This page explains how you get a free desk by using a simple allocation technique:

Documents ready to hand: 1-Click-Filing

Tasks do not only consist of key words and instructions. Often, documents and other written material belong to them. But how shall we administrate documents optimally? How do we get a free desk and keep everything still ready to hand?

We provide a simple but ingenious system to get rid of this problem: Documents should not be organized following a filing plan, but just be put to a free space which then has to be memorized. Of course, everything should be done systematically: The space should have a number, and the number does not need to be memorized but assigned to the according task. As soon as you want to tackle any task you once recorded in meineZIELE you will have the accompanying documents ready to hand with a single click.

For electronic documents, meineZIELE provides a system we call the 1-click-filing. Of course, paperwork is supported as well.

1-Click-Filing for printed documents

For the organization of your papers you need a means of organization. If you work with large amounts of paper, suspension files are an adequate solution. If you only deal with little paperwork, a panel folder would be a good solution.

Besides the outliner, the 1-click-filing is meineZIELE's most important tool. This system does not only save space, but also helps you establish a high degree of order and keep the overview with almost no efforts.

To assign a printed document to a task, meineZIELE provides a documentation field ("doc") at each task where you can put the file number of allocated documents.

In the example to the right, C4 would indicate the used space in a panel folder. The C could be the code of the folder.

For advanced users: Free spaces

If you want to put a document into a panel folder, you will probably need a free compartment. It can be quite annoying when the folder is full and you still have to search for a free compartment.

Thus, meineZIELE can support you: Up to ten circles of numbers can be observed, e.g. from A to J, where each letter could be a folder.
meineZIELE will display the free compartments of your panel folder. This is how it is done:

 

 

 

a. The number ranges have to be set in the "Options" menu.

 

 

 

In the example, "A" was chosen to have 31 items
which could be a folder with 31 compartments.

In "G"  there are 4 places available.

Positive numbers from 0 to 999 can be chosen as well as latin letters.

Of course, you can also expand the documentation column a little and then use names or initials.

meineZIELE does not make a difference between lowercase and uppercase letters.

 

 

b. Click on the desired field of the documentation column (1). A list of free compartments of your first circle of numbers will be displayed.
Navigate between your different folders by clicking on this button  .

In the example folder G was chosen (2).

c. Choose a free place.
In the example G1 was chosen (double click). (3) + (4)

	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)

d. When you now click on another field of the documentation column G1 is no longer shown as it is already being used. You can only choose from the places that are still available.

Attention! All visible compartment numbers have not yet been assigned to tasks of the now open meineZIELE file. Our recommendation is to have one file for all of your tasks and goals. Then, this system works properly. If you prefer to create separate meineZIELE files for each of your projects, note that meineZIELE does not recognize if any compartment is being used in another file.

e. Using the team functionalities, the entries with a filled will be exchanged together with the respective task. This can be quite useful, e.g. when a team member receives a task from their team leader where the belonging documents are in the panel folder of another colleague. If each team member's panel folder is assigned a specific letter, everybody knows easily where to find the necessary documents.

One more tip:  A table of contents is available in the menu "lists".  

Electronic 1-click-filing

You can assign files to any of your entries in the outliner. As soon as you tackle a task, you get the necessary documents back onto your
screen. To edit the content, click the symbol with the two folders in the editing menu (1). So, meineZIELE displays the list of documents
that belong to the open task. Furthermore, meineZIELE will show a miniature preview of images and pdf documents if you click them once. A
double click will open the file directly from meineZIELE.

What can be included in the 1-click-filing?

A task can include files, but also a multitude of other objects, such as mails from Outlook, websites or ELO documents. Tasks, events and contacts from Outlook can be assigned to any task in meineZIELE as well. Furthermore, there are special cases like pictures (for image presentations, for instance) or checklists (which are created in meineZIELE).

How to put content to the 1-click-filing?

1. Files, Windows directories, checklists (which are in a specific meineZIELE file type), images and websites can be selected by clicking the available buttons. Alternatively, you can drag and drop files into meineZIELE from Windows Explorer.

