So, having purchased the first issue of the incidentally awesome Make Magazine, and having read the article entitled “Yak Shaving,” I have discovered the world of lifehacking. Organization has always been a problem for me, but after reading some of the items on Merlin Mann’s 43 Folders, I’ve implemented two new tools that should (and over the past several days, have) help(ed):

The hPDA, short for Hipster Parietal Disgorgement Aid, is a pack of 3″ x 5″ index cards held together with a small binder clip. Pocket sized, it provides a ready source of paper, and can act as a to-do list, scheduling tool, and list of beers to try and restaurants to visit in Florence. I’ve enhanced mine with a set of duct-tape-on-index-card covers, since over the first couple of days I had issues with damage on the top card. The phrase “Fire and Motion” is a basic infantry tactic, and seems appropriate for a to-do list. I’m dreaming up a fancier cover but it’ll require a photo I don’t have yet, so it’ll wait.

The “tickler file” is like a sort of super-Page-a-Day calendar. One of my biggest problems is accidentally missing or nearly missing deadlines, which while infrequent is always serious. The file is able to represent an entire year worth of things to do, and I’ve been filing hPDA cards with events for future dates. I’ve also filed the notice to apply for parking on the 15th under the appropriate date, and an hPDA card reminding me to pay for Oxford on the 19th. And an hPDA card with a list of course registration numbers for the 17th, when my time slot opens. You might see the possibilities.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. Having a master to-do list has already made me feel more on top of things, and the file gives me some security that I won’t miss anything. As a bonus, there’s enough room for extra folders, which should let me instantly sort things as they come in, rather than just laying them on the table to be filed later into the file box in the wardrobe.

Feel free to share tips in the comments, or better yet, on the 43 Folders Wiki.

UPDATE: A paperclip on the bottom of the last card in use (or the last blank, if you keep your blanks in front) makes it easy to find by feel. Also, it gives you a paperclip you can mutilate in an emergency.