On the right side of this blog, below my profile picture, there is a section called “Chad’s Channels.” Please take two seconds to glance at it. Thanks.
Next to each of those channels is a number in parenthesis. The number refers to the number of blog posts that are aligned to each channel. In many cases, single posts fall into multiple channels.
These channels [“tags” or “labels” in web-speak], are keywords and short phrases that I can use to describe most any topic relevant to me. At the base of any post, some of those same channels are in view.
On one Sunday, feeling a little drained by online content and seeking a life less focused on the computer, I sat with Emily at one of my favorite coffee shops, Catalina Coffee, and formed 20 channels. The idea was that all things I need to keep organized in my personal life could somehow be grouped within them.
They are not perfect, and I have modified them since that day earlier this year, but for the most part, they remain pat and work for what I was originally aiming to accomplish. The byproduct is that I now have an interconnected structure to organize my life online, increasing time spent off the computer (i.e., life offline).
Across my personal computer (PC), there are four locations where I employ this simple system to direct traffic--particularly digital content and electronic files.
1. My Blog
2. My Bookmarks in Internet Explorer
3. My Documents
4. My Email Account
I try not to tweak the channels much in any area, as spending any time dwelling on their meaning defeats the purpose of allowing them to free me from spending time chasing files and searching unnecessarily for otherwise-lost emails. The important idea is that their naming is consistent, no matter where on my PC they reside.
There can be folders within folders, or bookmarks within bookmarks, no big deal. All of my channels are in alphabetical order. 12 of them are single-worded, and the remaining ones are double-worded. All the double-worded categories are meant to describe better what it is that I intend to capture.
Most of the channels are self-explanatory. Below, next to each one, I have written a brief description just in case. And to give you an idea of what is in my bookmarks, I also included one website that I have aligned to each category, allowing this post to be somewhat fun. Do enjoy.
1. Budget
- All things budget; day-to-day, what am I spending and how much am I saving?
- USAA
2. Cars
- All things cars, for both Emily and me; current and future cars
- Davis Chevrolet
3. Clothing
- I do not do a lot of shopping, especially for clothes, but when I do, it is often online.
- Ownly Custom Designed Shirts
4. Culture
- This serves as a bit of a catch-all: books, humor languages, movies, museums, and the like.
- Houston International Festival
5. Education
- Primarily college-related stuff, plus other resources for research, etc.
- The University of Texas at Austin
6. Entrepreneurship
- All websites, files, email messages, etc., that interest me from a commerce perspective
- Houston Technology Center
7. Food + Drink
- Restaurants in our home city, Houston, our home-away-from-home city, Austin, and all else gastronomique
- Yelp
8. Friends + Family
- Yep, this one is a good one to keep organized.
- H'town w/Emily Covey
9. Health + Fitness
- Doing physical activity on a daily basis is important to me, and always has been.
- Heights Jiu-Jitsu Club
10. Home + Vicinity
- Related to our home and neighborhood, Cherryhurst. Why ‘vicinity’? Well, the word ‘neighborhood’ is a little too specific, too long, and did not quite grab all I wanted to capture.
- Cherryhurst Civic Association
11. Investing
- I am not much of an investor, but I like to watch other investors and occasionally will tinker with investments of my own.
- Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
12. Music
- I listen to a lot of music online and offline, and this section is rather well organized, especially in bookmarks.
- Austin City Limits
13. Politics
- I pay close attention to politics on a number of levels.
- Stratfor
14. Service + Non-profit
- A man needs to do his share of volunteering and giving.
- Casa de Esperanza
15. Social + Networking
- I am a networking fiend; the email inventory within this channel is pretty stout.
- LinkedIn
16. Spirituality
- Boxing spirituality into a category feels weird, but it enables me to check church schedules and study the Word in a way I never imagined.
- Chapelwood United Methodist
17. Sports
- Big topic. I have not yet written a sports-related post; expect one soon.
- National Football League
18. Technology
- This is a huge area, especially in bookmarks–as I am always dabbling in new technologies.
- Jing
19. Travel + Adventure
- All conversations I have related to travel are saved here. I like sharing hard to find travel information, and I go directly to my channels to find what I can offer.
- Wikitravel
20. Writing + Speaking
- I am hardly a writer, and apart from going to a few Toastmasters classes, I have not done much public speaking. But I like both and therefore keep this category.
- MediaBistro
It goes without saying that, while the example I used here referred to my own PC’s organization, the same principals can be used for organizing your workstation.
If you are not doing something like this already, and feel that your life online needs straightening, this method just might do the trick. Consider your interests, what you like to do, how you spend your time and form your own channels.