2. ELO (Electronic Leitz Folder / Elektronischer Leitz Ordner): If ELO is installed on your computer, you can link ELO documents with meineZIELE tasks and open them directly in meineZIELE. More detailed information below.

3. Documents can also be created directly within meineZIELE, for instance Excel tables. Click the triangle to the right of the Word icon. Choose the program (Excel, Word, ...). A new document will be created. After editing, save the document without changing its name. As soon as Word, Excel, ... is closed, the file name can be changed in the 1-click-filing.

4. Scanning: Digitalize paperwork by using a scanner or, better, a document camera. More details below.

5. Mails: If you use Outlook, you may want to link mails directly to tasks. Connection is established in the interface window.

6. Likewise, meineZIELE's entries can be linked directly to events or tasks in Outlook.

7. Contacts and addresses can be linked to tasks as well. Alternatively, tasks can be created from given contact information as well. More information below.

How do I get the document back?

Entries that contain linked documents are marked with an icon automatically. Click this icon and the linked document will be opened. That is, Outlook will be started to show the linked e-mail or Excel will open the linked table for editing and so on. (As a special case, checklists are inserted directly behind the open entry. With a mouse click + ALT pressed, you get to the proper checklist file.)

If there are several files allocated to a task, you have to select the file. This provides more buttons, depending on the kind of link Youd did select. There for example is an eye, which opens the file.

You don't remember where you've put a certain document? The search function includes the paths and files of the 1-click-filing. Additionally, you can perform a search for any keywords within the linked files. Often, however, it is enough to see the documents of subordinate tasks. For that, you can display documents of sub tasks. Right-click anywhere in the 1-click-filing window and activate this function.

Now some details:

• When an entry is open, clicking the double folder symbol makes the file list of the entry visible.
• Linked files will be sorted by type automatically and displayed in a tree structure, as shown in the screenshot.
• Add content by clicking the respective icon in the functions bar below the content.
  

(2) - Add existing files
(3) - Create new files (templates available)
(4) - Scan documents
(5) - Add windows directories
(6) - Add websites

(7) - Add an image from the clipboard as a file
(8) - Create checklists, project files etc
(9) - Assign ELO documents (only if ELO is installed)
(10) - Add pictures for image presentations
(11) - Add a point for navigation in the outliner

(12) - Open a linked file
(13) - Send document as an e-mail
(14) - Delete link or the linked original file
(15) - Rename a linked file
(16) - Add document to the ELO archive

Open a document by double click. The thumbnail image is only available for a few image formats like jpg or gif.

The connections of the 1-click-filing will be kept, even if you transform the task to a success. They are also kept in checklist files and even if you pass the task to your team, You can copy or move (right mouse menu) files to a team folder.

Since a multitude of documents can be linked to a task, meineZIELE also serves well for image presentations and project documentation.

For advanced users: While moving files, for instance between private and business computer, the file paths can change. Therefore you find an option "Override link file path" by which you can change the set file paths in meineZIELE. So, the 1-click-filing will still be able to establish the connection to the linked files.

Using a scanner or a document camera

When we talk about goals and tasks, there are two ways of storing scanned documents:

1. Long term storage is carried out in connection with a filing plan and search functions. We recommend for example ELO for this purpose (ELO, the electronic Leitz folder). If you use ELO anyway and put any document there for archiving, another scan in meineZIELE does not make much sense. Then it is better to link ELO's documents with meineZIELE's entries. Actually, it is a direct connection, because the file is opened in ELO directly.

2. Documents that are only stored until a task is solved (or that shall be put only then to the long term storage): These documents are linked directly to the task. The fastest way from paper to task is given by document cameras (faster than scanners!). Open the task's 1- click-filing and click the scanner symbol. Using a document camera, any document is just photographed directly on your desk. If you've used a document camera once, you will not want to miss it anymore. The scanned / photographed document is linked with your task and can be opened in meineZIELE.

Optionally, you can enable an automatical naming of the documents and automatical choice of file paths. Even entire scan profiles can be set in the "Options" menu. If you decide to use predefined scan profiles, you choose the desired profile with a right-click on the scanner symbol before scanning. Within these profiles, you can also set the desired file paths.

 meineZIELE supports almost any commercially available scanner (TWAIN-interface) . Before you scan in meineZIELE, open the scan options (Options > Documents > Scan) to adjust the settings and to create scan profiles (scanner / camera, resolution, scan to jpg or to pdf, etc.).

