43 Folders
Merlin Mann's 43 Folders gives a nice introduction to Getting Things Done. He also does a nifty series on Quicksilver, a MacOS X enhancement that I've never quite bonded with.
I also like the sidebar item, Tools I Like. I'm a sucker for sidebars in blogs, of course, but this is original and intriguing. I wish more people did this. What's in your toolbox?
For example, lots of people talk about using version control systems to manage their working files. Version control lets you keep backups efficiently and keeps them organized; you can say, "show me how Chapter 7 looked back in May", and get the answer right away. Here's Martin Fowler:
I've long been in the habit of using CVS to backup my working directory, and now I use MultipleDesktops I find a source management system essential to keep everything in sync. A month or so ago I subverted my repository. I can now report that all is working really well and I'm very happy with the change.
But how does this work in practice? Do you keep all your projects in one directory tree? Doesn't that tree get filled up with lots of big files (graphic documents, object libraries) that you don't want clogging up your repository? How do you do it?