21apples

After reading Edward Tufte’s analysis of PowerPoint (see my review), I have been thinking a lot about how to organize information.

I use Backpack, a personal management tool (try the free version) from 37signals to help me stay organized, but one of its main features is simple lists. I have many many lists on different pages (personal, work, 21apples, recipes, reading lists, shopping lists and more). I thought it would help me stay more organized, but so many items on those lists remain undone. It seems like the lists are good for keeping track of all the things I want to accomplish, but I do not have an easy time planning the execution.

I am beginning to think that a program like Tinderbox might be more fruitful (click the image on the right). I could use it to document everything I am doing, but also add things like when to do them, which items to work on together, priority and more. The Tinderbox Blog which is actually published using Tinderbox, features tips on what’s possible with the software. Quite Content is a blog that has a writeup on how to use Tinderbox for problem solving. The Quite Content blog is focused on the Getting Things Done method (all about productivity) coined by David Allen. 43Folders is an amazing blog about personal productivity (lifehacks) that also has a lot of great resources on Getting Things Done.

Of course, the greatest way to “get things done” is to follow the old adage my mom always used to tell me, “never leave for tomorrow, that which can be done today.” If only today were 412 hours long…

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