System

4 (5) categories

  • inbox: (optional)
  • projects: completable and have an end date
  • areas of responsibility: a quality, standard, or responsibility to maintain over time for your role
  • resources: interests, curiosities, passions, hobbies (not responsibilities!)
  • archives: anything not active

Workflow

60 second setup guide

  1. start fresh by archiving everything and put a date on that folder
  2. create project folders
  3. create an inbox (optional)
  4. create additional folders as necessary

Only create additional folders as necessary. Never create empty folder or tag until you have something to put in it.

Refinement

Project refinement

  1. confirm projects are not an area of responsibility.
  2. be able to define workload of project

Folder Refinement

  1. Number the folders.
  2. Standardize naming convention. i.e. emojis start projects, capital starts areas of interest, uncapitalized starts resources
  3. activate offline mode for projects and inbox folders
  4. make backups
  5. be flexible. It doesn’t matter that you have 4 main categories. Two works: i.e. Hot - Cold. Or add a systems folder for 6.
  6. Use same organizational system on everywhere. Each system adds mental load.

Upkeep

  1. retitle new items in inbox to something useful. Same vein as - 1a - On Writing Titles
  2. Sort in to para - will this help me move a current project forward? yes - projects. will this help me uphold an area of responsibility? yes - aor. Interest? Otherwise, delete. This also helps refresh work / ideas that have been done too.
  3. Update active projects. Move stuff to archives or out of it.