Media Inquiries

If you have questions about 43 Folders or would like to interview us for print or broadcast, please contact Merlin.

Previous Media Coverage

As you know, the web is a volatile place, so some of these links may perish over time. Apologies in advance for any pages that disappear or convert to “subscription only.”)

• Reprogram your life [The Economist] - “Life hacking does not rely on the use of technology for the sake of it, however. Indeed, perhaps Mr Mann’s greatest claim to fame is the ironically named “Hipster PDA” — a stack of index cards held together by a bulldog clip that is, he contends, superior to an electronic personal organiser. Mr Mann’s presentation of the idea resembles a comedy routine, but his point is a serious one: there is not much fiddling, configuration and customisation to be done with a stack of index cards, so users must instead get on with doing something useful…” (2006-06-08)
• The Morning News - 2006 Editors’ Awards for Online Excellence, by The Editors - "Being organized—being over-the-top, multi-system, many-to-do-list organized—is the mantra around TMN for keeping our minds clear and our publishing schedule plump. You could say we like to Get Things Done, and no one GTD like 43 Folders, a site that’s headquarters for a small movement to make lives more organized, better focused, and less encumbered by email." (2006-05-25)
• TIME.com: The Pick Of The Podcasts - "Merlin Mann's program, ostensibly about personal productivity, is entertaining and informative. Listen first to the episode titled 'How to Leave a Voice Mail Message.'" (2006-04-30)
• FT.com / Arts & Weekend - Now we all have to Get Things Done - “It’s also been refreshing to think more deeply about the process of organising my work. I’ve been talking with Merlin Mann, a prolific and entertaining San Francisco-based writer whose 43 Folders website (named after a GTD Tickler File) is one of the best places to read about the system as it’s practised.” (2005-04-22)
• Washington Post: Productivity Tip No. 1: Check Out the Blogs"'Whether you decide on a tool that is high-tech or low-tech, the important point is to use it well,'" Mann says. 'To think high-tech is naturally more advanced and therefore more useful than low-tech is inaccurate and misleading.'" (2006-04-09)
• SF Gate: Getting back to the paper chase - "'We've all been so encouraged for so many years to think of technology as where to turn when you have problems,' said Merlin Mann, the San Francisco tech consultant behind www.43folders.com, a Web site dedicated to increasing productivity." (2006-01-01)
• Guardian UK: Fitter, happier, more productive - "'Life hacks are really a superset of GTD - basically any kind of trick you can devise that makes it hard to screw up,' says Mann. 'Most often this involves taking some problem or hangup out of your head and getting it grounded in the physical world. Remember how your teacher would pin a note on your shirt whenever she wanted your parents to see something? Same thing.'"(2005-10-20)
• Lifehacker - What to-do's achieve - "Sorry podcasters, but before this one, I’ve never heard a podcast that didn’t make me want to jump out a window." (2005-10-18)
• The New York Times Magazine: "Meet the Life Hackers" - "'In fairness, I think we bring some of this on ourselves,' says Merlin Mann, the founder of the popular life-hacking site 43folders.com. 'We'd rather die than be bored for a few minutes, so we just surround ourselves with distractions.'" (2005-10-16)
• Lifestyle tips, from the weird to the useful - baltimoresun.com - "The site's creator set off an Internet buzz recently with an innovation he called The Hipster PDA - a plan for using a pack of file cards and a binder clip as effectively as a $500 digital personal organizer." (2005-10-09)
• Yahoo! Picks - September 20, 2005 - "Enter the mind of Merlin Mann, and follow his lead as he posts articles, problem-solving solutions, and lively commentary on how to make the most of your time -- without the stressful e-gadgets." (2005-09-20)
• Washington Post: This Retro PDA Doesn't Need Batteries - "Do you really need to carry $1,000 worth of equipment to have coffee with friends and be able to write down what albums you should check out?" (2005-07-16)
• Wired News: GTD: A New Cult for the Info Age - "The problems of overload and attention deficit that seem to be spreading so rapidly these days have been staples in the geek world since time immemorial." (2005-07-12)
• Personal Technology from _The Wall Street Journal_ - "43 Folders focuses more closely on organizational methods. This site is of particular interest to fans of 'Getting Things Done,' a useful book by David Allen."
• Interview: 43Folders' Merlin Mann - Lifehacker - "Mac-focused, with frequent dashes of David Allen’s Getting Things Done method and just plain and simple nuggets of wisdom, 43 Folders is a smart, funny and useful read that created a community of folks sharing their own tips at the collaboratively-edited 43 Folders Wiki." (2005-04-04)
• MacDevCenter.com: Getting Things Done with Your Mac - "All the productivity pr0n, and label makers, and lists of lists of lists can certainly be useful, but ultimately, they're all McGuffins." (2005-03-08)
• Business 2.0 :: A Mightier Pen - "For me, it's all about portability. At a length of about 3.5 inches, it's around the size of a french fry, with rounded ends so it won't snag as it slides into your pocket."

Requests for Reviews, Links, "look at my product," etc.

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How to be a product 43 Folders loves (and reviews)

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This is important and worth repeating: we do not guarantee anything in return for you sending us free stuff. Period. No "wink wink." No "nudge nudge." If we like it, we might mention it, and that's the end of the story. Please don't damage both our credibility by expecting a review, a mention, a link, or what have you. If this is a problem for you, please don't waste your time contacting us and pretending to be all buddy-buddy. That's cheesy.

If you want us to see your site or online product, go here. Do not email us link begs and PR crap, or we will call you mean names and make fun of you in front of girls you have a crush on. We can make this happen.

This all sounds horribly terse, and it is, but such is life. We get way more requests for reviews and links each week than we could possibly fulfill -- primarily because people seem disinclined to read these all-too-clear rules -- so we like to be super clear up-front about our policies in order to save everyone time, confusion, and miscommunication.

You may, in fact, be reading this now because we sent back a link to this page when you asked for a review; that means you, um, probably didn't read it before contacting us. So, you know. Hi.