Updating the Physical Tickler File
By: Pamela Hilliard Owens
Tags: Organization, Office Setup, Apps Productivity

Updating the Physical Tickler File

Photo Credit: 123rf.com

When you are running a business, there are so many things to keep track of that your mind (and your workflow) seems to be constantly spinning. When you add everything that you also have to keep track of in your personal life, managing it all can become overwhelming. So much paper! So many emails! So many due dates!

What is a Tickler File?

Back in the “old days” — about ten or fifteen years ago, we still used and filed tons of paper documents in file folders we kept on our desk or in file cabinets. As an organizational tool, the tickler file was designed to help keep items that had to be started or done on a particular date in one folder.

Also called the “43 Folder System,” the tickler file serves as a reminder to yourself for future projects, tasks, appointments, or due dates, essentially “tickling” your memory. The 43 folder system consists of 31 folders for each day of the month kept behind the 12 folders for each month of the year. (Of course, some months have fewer than 31 days, but most do have 31 days, hence 31 + 12 adding up to 43.)

When we used paper folders, each folder was labeled with the month of the year and the day of the month. As an item came in that needed action on a particular day it was placed in the appropriate daily folder for the month the action task was due. Then each morning, we took out the folder for that day and acted on whatever was in that folder. If something needed to be moved to another day or another month, it could easily be done just by putting it in another labeled folder.

This paper-based tickler file system worked well for decades. But then came the movement to digital files and digital filing systems.

Tickling Your Mind with Reminder and Calendar Apps

The quickest and easiest way to remind yourself of what has to be done on a particular day, even far into the future, is to use your digital reminder app or calendar app. With the Apple Reminder app, you can add files, URLs, and locations as well as the usual day and time the item is due, and make the reminder recurring if necessary. I’m sure Windows-based reminder apps work in a similar fashion. I keep track of my bills due in my Google Calendar, and I am able to upload scans of bills I receive right in the event. When I open the weekly view on my GCal, I can easily see all of the bills due that week because I have colored the label red.

The downside of using reminders or calendar entries is that you can’t see everything in one place. You have to scroll forward or backward, and that might work for some things, but when you have a lot of items that need to be attached to a project or issue (like insurance papers, for example), a digital tickler is a better option.

Using Trello as an Electronic Tickler File

Photo Credit: Zoho.com

I use the Trello app to manage all of my personal and business projects. As an Apple “Fan Girl,” I like the ability to have my apps available on my MacBook Pro, my MacBook Air, my two iPads, and my iPhone 11 Max, and I can pull up Trello anytime and anywhere I happen to be and on any of my devices and everything is synched in real-time.

I have a Trello board with lists that correspond to a folder for each month of the year, and then I can add cards to the monthly lists with information for each day of a particular month. With the drag-and-drop function, I can easily move a card somewhere else in the future.

Because each Trello board has its own email address, I can easily forward an email to my Trello board and then place the email as a card in the correct monthly list.

Another feature I often use with my Trello electronic tickler file is the web clipper on my Chrome browser. If I see a web page that is relevant to a particular project, or even something I want to purchase for my home, I can easily clip that webpage and add it as a card in the list where I want it to be.

Each card on my Trello board can be given a due date and time, giving my board the “tickler feature.” Due dates and times are automatically integrated into my Google calendar, so when I open my GCal, I can easily see what’s due that day.

It’s Time to Go Digital!

It is so freeing to not have to deal with reams of paper on a daily basis!

So what did I do with my old file cabinets? One is in my craft room and I keep sewing patterns and knitting and crocheting projects in those drawers. The other is in my garage and I store lots of garage-type stuff in the drawers. Perfect!

What about you? Do you think you could develop your own version of an electronic tickler file? Let me know in the comments.

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