As far back as I can remember my e-mail software checks for new messages every 10-15 minutes. Even in the midst of implementing David Allen’s GTD and focussing my energies on the task at-hand new email was trickling in and taunting me to read the subject line.

For a very short time I played with the idea of checking e-mail twice a day. It didn’t work because I often needed to be in Mail to peform a task and once it was opened, new mail poured in.

Then it hit me: turn off automatic e-mail checking. My inbox can stay open all day and I don’t need to lose focus on new messages.

Am I tempted to click the “Get Mail” button? Not really because I know that doing so might sideline me and make a mess of my inbox. With this new method of managing influx the “check it twice daily” strategy is worh revisting.

It’s seldom I shutdown or reboot my MacBook Pro unless I’m installing an OS X update. I usually put the Mac to sleep and crack the lid open when I reach my next destination.

A few days ago OmniOutliner kept locking up on me. I’d open a document and it would freeze. Open OO directly and it would freeze. Force Quit was all I could do.

As any diligent Mac user might do, I deleted the preference file in Application Support. I moved my documents in the rare event one was corrupt and OO was trying to open it by default. Still no joy.

A support request was sent to Omni Technologies and I got a nice response in return with some advanced debugging options. Then it hit me… Why not reboot? I dismissed the idea because it’s “so Windows” but I tried it anyway. OmniOutliner came back to life, documents and all.

If I were running Windows, a reboot would have been the first thing I’d have done. With the Mac it didn’t even dawn on me because it’s so seldom I have trouble. Another reminder that with Mac there is more time spent Geting Things Done rather than perform system maintenance.

Awhile back I came across this site with photos of how people took the crap on top of their computer desk and placed it underneath. I’m not talking about a slide-out drawer but actually placing equipment like external hard drives, USB hubs, etc., out of sight.

Short on time? Visit the image gallery.

Taking a cue from the examples I built my own rendition. The parts:

• Sheet of pegboard
• Hanger bolts
• Wing nuts
• Washers
• Lots of zip-ties

First off I measured the underside of my desk and bought a sheet of pegboard from Home Depot and had them cut to fit. Pegboard comes in varying thickness so judge what you need; I went slightly thicker.

Rather than use lock shackles and dowels for attaching my pegboard, I went the route of hanger bolts. Tip: go to a local hardware store like Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) because the selection of sizes from Home Depot and Lowes was very limited. When choosing the length of bolt, be sure to include these variables:

• Depth into the desk
• Thickness of the pegboard
• Thickness of the wing nut + washer
• Space occupied by zip-ties between desk and pegboard

Flip your desk onto the floor so you have complete access. Lay down the pegboard and select five locations to place the hanger bolts. I chose four corners and center, although not too far to the edges. The center bolt was set toward the rear of the desk to avoid hitting it with my leg. Hint: get your orientation correct now because it’ll be different when you flip the desk upright.

Drill pilot holes and screw in the hanger bolts. Chances are you’ll need to use two wrenches and/or square nuts to screw down the hanger bolt (shorter bolts don’t have a center turning surface). Secure the pegboard using a washer and wing nut - leave some slack for installing zip-ties.

Place equipment onto the pegboard while the desk is upside down to get an idea of location. Lots of zip-ties later you can see how I ran cables and devices. When done, flip the desk upright and enjoy! It took almost a day to complete with driving to hardware stores, measuring twice, and installing everything. Total cost was around $35.

The front of my pegboard (near keyboard) sags a bit because there is no wing nut installed (to avoid scraping legs and other personal parts). In this case a machine or wood screw should suffice to close the gap and be sure to turn it flush. There may be better options.

Keep in mind the zip-ties will create a gap between the desk and pegboard; this is important when sizing the hanger bolts. With everything being positioned toward the sides and rear it gives me ample room for my legs and avoid hitting anything. It’s important to trim zip-ties close and/or rotate them to avoid a nasty cut later.

I haven’t added new equipment yet and it’ll probably be more difficult with the desk being upright. During the installation I left extra room for new cables and attaching new equipment under existing pieces, building downward to the floor.

Click here for more, and larger, photos in my image gallery.

In January I wrote about implementing GTD. I didn’t take any photos but if you close your eyes and imagine perfectly labelled file folders (3-tab style) using a Topic/Subtopic taxonomy, that’s it.

I purged old folder, papers, and other junk from my filing cabinet, and most importantly, made sure there was extra space to add new folders. No longer does paper-to-file lie forgotten in a pile…it goes straight in.

What’s left is the remainder of my office, mostly books. More on that in another post and lest I forget, my desk looks nothing like the old one. Photos soon.

In September I wrote about killing the clutter in my personal workspace. How did it go? I cleared up all of the gadgets except the most important: LCD monitor, PowerBook, speakers, and cell phone. I needed to add an external Firewire drive for data backup and things like a 50+ GB iTunes library and rapidly expanding iPhoto library.

The satisfaction of shedding tech gadgets was nice while it lasted. I realized that e-mail, documents, paper, and projects were still the same: stacking up and making me cower in fear. Around October I discovered Merlin Mann’s 43 Folders and GTD: Getting Things Done. By the very title I was hooked.

It turns out this wasn’t some creation of Merlin’s but that of David Allen. His book, Getting Things Done, is about just that. Create a workspace that allows you to take things out of your head and into a more permanent system. He cites we’re inundated with things to do and how can we possibly remember them all, let alone get them done?

I realize why clutter kills my motivation: it’s a constant reminder of everything I haven’t done such as those speakers sitting in my bedroom, those unripped CDs, magazines to read, bills to pay, people to call, letters to write, paperwork to file…the list goes on.

According to GTD I need to “get to zero” and the first item to tackle is a better (read: simpler) filing system. Stay tuned.