System map · Journey
Follow one item through
Pick something that came in today. Watch where it goes and why.
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1
Door
Paper
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2
In-tray
one folder in the vault
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3
Sorting
- Has a finish line?→ Project
- An ongoing duty?→ Area
- Worth keeping on its own?→ Idea
- None of those?→ Archive
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4
Shelf
- Projectsthings with a finish line
- Areasongoing duties
- Ideasone per note, linked
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5
Phone
Mission Control
Door
The rule the sorting follows
The assistant asks the same four questions of every item, in order. Something with a finish line is a project. A duty that never ends is an area. A thought worth keeping on its own is an idea. Anything else is archived, and nothing with real content is archived unseen. The questions are written down, so the answer is the same on a Tuesday as on a Sunday.