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.

My Tools @Work

The empty Windows section looked so sad, I thought I'd post something here. Any other Windows users hiding out there? [I can definitely understand the appeal of Macs (some wonderful software out there that's Mac-only, for one), but I've just always used Windows (or, *cough*, DOS) machines.]

Outlook for email, calendar, and a little task management

  • I've created @Action, @Reference, @Waiting, @Reading Material, @Someday/Maybe, @Open Issues (some things seem to fit neither Reference nor Waiting)
  • I flag emails to remind me of the specific action that must be taken; these can also pop up as reminders.
  • I've got it set up so that email from my boss gets flagged for immediate reading, has its own particular color text in the in-box and makes a sound upon arrival. (This would be total overkill when applied to every email!)

Bonsai desktop (for the bulk of my Next Actions, task, project management)

  • I posted about Bonsai in the PDA folder, but its desktop component is just as useful and for the same reasons: categories, filtering, easy to create hierarchical lists/outlines, etc.
  • It's not free, but might be worth the ~$35 price tag to someone looking for a powerful listmaking/outlining tool that seamlessly syncs from desktop to PDA. (I was lucky enough to receive a license to it as a Christmas gift.)

I'm just doing my best to record everything in one of these two tools -- contact information, tasks, projects, lists, etc.

TOPICS: Windows
terrym's picture

http://static.flickr.com/40/100917705_d81d6438bd_m.jpg Here's

Here's my set-up then.

When I first tried all this I think I used a Palm, then a filofax, Outlook, Outlook and iPaq, a moleskine, then nothing, then back to Outlook. And now, Outlook and a notebook. I use my everything goes into just one folder). I'd like to say my inbox is completely empty as a result, but I can't just yet.

The action list, showing all my next actions and projects, and the calendar are printed out, shoved in the back of my notebook, and off we go. I've got into the habit of going out for a coffee, and sitting at one of the tables there scriblng all over my notes with any new actions I can think of, re-wording duff actions ("Investigate such-and-such"? -- how exactly? what's the next physical thing to do?), crossing through what's done and high-lighting what I'll do next. All this, in turn gets typed back up into Outlook and fresh copies printed out. I find it much easier, calmer to think with a scribbly pen than sat at my desk, and so far so good.

 
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