File GTD or how to work with files without stress
Working with files is not as simple as it may seem at first glance. Here you have downloaded one file, you have been sent a second file, but a bunch of documents that have accumulated in a week. And after a while it becomes hard to find something that is really necessary, and besides, you can no longer really remember, but do you need something that has now spread out before your eyes with dull lists of file names.
Yes ... the situation is more than typical, I'm not talking about the amount of free disk space, which periodically begins to lack. And if you have reached enlightenment and are making backups, then surely these same backups will contain information that is redundant or unnecessary to you, sorry, I don’t have statistics on the percentage of backup exactly what is needed and necessary information, and something tells me that among the total information it will be a very small percentage. Bill, we need a system, yes, yes, a simple system for organizing files. It’s quite natural that you don’t immediately want to move anywhere to send just viewed or just received, but not yet open file, this is normal, it’s bad that nothing happens with this file as well, it remains like that in the place where it once appeared, and what kind of file, why it is needed already, and is erased in the back streets of memory. So it was, of course, with me. Then comes the doomsday and almost all files are sent to the trash. It is not right. Let me show you a system that works for me and is currently tested for the most unbalanced.
file system.
We will need Inbox, Action, Incubate, Archive and Install directories, which I recommend to place either on the desktop or in My Documents, in general in the most popular and convenient place for you.
Inbox - for any incoming information.
Action is a directory for files that you will work with in the near future, typically these are files of current projects.
Incubator files that will be needed after some time, perhaps a long time, or files waiting for a decision on their need.
Archive - already "waste" files that must be saved for history. This, as a rule, includes files of closed projects.
Install is NOT a dump of installation packages. As I have already noted, the ideal structure that has proven its viability comes from the FreeBSD port directory structure, typical top-level directories: archivers, cdrom, finance, multimedia, misc, sysutils, windows. Each installation package is placed in the appropriate directory with the version of the program. For example, nero 8 will go to the directory c: \ install \ cdrom \ Ahead Nero 8.0.4. Thus, going into the directory will be just a glance to determine how fresh the program is in the installs, and, if necessary, will be updated. Such a structure is especially convenient if you are not the only ones using these installations.
')
Inbox
It all starts with the Inbox, yes, this is such a container for chaos, daily arriving on our hard drives. Everything is sent to the Inbox, pictures, installation packages, attachments from letters, even text notes I would also recommend to save in the Inbox, since we will definitely return to these notes later. So, everything that gets on your computer as files in the Inbox. Do not worry about saving the file to the right place for it. First, later you can choose the most suitable place for the file, secondly, you will save time on choosing the right directory (yes, I know what I'm talking about, even in windows vista navigation through directories in the file saving dialog is not the most convenient), thirdly , you do not break out of the current context of work in order to think about what to do with the file, because at the moment you can simply view the mail, and to send an attachment to the correct directory, sometimes you need to open and view the contents of the attachment, and this can drag you into another process and parsing the rest of the mail will either take a long time, or simply be forgotten. In general, do not worry and save everything that comes to you in the Inboxe.
The most crucial moment comes later when we need to disassemble all incoming. First, you need to set a clear time for the Inboxa's DAILY analysis, let it be time for a morning cup of coffee as soon as you come to work and sit down at the computer. You will spend only 5-15 minutes, and you will have the feeling that the new day is started from scratch right in the morning and will give strength and energy for the rest of the day’s events. It is very important to get a habit of this action and not to forget and not to shelve the analysis of the inbox, otherwise it will be more difficult to keep within 5-15 minutes to analyze and the process will not be so easy and enjoyable.
Inbox parsing process
So, here is a list of files that came to you yesterday. For example, here is a freshly downloaded Ubuntu 8.04 disk image, which we planned to install at the end of the week, it will still need to be written to disk. If we have time right now, then we can MOVE the disk image in c: \ install \ ubuntu and start burning the disc to the disc right now, if not now, then set ourselves a reminder for the right moment and perform this action later. So, one file less. What is next? Yeah, here are two presentation files from a cellular company with new service offerings. We open, briefly review, so far nothing of what they are offered right now does not suit us, but in the future it may be useful, therefore we transfer and save it in the archive \ mts folder. And here is the next file, this is a picture that the customer sent for publication on the site, which we support. The site is a current project on which we work constantly, therefore the project has its own directory in the action directory. If we want to publish the image right now, then we do it and transfer the file to the action \ OurSiteProject directory, if not now, again, transfer the file, set a reminder for the right moment and forget about it. Next file We cannot yet decide whether we need it now or will be needed tomorrow, in general when we cannot decide whether to send the file to the Incubate directory. When the file is needed, you can easily find it there, but if you didn’t need it in a month, you can send it safely either to the trash or to the archive. The next file that caught your eye is the garbage that we immediately delete. ... and that’s all, there are no more files, we spent less than 10 minutes and our Inbox is clean and empty again!
Special mention deserve the methods of setting and using reminders. You can use the ingenious invention of stiky notes, these are such papers with a sticky edge, which are usually plastered with staff monitors in attempts to organize themselves (note - bad for laptops'). If you are a regular computer user, you can choose from a wide range of relevant organizer programs, the most popular of which for today is Microsoft Outlook, but personally my choice for today is MyLife Organized. If you have a permanent high-speed Internet connection, you can use any of the online services, the best of which I have selected for myself is the Remember the Milk service because of its rich functionality. If you want, you can put a cross on your hand in the old-fashioned way with a ballpoint pen%). In general, leave reminders where you want and how you want, the main thing is that these are places that you regularly look at.
Make it a rule to look into Action once a day, and Incubator once a week.
