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The Friday 5ives: How to start using a tickler file

04 05 07 - 14:00 - Bookmark this post

Every friday I present to you The Friday 5ives. Around one central theme I give five tips. tweaks, moments, pointers, anything. Really short but I hope really helpfull. The past Friday 5ives can be found on this tag-page. I am still experiencing some difficulties with the tags so they give some errors. It has gone to the @waiting-for list since I need my webmaster’s help with the htaccess file.

This friday, I present to you five ways to start with a tickler file.

First up, what is a ticklerfile? The 43folders-wiki describes as follows:a Tickler File consists of a series of 43 file folders: 12 monthly and 31 daily folders. Items are filed in a folder corresponding to when the item will need to be handled, thus reminding or “tickling” the user about it. These items might be action reminders, bills, receipts, reports, letters, or any number of other things.

Wikipedia follows: Each day you open to the numbered folder representing today’s date. You take all the items out of the folder and put the empty folder into the next month. This sort of management allows you to file hardcopy reminders to yourself. For instance, if you had a concert on the 12th of the month, you would store the tickets in the 12th folder, and when the 12th came around, they would be there waiting for you.
Check this page to find an extensive overview of ones ticklerfile, how het set it up and how he uses it.

I know from my own experience that I find it hard to keep my ticklerfile in use. Especially in my personal situation. I don’t have a desk or an office where I work. I just have a laptop, couch or diningtable. My ticklerfile, popup here, is a 31-day reminder-system in a drawer near my place on the couch (everybody has their own place on the couch right?) but since that drawer is closed, I don’t look in it every day.
So for my own personal growth and management, I present five ways to make you use the ticklerfile more often and better. I made these up as ways that I would think I would us it more myself, so let’s see where this ends

1. Place it in your line of sight in the morning or evening: This is a no-brainer. Just make sure you see the ticklerfile when you wake up in the morning or when you work on your stuff at night. Place it on your desk, lay it on the table, just as long as you see it.
2. Put money or presents in it: Get some 5 dollar bills or little presents (photos of your kids, printout of a nice story, a coupon for a free icecream) and place them with your eyes closed in random folders or day-tabs. You will look in it every day to check if you “win” something. Don’t forget to do something fun with the money or enjoy the present.
3. Put it on your calendar: This helped me at work to get used to the ticklerfile. For a full month, I had a recurring item in my calendar that said “Check your ticklerfile”. I marked it with a different colour than the other items so it would stand out. This one worked for me, but I need to find a way to get this to work in my private situation. I don’t open my PC in the morning untill I am at work, so I need another reminder. Perhaps an SMS with Google Calendar? Hmmm…
4. Put your reading material in it: I have a lot of magazines and printed out articles. So instead of putting them on a pile next to the drawer where my tickler file is, put them IN your ticklerfile on designated days or in a random order.
5. Put everything in it: Just put everything in the ticklerfile so you are forced to use it. Put grocerielists in it, mail, receipts, bills, todolists. So you have to look in it just to find what you need. 43folders has a nice article on this hack.

More ticklerfile-hacks
My love for the ticklerfile
A small victory with my ticklerfile

(cutout from original photo by Stephanie Booth)

Great list of tips. I love short bits of golden nuggets like these.
Kim Roach - 04 05 07 - 20:45

I’ve found that at my job, since there’s alot more short-term work involved, I have a weekly tickler setup (Folders are M-F, Next Week). On Monday AM, I empty my NW folder… works well for me, much less “overhead” than a full monthly tickler setup.
Joe - 04 05 07 - 22:23

I’ve just started implementing my “offline” tickler file with my online Nozbe to-do-list since you can now print Nozbe actions and notes into handy Pocket or Wallet format, more info here:

Nozbe for Paper

It’s really important to keep a balance between the offline and the online world and not just to depend on having your computer on all the time. My 2 cents.
Michael - 08 05 07 - 11:18

The Tickler File is getting a lot of attention lately! Here is how I manage it.
Stephen - 12 05 07 - 14:46

“Put money or presents in it:”

I love this idea! Thank you for sharing it.

(I’m off to do this, immediately.)
clkl - 15 05 07 - 01:22

I love #2… This might motivate me to start using a Tickler file, so far I just didn’t really see the point ;)
Ruben Timmerman - 03 06 07 - 21:19