How I use EPIM, In Detail

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hannibal_barca_1974
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How I use EPIM, In Detail

Post by hannibal_barca_1974 »

This commentary is NOT exhaustive, and I treat my use of EPIM as a project, that given the depth of options available is a constant Work In Progress. Writing this post is very helpful to me as it is a snapshot in time and is also as a stimulus for me to think of other ways that I can improve my use of EPIM. I am happy if any of the methods I have for using EPIM are helpful to others and welcome constructive comments that can improve my current use.


EPIM TODAY


The opening page when I log on to the software and focuses me for what I need to do this moment, this day! Whilst I see that it links to most of the other modules, I haven't developed my use of this module.


CALENDAR


In cooperation with contacts and To Do's I check this daily. I have birthdays and Football matches (from an ical file), holidays, appointments etc.


TO DO


I have only recently started to use this module as I used to have all this information in Notes in varying categories, but I especially value the recurring To Do feature and the reminders.

I have set up 4 trees, based on the Covey Quadrant system:
HIGH URGENCY/HIGH IMPORTANCE
HIGH URGENCY/low importance
low urgencyt/HIGH IMPORTANCE
low urgency/low importance


In each of these trees I have set up dummy To Do's eg Projects, Google searches, Friends, TV programmes to watch etc and then when I create a new To Do, it will be housed in one of the trees and perhaps in one of these dummy To Do's as a sub task.


NOTES



I predominantly use the Notes module, but as I have looked into each of the other modules I have exported a fair amount of information to those modules, but I organise Notes as follows:

Multiple trees are important for me, it is a great feature that I have not seen elsewhere.
I have MACRO, MICRO, ACTION DIARY and DICTIONARY.


MACRO

- In this tree I have 12 1st level parent files:

0000 MASTER INDEX - 10 Child files
1000 GENERAL INTEREST - 25 Child files
2000 PRINCIPLES & PSYCHOLOGY - 18 Child files
3000 PERSONAL RECORDS - 7 Child files
4000 ENTERPRISE & INDUSTRY - 15 Child files
5000 CREATION & RECREATION - 13 Child files
6000 TRAINING & EDUCATION - 11 Child files
7000 SOCIAL & RELATIONSHIPS - 9 Child files
8000 SUPERNORMAL - 7 Child files
9000 PHYSICAL HEALTH - 7 Child files
10000 MISCELLANEOUS - 17 Child files
XXXX UNFILED NOTES (For quick sketches, that can be filed later)

- Each level of files is alternately coloured as follows:
1st level Blue,
2nd Level Green,
3rd Level Red,
4th level Blue,
5th Level Green,
6th Level Red,
7th level Blue,
8th Level Green,
9th Level Red

- I use the folder icons for parent files. The page of the parent file is kept blank, it's only purpose is to house child files.

- I use the notepad icons for childless end node files, and these I fill with data.

- I use the letter writing icon for .0 GENERAL files. Each Parent file (with a few exceptions) has as it's first child file one named .0 GENERAL. This is useful as an overflow for information that I deem belonging to the parent file but in the flow of rapid data inputting I am not sure which specific existing child file it should go in yet, or even if I may yet create a new child file to house this datum.

- A file that has been moved to Micro has a star icon.

- I was following the numbering of the dewey decimal system for each file however deep in the notes (sometimes as deep as 8 levels) for example 5000.8.3.1.4.1.1.0 would be CREATION & RECREATION - Sport - Football - LFC - Seasons - 2011/2012 - Fixtures/results/matches - Fixture list, BUT as I am making additions and editing files constantly I was changing the numbering too often in many cases (though there are exceptions) and so for the time being simply keep most entries alphabetically only (although when the titles of each child file change a lot less moving forward I may reinstitute the dewey decimal system for all files (with the exception of 10000 MISCELLANEOUS).

- I currently have 1270 files in my Macro tree (20/09/2011 16:32), with over 700 of these files being child files only and they are filled with various data.

- I use the leaves on each child page seldom, but when I do it is an extra useful function.

- I tag pages and individual data entries on each page
Each piece of text or image that I have pasted on a page I make a note of the URL above the data. I date the creation and modification every entry, and where an entry is duplicated in one or more other files I make a note next to that entry of all the files it belongs to.

MICRO

Is a distillation of Macro, like taking a magnifying glass and cutting a tiny % of that tree into Micro because I deem them URGENT and/or IMPORTANT and/or FREQUENTLY USED.
(the original file in Macro has a message saying "see Micro")

- I use more of the different pictured icons for these folders eg folders with ticks, question marks and useful images, even finding that I could add more when on notes page > Select folder > modify > Pick and icon > add from %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll

ACTION

Mission Statement
This focuses and shapes goals

Goals
Specific aims which are consistent with my Mission Statement, and which I cross reference with projects and tasks to ensure congruence of action.

Projects
In each file I have a General file, often specific files also ie copies of emails related and most importantly a progress file which keeps a full chronological narrative of what I have done on this project to date and what to do next, this way when I want to work on any given project at a specific time I enter that Project title in To Do's with the Caveat "see Projects".

Tasks
Largely an anachronism now that I have discovered the usages of the To Do module, but I still have lists of things to do by location or with certain people etc.


DIARY

Self Explanatoory and in lieu of a module of the same name.

DICTIONARY

Words I especially like I store here (any other etymology related information and/or enquiry found in 1000 GENERAL INTEREST - Language).




CONTACTS

Years back I used to have a simple notepad file with a running alphabetised list that I added to and deleted from as I went but this was migrated to address book in XP and now into EPIM.
I like that I can add & edit fields, and especially the membership field where I can enter people in multiple groups and easily edit the groups people belong to by and by.


MAIL

I've only recently started to use this module and have set up 2 email accounts at present.


PASSWORDS

I have a bookmarks file in Notes that has hundreds of sites organised by category and by tags eg Blog, Forum, Comprehensive Directory, Utilities etc, so by and by I will duplicate this information to the passwords module.
Another use for this module as I posted in EPIM here > viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11143 is to add extra fields for films as an example to search for a title by year, genre etc.


TRASH

This module has saved me when I accidentally deleted files and even deleted purposely but had a rethink at a later date.
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Re: How I use EPIM, In Detail

Post by Max »

Hello!

Thank you for the great post! You did a nice job describing everything in details. Hope other users will appreciate this.
Maxim,
EPIM Team
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