And if after performing these procedures you still have a depressing impression about the “lost” or not stored files there - do not worry, after getting used to it and developing the correct habit it will pass.
The article is a cross-post from the blog: nexus.org.ua/weblog/message/848
Yes ... the situation is more than typical, I'm not talking about the amount of free disk space, which periodically begins to lack. And if you have reached enlightenment and are making backups, then surely these same backups will contain information that is redundant or unnecessary to you, sorry, I don’t have statistics on the percentage of backup exactly what is needed and necessary information, and something tells me that among the total information it will be a very small percentage. Bill, we need a system, yes, yes, a simple system for organizing files. It’s quite natural that you don’t immediately want to move anywhere to send just viewed or just received, but not yet open file, this is normal, it’s bad that nothing happens with this file as well, it remains like that in the place where it once appeared, and what kind of file, why it is needed already, and is erased in the back streets of memory. So it was, of course, with me. Then comes the doomsday and almost all files are sent to the trash. It is not right. Let me show you a system that works for me and is currently tested for the most unbalanced.
file system.
We will need Inbox, Action, Incubate, Archive and Install directories, which I recommend to place either on the desktop or in My Documents, in general in the most popular and convenient place for you.
Inbox - for any incoming information.
Action is a directory for files that you will work with in the near future, typically these are files of current projects.
Incubator files that will be needed after some time, perhaps a long time, or files waiting for a decision on their need.
Archive - already "waste" files that must be saved for history. This, as a rule, includes files of closed projects.
Install is NOT a dump of installation packages. As I have already noted, the ideal structure that has proven its viability comes from the FreeBSD port directory structure, typical top-level directories: archivers, cdrom, finance, multimedia, misc, sysutils, windows. Each installation package is placed in the appropriate directory with the version of the program. For example, nero 8 will go to the directory c: \ install \ cdrom \ Ahead Nero 8.0.4. Thus, going into the directory will be just a glance to determine how fresh the program is in the installs, and, if necessary, will be updated. Such a structure is especially convenient if you are not the only ones using these installations.
')
Inbox
It all starts with the Inbox, yes, this is such a container for chaos, daily arriving on our hard drives. Everything is sent to the Inbox, pictures, installation packages, attachments from letters, even text notes I would also recommend to save in the Inbox, since we will definitely return to these notes later. So, everything that gets on your computer as files in the Inbox. Do not worry about saving the file to the right place for it. First, later you can choose the most suitable place for the file, secondly, you will save time on choosing the right directory (yes, I know what I'm talking about, even in windows vista navigation through directories in the file saving dialog is not the most convenient), thirdly , you do not break out of the current context of work in order to think about what to do with the file, because at the moment you can simply view the mail, and to send an attachment to the correct directory, sometimes you need to open and view the contents of the attachment, and this can drag you into another process and parsing the rest of the mail will either take a long time, or simply be forgotten. In general, do not worry and save everything that comes to you in the Inboxe.
The most crucial moment comes later when we need to disassemble all incoming. First, you need to set a clear time for the Inboxa's DAILY analysis, let it be time for a morning cup of coffee as soon as you come to work and sit down at the computer. You will spend only 5-15 minutes, and you will have the feeling that the new day is started from scratch right in the morning and will give strength and energy for the rest of the day’s events. It is very important to get a habit of this action and not to forget and not to shelve the analysis of the inbox, otherwise it will be more difficult to keep within 5-15 minutes to analyze and the process will not be so easy and enjoyable.
Inbox parsing process
So, here is a list of files that came to you yesterday. For example, here is a freshly downloaded Ubuntu 8.04 disk image, which we planned to install at the end of the week, it will still need to be written to disk. If we have time right now, then we can MOVE the disk image in c: \ install \ ubuntu and start burning the disc to the disc right now, if not now, then set ourselves a reminder for the right moment and perform this action later. So, one file less. What is next? Yeah, here are two presentation files from a cellular company with new service offerings. We open, briefly review, so far nothing of what they are offered right now does not suit us, but in the future it may be useful, therefore we transfer and save it in the archive \ mts folder. And here is the next file, this is a picture that the customer sent for publication on the site, which we support. The site is a current project on which we work constantly, therefore the project has its own directory in the action directory. If we want to publish the image right now, then we do it and transfer the file to the action \ OurSiteProject directory, if not now, again, transfer the file, set a reminder for the right moment and forget about it. Next file We cannot yet decide whether we need it now or will be needed tomorrow, in general when we cannot decide whether to send the file to the Incubate directory. When the file is needed, you can easily find it there, but if you didn’t need it in a month, you can send it safely either to the trash or to the archive. The next file that caught your eye is the garbage that we immediately delete. ... and that’s all, there are no more files, we spent less than 10 minutes and our Inbox is clean and empty again!
Special mention deserve the methods of setting and using reminders. You can use the ingenious invention of stiky notes, these are such papers with a sticky edge, which are usually plastered with staff monitors in attempts to organize themselves (note - bad for laptops'). If you are a regular computer user, you can choose from a wide range of relevant organizer programs, the most popular of which for today is Microsoft Outlook, but personally my choice for today is MyLife Organized. If you have a permanent high-speed Internet connection, you can use any of the online services, the best of which I have selected for myself is the Remember the Milk service because of its rich functionality. If you want, you can put a cross on your hand in the old-fashioned way with a ballpoint pen%). In general, leave reminders where you want and how you want, the main thing is that these are places that you regularly look at.
Make it a rule to look into Action once a day, and Incubator once a week.
And if after performing these procedures you still have a depressing impression about the “lost” or not stored files there - do not worry, after getting used to it and developing the correct habit it will pass.
The article is a cross-post from the blog: nexus.org.ua/weblog/message/848
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/30627/
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