03 January 2006

Successful Hack Deployment

I would like to report a successful deployment of the cross-referencing hack I described earlier. Today, I had to make a notation of an appointment at 8:00 a.m., on January 30th, for a plumber to come replace our kitchen sink. You see, our current kitchen sink is so old and disgusting that, regardless of soap and scrubbing, all dishes and kitchen gear emerge from it dirtier than when they entered it. The garbage disposal, too, makes ogrish grinding noises and launches minced foodstuffs skyward when its gears turn. Oh, and don't forget the faucet. Hot water leaks from it in an annoying stream unless you use extreme leverage to twist the hot water knob beyond the usual point at which water flow ceases. We have been forced to use duct tape in order to apply this leverage constantly.

So the whole apparatus has got to go.

I noted the appointment, but there was so much information to accompany it! The name of the company, their phone number, the name of the person with whom I spoke, the price I was quoted, the name of the person who will be coming that day. That would dominate the tiny area for January 30th. So, I simply wrote "8:00 a.m. - Plumber (N7)". Now I know that page 7 of my Notes section contains the relevant data. Page 7 contains other, unrelated data as well. It doesn't matter, as long as it is all accurately cross-referenced.

Voila. Now I can do other things that day.

1 comment:

  1. The cross-referencing idea is interesting! The main reason I use a Filo instead of a bound book like Moleskine is that I'm worried I'd forget my own numbering system. And seeing any kind of crypic code, or even some abbreviations, momentarily knocks my brain for a loop and ultimately makes me avoid the planner.

    With a Filo, you can move pages to right where you need them, and I do spend a lot of time opening and closing rings all day!

    For information like you're describing, I would start a separate page and store it under P for Plumber, or maybe S for Sink. (To make that decision, I'd ask myself under which letter I'd be most likely to LOOK for it later.) Then, when I had an appointment with the plumber, I'd move the page to that week in the calendar, so I'd see if when I needed it. Later, I might put the page back under P so I'd have my notes in front of me the next time I called the plumber, or if it's a one-off project, I'd file the Filofax page in the same manila folder with material related to the repair.

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