Pile of Index Cards

This week, I spend most of time in library. I escape from computer, like a children run away from home. Morning to night. I spend whole day by reading in library. Long time I forget this comfortable atmosphere.

I found some things good to keep reading, around desk and environment.

- High desk
- Footrest
- Fluorescent lamp
- High Roof
- People

High desk keep book close to eyes. Mine is too low for reading since it is optimized for typing keyboard. The footrest is good for long-time sitting. I found lamp is important for reading. Incandescent lamp in my room is dark for reading. High roof is good for thinking because one look up while thinking. Every people in a library are reading and studying. Sharing common experience in common place. This is good to motivate myself.

なかなか本が読めない時は、環境を変えてみる。

High entropy state : Chaos
Low entropy state : Cosmos

Creativity is born between them.

混沌と秩序の間で。

One thing I clearly see through index cards experience is that a paper is more flexible and robust than computer, especially to enhance one’s discovery.

This contemplation has start to change my life in reality. On desktop, my PowerBook is move to side, and paper returns to the center. This is symbolical event for me.

Since I got my first Macintosh about ten years ago, it had been always at a center of my life. For me, it is more than a computer. I spend most of time with Macintosh in a day. No doubt to be at center of my desktop.

It’s time for me to rethink relationship with computer. How to use it for better productivity. Computer is useful, of course. Most of time, howeber, a computer give me too much things. So now, I start to say “I’m enough.”

知足。

- Brain Storming
- Mind Map
- KJ Method
- GTD
and
- PoIC

I found they have something in common. What is that? :P

To manage information, it is important to know how entropy increase/decrease in a system. Because it is a measure of randomness of information.

According to my experience of the PoIC, and whole cycle of activity using index cards, I think entropy in a system (that is, in a dock) can be represented with a model shown in the picture.

1. Entropy in a dock shows one-way growth with time due to chronological accumulation of index cards. Horizontal axis is Time which depends on a project.

2. At certain point, Task Force is organized as a preparation of reproduction. This time, cards are selected, extracted, then classified. So the entropy in the dock dramatically decrease in this process. In case of the PoIC manual, it is almost one year after of the start project.

3. The entropy drops again due to the reproduction and accomplishment. The Task Forces finish their work and won’t return to the dock that keeps chronological order.

4. The entropy won’t go back to zero because there is still cards remain in the dock. The remaining cards are used for other projects. So it’s o.k.

5. Ready to go to the next project!

As a result, an entropy of the PoIC system shows sawtooth-like cycle with time from long-term view point. It seems organizing Task Force process plays a key role to reduce entropy, and maintain order of the system.

This is a next experiment of feed back the analog PoIC to digital world. Last time, I made a Dock folder with dock icon, according to Doc’s comments.

Now, digital files on HDD are classified into four kind as four cards of the analog PoIC. What is important here is to limit a number of label to only four.

Original Finder’s label hides file name. So for labeling, I use Unsanity’s Label X. It makes better look of file/folder and high visibility of file name.

I put the Dock icon in the dock (that is, finder’s dock bar) for easy access. I save file on a desktop first, label it, then put in the Dock.

The files are sort by creation date to realize chronological stacking in the Dock folder. When duplicate file, the file creation date cannot be changed. This time, I make new folder and put the file in it.

I’ve been using vim and TextMate for text editing on Mac OS X. I like their simplicity and robustness.

Recently, I found yet another interesting text editor. It is Write Room which emulate old fashioned electric typewriter on Mac OS X. It remind me of the movie “Stand by Me” (1986) : At the end of the movie, middle aged Gordie uses such kind of typewriter.

Today, a computer’s desktop contains too much information enough to spoil writing mood. Folders, browsers, scattered files. The Write Room, however, only displays black screen and green letters (of course, the colors are customizable). It is good to reduce emvironmental entropy.

I think this fits to a philosophy of the PoIC. :)

# It is quite possible to use the vim and TextMate like the Write Room. But only Write Room can input Japanese without trouble among them.

