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Tickler File Hack
Brad Blackman | Mar 21 2006
I read a few of the links Merlin referred to today in his GTD recap, especially the A Year of Getting Things Done installments. In it he admitted he had trouble actually using the 43 folders the site is named after. I've found that's a hard point for me, too. Yesterday morning before work, I meant to get my emissions test done in order to renew my license plate. But I couldn't find the place because I left the printed Google Maps directions at home, in the Tickler folder for the 20th. Stupid me, I don't ever think about checking the tickler in the morning, or at night before bed. (Which would probably keep me up worrying about things I have to do tomorrow.) So last night I decided to put all the tickler folders for this week into my bag. It looks like what I'll start doing is putting the upcoming week's tickler folders in my bag when I do my weekly review on Saturday morning, which is when I pretty much plan the upcoming week. This is the first day I've tried it, but it's worked well so far. I just have a hunch this might actually work for me. It's based somewhat on my girlfriend's modified tickler file, where she only has 6 or 7 folders, one for each day of the week, in which she places things and to-do lists for that specific day. Has anyone else come up with any sort of tickler file hack, or any other such tweak to your system, that might be somewhat subtle like this one? Or perhaps more overt? 28 Comments
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 Part of the basic 43F...Submitted by noxqzs on May 3, 2006 - 7:39pm.
Part of the basic 43F technique is escaping me. From the GTD book, and DA's free downloadable 4pg "Tickler File" article: [indent]The daily files are in the front, beginning with the files for tomorrow's date (if today is October 5, then the first file would be "6")....Behind the "31" file would be the monthly file for the next month ("November"), and behind it would be the daily files "1" through "5". Behind that would be the rest of the monthly files ("December" through "October")....when the next month file reaches the front (on October 31 the "November" file will be the next one, with the daily files behind it), it will be emptied into the in-basket and re-filed at the back of the monthlies, to represent November a year from now. So here's my sample scenario: say last May I wanted to "mail myself" a reminder for a concert on November 4, so I put it in the November file. On October 5, my 43F will be as described above: 6-31, November, 1-5, December-October. My question is, when did my date-specific reminder jump from the November folder into the "4" folder? I won't empty the November folder into my Inbox until November 1, will I? That would be too late to get tickets to the concert. So in general, is it true that daily files after the next-month file (in this example #1-5) don't actually contain everything they should? True, I should have put a reminder for a November 4 concert into the October tickler file, but the issue remains. Gotta be something simple I'm missing, I assume. Thanks, » POSTED IN:
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