43Folders.com was set up by the improbably named Merlin Mann to chart his progress in implementing a personal productivity system gaining ground in corporate America.

Its creator, David Allen, drew upon years of management consultancy to develop his Getting Things Done (GTD) system, explained in detail in the eponymous book, subtitled The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

The system rests on a few key actions that Allen likens to freeing up the RAM of your mind, so that instead of constantly trying to remember what it is you should be doing, you have the luxury of approaching your work with a “mind like water”, that is, a mental state that flows naturally to fit the needs of the present moment.