What is good for productivity is, according to some books,

- wake up early morning
- for a walk
- exercise
- in a train
- ascetic life
- stay hungry

It seems a productivity comes from some sort of stress.

A system of the PoIC is consisted by a brain and a dock. Information in a brain is transfered to a dock by using index cards and fieldnote. It reduces stress that comes from randomness of information in a brain.

There is one layer above this minimum system. A workspace. It could be say a system from view point of entropy. This is quite true for me.

If I scatter stuffs on my desktop, my concentration is dissipated, and fall into hyper active state. Even index cards, I’m negative to scatter them on a desktop all time. I keep my desktop clean. This is not because of my meticulous nature, but I know I have to do so to do something.

An entropy in a system increases with time. Perhaps the scattered desktop is a result of this order. But it does not generate anything. At the same time, if there is no place to transfer entropy from a brain, it will be dissipated in it. A brain have ingenious function to reduce entropy : Forgetfulness.

So a randomness of information in a system must be increased, neither on a desktop, nor in a brain, but in a dock. Conversely, to maximize productivity, entropy must be maximized in a dock.

“Entropy” is a concept that measures a randomness of information. In nature world, entropy in a system increases with time. We need a effort to resist for this natural order.

It seems the entropy is unavoidable matter on information management. Yukio Noguchi, known by the Noguchi filing system, argued about it at the end part of his book.

In the PoIC, a number of information increases rapidly with time. Because a unit of information is small 5×3 card. Also the PoIC adopt simple chronological order without revision of system. It is natural for me to be sensitive about entropy.

So now, I see entropy everywhere : Four seasons, life, genetic inheritance, stock market, and revolution. I understand every cycle is to avoid runaway inflation of entropy. When time has come, when entropy is at it’s maximum, a regulator comes. Winter, death, meiosis, invisible hand, and revolutionist. They are all to reduce entropy in a system. A nature uses really tricky way.

A philosopher said, “The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of the dusk.” The owl is, as you know, a metaphor of a knowledge. In the PoIC the regulator is not a death of the system, but the owl, a new knowledge. The owl will comes after inflation of index cards in a dock. And it seems natural cycle in generation process.

It is almost 3 months since I have started a service to provide the PoIC items, that is, index cards, field notes, and dock. I had enjoyed the totally new experience to export a stuff to abroad. I had enjoy to order, pack, and ship to many different countries.

At the same time, the service disturbs my life. Also, I feel there is discrepancy in a policy of the service compare to the beginning. So I decided to stop to provide the service. In fact, at the beginning, I decided to limit this service for 3 months whatever. Just the time had come.

And now, I think it’s time to move on next stage. Time to see the seeds grow. I know it takes some time, but I notice the first generation already start to bloom in reality. So meantime, I would like to enjoy my spare time with the flickr, the blog, and the manual as I had done before. The original PoIC was born in such atmosphere.

I really appreciate the service’s customers for their agreement. When you need more stock, please contact me personally. Then I will send you from my stocks. ;)

Don’t be afraid to be weak.
Don’t be too proud to be strong.

Just look into your heart, my friend.
That will be the return to yourself.

The return to innocence.

It’s time to reduce entropy.

You can try the dPoIC theme. Before download, please understand this is still in experimental. Also please leave “pileofindexcards.org” signature on the theme to manifest this is a result of “The Pile of Index Cards” works. Download, unzip, and then put the file in “~/Library/Application Support/iWork/Keynote/Themes/” directory. I made this theme with Keynote 3.0.2 on Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Base font is Helvetica.

Read PoIC Manual for “how to use it?” kind of question. This is just a replacement of index cards in analog PoIC on a computer. For Keynote, please read Keynote’s manual and help, or ask apple support center.

This is built for myself. But I’m happy if it is useful for you, too ;)

Tips
Set “Copy audio and movies into document” in the Keynote’s preference. Then we can extract digital files in the slide by opening package of the Keynote file later.