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GUI - Grand Unified Interface
dp | Dec 5 2005
I'm on a quest for the Grand Unified Interface. I have a detailed hierarchy in the Finder, with a folder for each project, and each project folder parked in the appropriate Active, On Hold, etc. parent folder. A project folder can contain anything from text files, to OmniOutlines, to image files, to FileMaker databases. But the one thing it cannot contain is email. Currently, there is a duplicate project hierarchy in my mailbox list in Mail. During my weekly review, I spend a great deal of time syncing the project data in Mail with the project data in the Finder. I've tried saving copies of email messages into the appropriate project folders in the Finder, but must still keep the originals in Mail in order to facilitate ongoing conversation. I've tried keeping everything in Mail, but that's cumbersome. Email programs are not designed to be GTD managers. I've tried DevonThink, but it doesn't handle email very well, and requires me to launch FileMaker and OmniOutliner in order to work those files. If I'm going to launch independent apps, I might as well use the Finder. I'm looking for a Finder with a tightly integrated email capability. Has anyone run across this holy grail? dp 11 Comments
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 So the mere act of...Submitted by dp on December 8, 2005 - 10:28am.
therealadam wrote: So the mere act of switching from the Finder to Mail to send a reply is too much? Bummer. You're right. It does seem a bit obsessive. But imagine a paper system. Everything relating to Project X is in a folder. You send me a memo. I write a reply on the memo, photocopy it, and send the copy back to you. Your memo with my reply (my canonical copy) goes into the folder along with everything else related to the project. That's it. EVERYTHING related to Project X is in that one folder. I would like to accomplish the digital equivalent. My current arrangement is analogous to putting your memo into a separate folder in a separate filing cabinet, and moving back and forth from cabinet to cabinet as I work a single project. It would actually be more efficient with paper, because I could isolate the two folders from the rest of the cabinet and lay them side by side on my desk. You are correct about my use of the Finder. I have a folder for Workflow and a separate folder for Reference. Each is deeply subdivided into pretty much the types of subfolders you would expect. BUT I have redundant Workflow and Reference sections in Mail. I'm looking for a streamlined way to integrate this. » POSTED IN:
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