.