If your life online is disorganized, it can limit the freedom you have in your life offline; but take steps to establish a personalized order, and the opposite effect can be true. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes.
Next to each of those channels is a number in parenthesis. The number refers to the number of blog posts that are aligned to each channel. In many cases, single posts fall into multiple channels.
These channels [“tags” or “labels” in web-speak], are keywords and short phrases that I can use to describe most any topic relevant to me. At the base of any post, some of those same channels are in view.
On one Sunday, feeling a little drained by online content and seeking a life less focused on the computer, I sat with Emily at one of my favorite coffee shops, Catalina Coffee, and formed 20 channels. The idea was that all things I need to keep organized in my personal life could somehow be grouped within them.
They are not perfect, and I have modified them since that day earlier this year, but for the most part, they remain pat and work for what I was originally aiming to accomplish. The byproduct is that I now have an interconnected structure to organize my life online, increasing time spent off the computer (i.e., life offline).
Across my personal computer (PC), there are four locations where I employ this simple system to direct traffic--particularly digital content and electronic files.
1. My Blog
2. My Bookmarks in Internet Explorer
3. My Documents
4. My Email Account
I try not to tweak the channels much in any area, as spending any time dwelling on their meaning defeats the purpose of allowing them to free me from spending time chasing files and searching unnecessarily for otherwise-lost emails. The important idea is that their naming is consistent, no matter where on my PC they reside.
There can be folders within folders, or bookmarks within bookmarks, no big deal. All of my channels are in alphabetical order. 12 of them are single-worded, and the remaining ones are double-worded. All the double-worded categories are meant to describe better what it is that I intend to capture.
Most of the channels are self-explanatory. Below, next to each one, I have written a brief description just in case. And to give you an idea of what is in my bookmarks, I also included one website that I have aligned to each category, allowing this post to be somewhat fun. Do enjoy.
1. Budget
- All things budget; day-to-day, what am I spending and how much am I saving?
- USAA
2. Cars
- All things cars, for both Emily and me; current and future cars
- Davis Chevrolet
3. Clothing
- I do not do a lot of shopping, especially for clothes, but when I do, it is often online.
- Ownly Custom Designed Shirts
4. Culture
- This serves as a bit of a catch-all: books, humor languages, movies, museums, and the like.
- Houston International Festival
5. Education
- Primarily college-related stuff, plus other resources for research, etc.
- The University of Texas at Austin
6. Entrepreneurship
- All websites, files, email messages, etc., that interest me from a commerce perspective
- Houston Technology Center
7. Food + Drink
- Restaurants in our home city, Houston, our home-away-from-home city, Austin, and all else gastronomique
- Yelp
8. Friends + Family
- Yep, this one is a good one to keep organized.
- H'town w/Emily Covey
9. Health + Fitness
- Doing physical activity on a daily basis is important to me, and always has been.
- Heights Jiu-Jitsu Club
10. Home + Vicinity
- Related to our home and neighborhood, Cherryhurst. Why ‘vicinity’? Well, the word ‘neighborhood’ is a little too specific, too long, and did not quite grab all I wanted to capture.
- Cherryhurst Civic Association
11. Investing
- I am not much of an investor, but I like to watch other investors and occasionally will tinker with investments of my own.
- Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
12. Music
- I listen to a lot of music online and offline, and this section is rather well organized, especially in bookmarks.
- Austin City Limits
13. Politics
- I pay close attention to politics on a number of levels.
- Stratfor
14. Service + Non-profit
- A man needs to do his share of volunteering and giving.
- Casa de Esperanza
15. Social + Networking
- I am a networking fiend; the email inventory within this channel is pretty stout.
16. Spirituality
- Boxing spirituality into a category feels weird, but it enables me to check church schedules and study the Word in a way I never imagined.
- Chapelwood United Methodist
17. Sports
- Big topic. I have not yet written a sports-related post; expect one soon.
- National Football League
18. Technology
- This is a huge area, especially in bookmarks–as I am always dabbling in new technologies.
- Jing
19. Travel + Adventure
- All conversations I have related to travel are saved here. I like sharing hard to find travel information, and I go directly to my channels to find what I can offer.
- Wikitravel
20. Writing + Speaking
- I am hardly a writer, and apart from going to a few Toastmasters classes, I have not done much public speaking. But I like both and therefore keep this category.
- MediaBistro
It goes without saying that, while the example I used here referred to my own PC’s organization, the same principals can be used for organizing your workstation.
If you are not doing something like this already, and feel that your life online needs straightening, this method just might do the trick. Consider your interests, what you like to do, how you spend your time and form your own channels.
If your life online is disorganized, it can limit the freedom you have in your life offline; but take steps to establish a personalized order, and the opposite effect can be true. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes.
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