Notion costs about ten dollars a month. I cancelled it. That is roughly one hundred and twenty dollars a year, which I have decided is office supply money. I moved my entire life onto a single index card. Donna asked where the rest of my life goes. I said the filing cabinet. She asked if I had bought a filing cabinet. I said not yet, which is why I need the money.
about one thousand two hundred dollars. Shark rating 0.4.
The index card is the only copy. I want a safe. The safe is for the card and for the feeling that the card is protected. The rating is low because the safe costs more than the subscription and protects a card that cost almost nothing.
about one hundred fifty dollars. Shark rating 0.5.
I cannot have old drafts of my life floating around. The shredder is for the previous index cards. It is also for receipts, because the new system does not have a receipts database. It has an index card.
about eighty dollars. Shark rating 0.6.
A single index card has no backup. Lamination is the backup. If I laminate it, I can take it in the shower. Not to read. Just to know it is safe.
about two hundred dollars. Shark rating 0.7.
If I lose the index card at the beach, I want to find it. A metal detector is the only tool I can think of. The card is paper. I know. The detector is for the metal file box I plan to put the card in.
about forty dollars. Shark rating 0.8.
Every item in the house will get a label that points to the index card. The index card itself will get a label that says index card. Without labels, the system is just a card.
about ninety dollars. Shark rating 0.9.
I need clean edges on the index card. A torn edge suggests a torn life. The guillotine also cuts the card down to a size that fits the filing cabinet I have not bought yet.
about eight hundred dollars. Shark rating 1.1.
This is the proper home for the index card. It has many small drawers. I only need one drawer. The other drawers are for future index cards, in case my life gets more complicated. Donna said it looks like furniture. I said it is infrastructure.
about thirty dollars. Shark rating 1.2.
The safe is heavy. The bag is for travel. If the house is on fire and I am at the store, the bag will protect the card until I get home. I have not thought through who puts the card in the bag. That is a detail.
about seventy dollars. Shark rating 1.3.
A small vault on the desk means the index card is never more than one arm’s length away. It also means I can lock the card up when Donna asks to see the budget. I am joking. The vault is for security.
about one hundred fifty dollars. Shark rating 1.4.
I do not have microfiche. But if I ever do, this reader will let me see it. The index card system is about being ready. Readiness is most of the cost.
about twenty dollars. Shark rating 1.5.
Paper fades. I want to check the index card for fading. A UV flashlight is how I will check. I do not know what I will do if it is fading. I will know first.
about thirty dollars. Shark rating 1.6.
Paper and water are enemies. The moisture meter tells me if the index card is in danger before the danger is visible. I will check the card every morning. That is not a routine. That is maintenance.
about two hundred dollars. Shark rating 1.8.
If the moisture meter says the room is damp, the dehumidifier fixes the room. This protects the index card and also the couch. The couch is not part of the system but it is near the system.
about fifteen dollars. Shark rating 1.9.
I should not touch the index card with bare hands. Oils. Dirt. Shark things. The gloves are cheap compared to replacing a life. I will wear one glove and keep the other hand free for emergency writing.
about twelve dollars. Shark rating 2.0.
Each index card gets a sleeve. I have one card, so I need a pack. The extras are for when the system expands. The sleeves also make the card look official. Official is important.
about twenty dollars. Shark rating 2.1.
The tray holds the index card while I decide what goes on it. Without the tray, the card is just on the desk. With the tray, the card is being processed.
about forty dollars. Shark rating 2.3.
This is a compact alternative to the full card catalog. It spins. If I need to find something, I spin it. Since I have one card, it finds the card every time. That is a perfect hit rate, and I did not have to build a search function.
about fifteen dollars. Shark rating 2.4.
For papers that are too big for the index card. The expanding file has pockets. I will label the pockets with the label maker. This is how the card stays an index and the papers stay somewhere else.
about twenty dollars. Shark rating 2.5.
The planner is the calendar layer. The index card is the whole life. The planner is for things with dates. I will write the dates in the planner and the existence of the planner on the card.
about fifteen dollars. Shark rating 2.6.
A wall calendar is a planner that cannot be misplaced. The index card can be misplaced. The wall calendar is the backup to the backup. It also covers a stain on the wall.
about thirty dollars. Shark rating 2.7.