Links to websites

By clicking the "@" button at (1), a link between an entry and a website can be established. In the editior window, you enter the url (2) and optionally a comment (3). Comments can be quite useful, e.g. if there are many different pages on the same domain; on a university website for instance.

An icon will be generated to indicate that there is a linked website. Click it to open the link with your standard browser.

Links to files and folders on your computer

By clicking the button (1) you open a file dialog by which you can search for any file on your computer or in the network and link it to
the open entry in meineZIELE. You can select several files at the same time by keeping pressed "Shift" or "Ctrl".

At (3), all linked files are shown. Besides the entry at (3), a file icon will be created in the goals outliner. There, a single click will bring the document on your screen.

A link to a whole directory can be established by clicking the button at (2). If you click the directory (4) later, Windows Explorer will open the linked folder.

Some objectives need extensive consideration of the pros and cons, of the alternatives and resources. Particularly the psychological commitments suggest an essay-type planning at least of the larger and less convenient tasks and goals. Use links to simple text documents. The folder "Ziele_Im_Detail" was created for this purpose automatically.

Links via template files

We have already told about the possibility to create new files and insert them in the 1-click-filing automatically. You can do that using
a template file as well. For instance you could deposit a blank letter form as a Word document. If you utilize the template function,
meineZIELE will create a copy of the template file and open it for editing in Word. It will be given a name automatically and the link to the according task will be established. After editing the file you save it as usual.

You can create five different templates. They all have to be put to the directory "Zusatzdokumente" which you will usually find in "My Documents\meineZIELE\". The path is adjustable. The templates have to be named "Vorlage1", "Vorlage2", ..., "Vorlage5" . The extension is determined by the file type, of course. For Excel and Word, this would be xls/xlsx and doc/docx, respectively. meineZIELE will open the template for editing with the program that is set as standard in Windows.

Excel, Word, WordPad and text files are standard files in meineZIELE. If you want to work with OpenOffice, just put an empty template file to the directory "Zusatzdokumente", such as "Vorlage3.odt". meineZIELE will recognize automatically that you'd like to work with Open Office and offers the according option in the menu: "Create attachment from template Vorlage3.odt".

Links to Outlook-Mails

It is possible to link Outlook mails directly to a task. More information on the Outlook interface can be found here.

If you open the connected e-mail later (indicated by the eye symbol), Outlook will be started and the mail will be shown.

A simplification: Inserting Outlook mails directly

If Outlook is open and you have selected an e-mail, you can switch to meineZIELE and click the button "link the e-mail that is currently open in Outlook in the "1-click-filing"", by which the mail is allocated to the task immediately.

Links to contacts

Open the contact list by clicking the button at (1). A contact can be allocated to an existing task in the 1-click-filing (4).
Alternatively, tasks can be created directly from a contact (5).

 

If there is more information necessary than name, company and telephone number, a chosen contact can be opened for detailed information by clicking the form symbol at (3) or by a double click to the left of the line (2). The button at (6) starts the meeting modus. That is, only entries connected with the selected contact will be displayed.

It makes sense to extend the contact list regularly.  The column "contact information" is for one-time contacts only.

When a task is deleted

Documents linked to a task are usually not needed anymore as soon as the task is solved. Courageous users will delete these files; others keep them on their computer and will never need them again. However, there are cases where any document has to be archived, e.g. if a project has to be documented completely.

In the "Options / Documents" menu, you can set that scan documents of deleted tasks are put to a special folder for documents of solved tasks. There, you can choose manually which documents you want to keep. Thats the most popular option.

Files, which are not on the meineZIELE paths will not moved or deleted. And You can define more exceptions by using the word "knowhow" somewhere within a path (options / documents /scan) files in the folder   Z:\Teamarbeit\Dokumente\Knowhowbereich\ScanDokumente will not be deleted.

If you are running ELO, you can also hand scanned documents from the 1-click-filing over to ELO's inbox automatically, more: Click here.

 

Next: Priorities