"Frugal" and "fun" activity: clean up your computer system

As part of a general aim to get more organized (technically one of my 2008 goals), I decided last week that I should clean up my home computer system. I've been running a dual-boot system (Windows 2000 and Ubuntu) for a number of years, and as always seems to happen, the computer has become rather cluttered. I always keep my computer relatively spyware- and virus-free, but there's inevitably some junk that builds up over time.

Well, enough is finally enough, so on Monday afternoon, I logged into Windows and started the process of formatting the hard drive and reinstalling the operating system. I have an old copy of Windows 2000 Professional, and there is no limit to the number of times I can reinstall this, so out of somewhat sentimental reasons, I still want to keep this OS alive. In addition, I wanted to reinstall my copy of Windows XP, which hasn't been used since the computer on which it was installed kicked the bucket a year ago. Finally, the plan is to add Ubuntu 7.10 to the mix, for a triple-boot system.

I hit a few snags in the installation process, but after a day or so of tinkering, I have Windows 2000 and XP peacefully coexisting. Tonight I'll add Ubuntu to the computer, and start the process of sharing my Firefox and Thunderbird profiles between the three operating system. I also want to take a stab at running Windows seamlessly in my Ubuntu session using virtualization software.

Personally, despite the frustration and hundred or so reboots, I find this sort of spring cleaning a lot of fun. Ms. Loonie shakes her head as I stare at my blue screen of life, but I love the idea of having a well-organized, freshly installed and up-to-date computer system. There's also the matter of actually using my copy of XP, which has been collecting dust for over a year.

When you combine breathing new life into my existing computer, with getting benefit out of an OS I've paid for, while continuing to use a free OS, and I think this counts as a pretty frugal activity.

I simply prefer not to think of the dollar value that I've spent during the installation process.

If I could only find my inbox...

I've written before about using paper for productivity, but I have to admit that, when it comes to paper, I am hopelessly disorganized. My desk (whether at work or at home) is a mess, and I am constantly battling the inflow of new paper into my life. Whether it's bank or credit card statements at home, or project request forms at work, I always struggle to keep on top of all this paper.

This afternoon, I am determined to get my work desk into some semblance of order. This will involve recycling a considerable amount of paper, and filing even more. Once I've done this, however, I'll be in a much better spot to think about that filing system I'm so keen to develop.

Wish me luck...

Developing (and sticking to) a system

Trent at The Simple Dollar has a fantastic post today providing a visual tour of his organization system. I'm struggling myself with developing a system for managing my information and workflow, and Trent's post has given me lots of food for thought. He has a really slick mixture of paper and on-line information capture that I think I might be incorporating into my own system.

There must be something in the air, because Tim at Canadian Dream is also writing about developing a filing system for the paper in his life.

I think the most important part of setting up a system like this is having the ability to stick to it. Trent's system in particular hinges completely on how diligently he follows it. This is as true of a productivity or organizational system as it is of a budgeting or financial tracking system; if you don't keep things up-to-date, you really don't know where you stand, and the system is essentially broken, no matter how elegant or straightforward it may be. Lifehacker linked to an article yesterday on ways to fall off the Getting Things Done bandwagon. It's a humourous post, but there's a lot of truth there.

Starting from scratch

Berko at 43 Folders asked yesterday what users would do if starting over in a new environment. As I look at the ragged piles of paper on my own workdesk, I'm very interested to read people's thoughts on this. Ideas include a second chair for guests (which I have in my cube) and a dry erase board (which I do not have).

At work, our team just completed a desktop migration from Windows 2000 to Windows XP, so my computer is actually in a fairly "fresh start" state at the moment. I'm considering re-working my Firefox and Thunderbird installations to make the most of my settings. News about the new IMAP support for Gmail and Google Calendar support for Thunderbird have really got me thinking. I'd like to have the most same-at-home-as-at-work configuration possible, so I'll be looking into these options.

I have some tinkering to do.

Moleskine temptation

In my time as a GTD lurker, I've seen countless posts, comments and articles written about the indispensable Moleskine notebook. This intriguing little product, known as the "notebook of Hemingway", really seems to have captured the imagination of the productivity-obsessed. Brip Blap was recently converted to the religion of Moleskine (while I've Paid For This Twice Already... had her own take on the tools of an organized mind).

While browsing Lifehacker today, I saw their link to Mike Rohde's custom Moleskine planner, which really piqued my interest. Mike has taken a simple ruled Moleskine notebook, and completely customized it as a weekly planner. This approach just seems so elegant, that I am really tempted to try this myself. It's more than a little work to put this together, but it looks so slick, I think it would be worth it.

Methinks I'll be putting a ruled Moleskine notebook on my Christmas list this year.

How paperless can you go?

I can't blame you if you thought that my promise of a post even obliquely related to productivity would go unfulfilled for a while, but here I am with offering number one.

I'm a huge packrat. I hang onto souvenirs, I keep product packaging, and I hoard paperwork. I still have the receipts for every single credit card purchase I've made since July 1997. As you can imagine, a large portion of my household expenses involve storage and shelving of one kind or another.

There's been some talk recently in the blogosphere about "going paperless" with your personal finances, and this idea really appeals to me. Some simple steps, such as opting for paperless record keeping from financial institutions, are virtual no-brainers. Why receive and keep paper statements for something that you can track in real-time online? I'm already paperless on my primary bank accounts, and am working to convert the rest of my relationships to paperless.

The idea of digitizing paperwork using a scanner is very interesting. Storing paperwork as PDFs seems like a really slick and elegant alternative to keeping stacks of physical paperwork around. However, I'm not sure to what extent one can rely on electronic copies of paper documents. Will stores accept scanned receipts as proof of purchase when making a return or exchange? Some documents, like stock certificates, deeds, etc. obviously need to be kept in their original paper format, but can recent tax returns be converted to electronic documents?

Where's the line between what can be stored digitally and what must exist as a physical original?