Pile of Index Cards

The practice of writing down thoughts and facts for the purpose of holding them fast and preventing their escape into the dim region of forgetfulness, has been much resorted to by thoughtful and studious men. Lord Bacon left behind him many manuscripts entitled “Sudden thoughts set down for use.” Erskine made great extracts from Burke; and Eldon copied Coke upon Littleton twice over with his own hand, so that the book became, as it were, part of his own mind. The late Dr. Pye Smith, when apprenticed to his father as a bookbinder, was accustomed to make copious memoranda of all the books he read, with extracts and criticisms. This indomitable industry in collecting materials distinguished him through life, his biographer describing him as “always at work, always in advance, always accumulating.” These note-books afterwards proved, like Richter’s “quarries,” the great storehouse from which he drew his illustrations.

source : Self Help, by Samuel Smiles, (1900?)
(digital text at Project Gutenberg)

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I have been preparing for a presentation next week. I have tried to do this task with my indexcards. This is the next stage of the PoI method.

1. I scanned and reviewed last four months’ indexcards in the Dock (for work). I picked up about forty indexcards related to the title of presentation.
2. I make small piles of common topics as seen in the picture. Each piles is consisted by one to four indexcards, but no limitation. A chronological order is not important now.
3. I put memo, correction, etc. for past indexcards with red pen. I write new indexcard to interpolate between topics.
4. Each piles are compiled into slides of Keynote (or Power Point :P). Besides Keynote, I use Adobe Illustrator, Omni Graffle, LaTeXiT, gnuplot and GMT.

川喜多二郎 (Kawakita Jiro) introduced this card-handling method in “発想法 (Hassouhou = abduction)” (1967). Now this method is known as “KJ method” (The “KJ” is initial of his name).

In the PoIC system, the dock works as storage of our thought : all index cards we wrote drop into the Dock. You feel comfort since you are far from frustrations such as “where did I put my index cards?”.

All you need is to look into the dock, then you’ll find them all.

This is first mentioned in “「超」整理法 (cho seiri ho)” by Noguchi Yukio, who introduced push-out filing system now formally known as “Noguchi Filing System“. Noguchi called this simple rule-of-thumb as “one pocket rule“.

That is, if the pocket is two or more, and you put something, you have to look all these pockets : on the other hand, if you have a single pocket only, all you do is just look into the “one pocket”. Keep thing simple, then you will save your time.

For example, it is convenient to put all things, that you take when you go out, in a single basket (over nighter). When you go out, you pick up keys, watch, wallet etc. from the basket. Same is true for index cards.

The one pocket rule prevent our productive energy from dissipation.

# Noguchi noted that he had never taken full advantage of the “one pocket rule” with his filing system, though, because he have two filing systems, one in his office and another in home. It is unavoidable with analog media.

Pile of Index Cards, or simply PoIC, is an system to organize my life with analog tools. Motto is,

• It must be simple !
• It must be fun !

This system works as storage of idea. You will see a number of card easily exceed a thousand. If the system is complicated, it will out of management, and easily corrupt.

In nature, an entropy (complication, randomness) of a system is increase with time. This is natural order. So the system must be “extremely” simple to keep working.

Second factor is mental matter. If I feel something wrong, in conscious or subconscious, whatever, I quit immediately. I have to motivate myself to keep working. For example, I enjoy this system by introducing new stationeries. Stationeries I use currently is a result of “trial and error”. I enjoy to choose what I should introduce to make the system fun.

Stationeries I show here is just recommendation. Also my system is still changing. So you can use your favorites for this system, though you must follow minimum rules, such as chronological order, and PoIC format.

What is important is you enjoy PoIC and keep writing.

We can find chronological management of files and “Law of accessibility” behind the flickr, photo sharing system.

For example, when I upload new photos, they appear in the top-left of the page, where people view first and frequently (that is, V=1, x=t=0 -> A = 1 = maximum). Older photos are pushed down down down to the bottom of the page. This looks like I put indexcards I just write on card stand or box where I can see all time.

For classification, flicker basically doesn’t need classification. Just upload first, and sometime later, classify them for convenience. This makes us free from a load of classification at very first stage of photo sharing process.

# Did you notice that? I hadn’t notice at all!

Revised : 2006.11.26 Title is changed

Ref. : Article, If you want, then start to laugh

I mentioned there are only two kind of job : want to do, and must do. We cannot escape from ‘must do’ kind of job in daily life. Here is a small trick to change your mood.

Just replace ‘must’ to ‘want to’ in your mind, even you don’t want to do it so much. The title of this article means a replacement in ’sed’ command on UNIX. It works as filter like,

• I must go to city hall tomorrow. -> s/must/want to/ ->
  I want to go to city hall tomorrow.
• I must finish this paper work until tomorrow. -> s/must/want to/ ->
  I want to finish this paper work until tomorrow.

Don’t you feel something have changed in your mind?

“If you want, then start to laugh
If you must, then start to cry
Be yourself don’t hide
Just believe in destiny

Don’t care what people say
Just follow your own way
Don’t give up and use the chance
To return to innocence”

Ref. : Lyric of ‘Return to Inoccence’ by Enigma @ Sing365.com

This is a lyric of my favorite song ‘Return to innocence’ by Enigma.

Notice that there are only two kind of job : you want to do, or you must do. If you feel you want to do something, you are happy. Like when you are working on your hobby. If you must do something, on the other hand, you feel like torture.

Do you want to use same indexcard as I have? O.K.

The indexcard I use is made by the Correct, a Japanese stationary maker. The Correct is not major company, but they provide neat and high quality stationaries including indexcard and the related products. I had tried several indexcards from different makers and I find the Correct’s is the best. I guarantee the quality. You will see Japanese craftsmanship :)

I asked to the Correct whether they can ship their product to abroad (outside of Japan). They said they will do, though usually they don’t. So, if you really want it, please sent your request (product number, amount, shipping address, phone number etc.) to the Correct Customer Center. As I said, the Correct is minor company ; your order may help them. So you should not hesitate to order their products.

The price is, for example,

• Indexcard 5′x3′ section (C-3532) : 294 yen (about $2.6) per a pack (100 papers)
• Card dock (C-153DF) : 3,150 yen (about $27) per box

You will need extra fee for shipping.

You can find more stationary related to indexcard on the Correct’s product page. This page is only in Japanese, but you can see the pictures, dimensions and prices.

If you have questions, please ask the Correct’s customer center or me (leave comment here or send email, please).

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Ref. : Stanford University Commencement address by Steve Jobs,
CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios,
delivered on June 12, 2005.

This is quite important when you write indexcard. Listen and pick up your inner voices, write them down on the indexcards. Any ideas you have in your brain, mind, heart. You don’t need hesitate at all.

“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, People may Accuse you of Selfish, Ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be Honest and Frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.”

Ref. : Mother Teresa @ Wikiquote