For temporary thoughts. If a thought becomes permanent, it goes on the index card. If it does not, it gets erased. This is a clean system. The whiteboard is not a bigger card. It is a staging area.
about twenty dollars. Shark rating 2.8.
The corkboard is for things I need to see. The index card is for things I need to keep. The corkboard is not a database. It is a display. There is a difference and I have explained it twice.
about forty dollars. Shark rating 3.0.
I cannot read the index card in the dark. The lamp is not optional. It is also not a subscription. I turn it on and there is light. No monthly fee.
about twenty dollars. Shark rating 3.1.
The lamp needs bulbs. LED bulbs use less power, which is a second saving on top of the first saving. I am now saving money in two directions. The bulbs are the direction that plugs in.
about fifteen dollars. Shark rating 3.2.
The desk is not near the outlet. The index card is on the desk. The lamp is on the desk. The extension cord connects the system to power. Without it the system is a card in the dark.
about twenty dollars. Shark rating 3.3.
The extension cord has one outlet. The lamp, the shredder, and the laminating machine need more. The power strip turns one outlet into several. This is capacity planning.
about twenty five dollars. Shark rating 3.4.
If there is a surge, the power strip could die. The surge protector protects the power strip. It also protects the desk lamp. The index card is not plugged in, but the system around it is.
about eight dollars. Shark rating 3.5.
Loose cords are a trip hazard. A trip hazard near the index card is a disaster. The cable ties keep the cords together. They are also useful for closing the fireproof bag, which I have not bought yet.
about twelve dollars. Shark rating 3.6.
The label maker needs tape. A label maker without tape is a plastic box. I already have a plastic box. I do not need another one. The tape is what makes the labels.
about eight dollars. Shark rating 3.7.
The index card is one card. The papers are many. Binder clips hold the papers together so they do not become part of the index card. This is separation of concerns. I read that phrase somewhere and I am using it.
about five dollars. Shark rating 3.8.
For the papers that are too thin for binder clips. There is a size for every job. The index card itself does not get a paper clip. It gets the sleeve. I am not a monster.
about fifteen dollars. Shark rating 3.9.
Sometimes a paper clip is not enough. The stapler is for those times. It is also for attaching the index card to the outside of the expanding file, so I can see it. That is a temporary attachment and not a permanent life decision.
about twelve dollars. Shark rating 4.0.
If the index card goes in a binder, it needs holes. I have not bought a binder. The hole punch is for the day I do. It is better to have the tool before the binder than the binder before the tool. That is preparation.
about ten dollars. Shark rating 4.1.
To cut paper. To open packages. To trim the index card if it grows. Scissors are the original multitool. I am not going to use the guillotine for everything. The guillotine is for serious cuts.
about five dollars. Shark rating 4.2.
A straight line is a promise. The ruler keeps the labels straight and the index card from becoming crooked. It also helps me measure the filing cabinet space, which I have not measured yet.
about six dollars. Shark rating 4.3.
Pencil is for things that might change. The index card has a pencil section and a pen section. The pencil section is small. The pen section is smaller. This is how I know which parts of my life are final.
about ten dollars. Shark rating 4.4.
The pen is for the final version. I need a pen that does not smudge. A smudged index card is a life with a typo. I cannot have that. The pen is the next purchase and also the last line of defense.
about four dollars. Shark rating 4.5.
For the pencil section. Without an eraser, the pencil section is just a pen section with more regret. The eraser is the undo button. It is not a subscription. It is a small block.
about five dollars. Shark rating 4.6.
The system runs on index cards. I have one. A pack is the sensible purchase. If the card is lost, the pack is the backup. If the pack is lost, the filing cabinet is empty. This is why I need the pack.
about one hundred eighty dollars. Shark rating 4.8.
This is the proper home. The index card goes in the top drawer. The drawer has room for the card and also for air. I am paying for the air because it keeps the card from being crushed. The rating is high because it is the central purchase and I have already called it infrastructure.
about twenty dollars. Shark rating 5.0.
The floor is cold in the morning when I check the moisture meter. Socks are the only purchase on this list that Donna has not questioned. I need socks. The index card does not keep my feet warm. The socks do. Donna said, “Just buy the socks.” I am now looking at sock storage.