MyTicklerFile is a web service that offers an electronic implementation of the “Tickler File” concept, part of the “Getting Things Done” workflow management philosophy.

A Tickler file is a set of 43 folders (geddit? ) into which you can file future events that will require your attention later but which don’t need to sap your energy right now.

There are ways to get a tickler file going inside Mail.app itself using MailTags or AppleScript, but for those who prefer a web-based solution, MyTicklerFile will do the job nicely.

A upgraded version of the service was launched today. It adds Projects, time-tracking, syncing with iCal and Basecamp for paying customers and new daily, monthly and project views.

Also new is the TicklerCal, an “iCal-like” representation of all your ticklers:

Click image for a full-sized view

MyTicklerFile offers a free plan with one project, 15 ticklers and 10 Backpack-style reminders, and two paying plans (USD 9/month and 19/month) which include more projects, ticklers and reminders and other extra features.

Head over to the site, read its blog and look at some sample screenshots.GTD, getting things done, tickler file, productivity, projects, reminders, web 2.0

Zak Greant’s AppleScript for running a Tickler file (a filing system for future actions that is part of the “Getting Things Done” (GTD) system) is very clever.

But it does have one small drawback for some people. Its mailboxes are stored in your Local Folders. If you use more than one Mac to assess a central IMAP store of emails, you will only have your Tickler file on one of the Macs.

One way around this is to run a Tickler file with MailTags. Although due to the way that Mail.app handles IMAP support, a mailbox rebuild will refresh your local cache and wipe out the MailTags info, which is appended to the cached copy of each emlx file.

Ted Pavlic has found another work-around for this which he posted in the comments on the GTD AppleScript post.

He runs a centralised Tickler file on his IMAP server using this script in a cronjob: