Pile of Index Cards

I had been using RapidWeaver (RW) from RealMac Software for Blogging. I was (am) a newbie about Blogging. Also, I couldn’t use PHP and database at the previous .Mac server. The RW was a good solution for me.

Erik Luden suggested me to use WordPress (WP) rather than the RW. At the new pileofindexcards.com server, PHP and database are available. It is chance to try the WP. It’s combination with Flickr is so amazing. I can start writing Blog from a photo at Flickr with “Blog This” button.

A problem is how should I treat the previous Blog on the WP. I googled and found it is possible to import RW file into WP. However, even I import the RW file, links and layouts are destroied : I have to fix them one by one. It’s really time consuming. Also, a trick need to import Comments at Haloscan.

As a simple solution, I decided to leave previous Blog as it is, and start new Blog with the WP. Now, the previous Blog-Selection is separated into Blog-Wiki, two independent system. The articles on the Selection is copied to Wiki, then edit as new version with incorpolating Comments. I through my power to forward.

Ver. 1.5
- Blog
- Selection
- Service

Ver. 1.0
- Blog
- Selection
- Service

In the PoI system, number of card increase with 10 - 20 per day. If I review cards of the week at weekend, I have to review 70 - 140 cards. It is hard to do every week for lazy person like me.

Rather, daily review become much important and easier. Following is what I have been trying.

1. When I leave office, I take out all cards I have written in the day, by using KM2P.
2. Before sleep, I pick them up, and remind what I wrote that day, work, life, together.
3. Try to remember the cards In a bed. Morning through night, chronologicaly
4. Next morning, review the cards again briefly.
5. Leave “life” cards in the “life” dock, and take “work” cards to office.
6. Put “work” cards to “work” dock at office.

It helps me to remember the event of the day.

# Perhaps it is better to include calendar to the system. Then “search” will be much easier.

ref. : Mixture of stone and gem

This is a story I actually generate gem from stones.

I had had terrible headache for long time. It squeezed my brain. I couldn’t concentrate to my work with it. But my health had no problem. I talked to a doctor, colleague, and supervisors ; and they gave same answer ; it is mental reason.

I had started reading book about brain and mental. Also I go to gym and begin swimming to overcome physically. But nothing had changed about the headache. Only progress I got was knowledge about brain and swimming skill. One day, I try to track record of the headache with my system. I had recorded about my health as daily (i.e. Record card). In terrible case, I record the condition on independent Record card. I search my Life Dock, and pick them up all.

Between the Record cards, I found interesting pattern. I had never had headache on Saturday and Sunday. Then what is different between week day and week end. It’s simple : Go to office or not. Then It is really due to mental or human relationship? Nope. It seems opposite, the headache cause mental depression. Mentally, o.k., physically, o.k. ; what is the source? Then what about food and drink. A food won’t be so different. I drink coffee and tea frequently both in my room, and office. Then the problem is coffee or tea itself?. Negative ; I drink same brand in both place. Then what about water? Water? But I couldn’t believe a quality is so different.

Next day, I tried it anyway. Simply, just didn’t drink coffee in my office. And the results is obvious. I didn’t have the headache. I tried it next couple of days to confirm repeatability. And again, I didn’t have headache. I finally found a solution : Source of my headache is the water in my office. But I still couldn’t believe this result. A water is too usual. But it was biased by common sense. Long time I was blind due to the common sense. And only my card system knew the truth. Now I’m free from the terrible headache.

We can descrive a scene by words, by paint, by drawing, etc. The easiest way is, in this age, taking a snapshot with digital camera. When we find something beautiful, interesting, or curuous, we simply take a photo. After that, we can forget about it for a while. And later, we remember it again when we see a photo album.

We find ; take a photo ; forget ; and remember again.

What about idea in our mind? An idea is abstract and invisible : It is impossible to take a photo.

But we have indexcard and fieldnote. We can take a snapshot of our idea with them, like taking snapshot of scene.

An announcement for readers.

This site had started at .Mac site associates with my .Mac account.

Now, as you see in the title, I registered new domain name after “Pile of Indexcards”. I expect future expansion of this GTD-related indexcard community. At the new site, PHP and database are available which will gives us new possibility.

I will move to the new domain site soon. In future, current .Mac site will be just a redirect page to the new site. Please substitute your local and social bookmark etc. to the new address as your convenience.

# I thank Erik Luden. This won’t be realized without his advises and technical direction :)

ref. : @ blog, Strict chronological order

It is frequently asked “what about introduce Noguchi Filing to your system?”. Noguchi filing system works well to keep filing sytem dynamic. It is, however, obviously doesn’t work with the PoI system, at least for me. I knew this fact empilically. I had struggled how to explain this for people, and even for myself.

After jeevs gave me constructive comments at flickr, I clearly realized why it doesn’t work.

In the Noguchi filing system, number of file added in the system is, though it is largely depends on a person, couple of files per day, or even lesser. Plus, several piece of files are compiled in an envelope. It reduces number of file in the system. A review is more frequent than file addition. It can be expressed following simple equation.

Noguchi : Frequency of adding files < Frequency of review

In the PoI system, number of cards increase with the order of ten, much more faster than filing system everyday. In addition, there is nothing to compile each card ; information is naked. For review process, I do it not in constant like “week review” but when I need or just want it. The frequency is once per two weeks or even lesser. If I introduced Noguchi type review rules to the PoI system, the revised cards are easily buried by new cards (seen picture above). This situation is expressed as,

PoI : Frequency of adding card >> Frequency of review

The only difference of the two equations is the sign of inequality. But it makes huge difference between the two system. Noguchi filing system works well for the sign “<” (or “=”) and not for “>>”.

* : p : plain, pp : plain printable, r : ruled, rl : ruled library,
rv : ruled vertical, rs : ruled sticky, q : quadrille, c : color
** : For quadrille card

ref. : Reports by Leopard, Gregkise, John, Ayalan, and David.
and Photo @ flickr by Alina Mikadze, and by Kaj

Any additional information is welcome :)

Revised 2007.01.06 08:27 : Add grid spacing
Revised 2007.01.04 00:12 : Correction for L!fe’s card after Kaj’s comments.