A quick tangent to plug my method for paring down open tabs when it gets out of control: I create a document! Personally I use Google Docs, but you could use a

A quick tangent to plug my method for paring down open tabs when it gets out of control: I create a document! Personally I use Google Docs, but you could use a wiki or MS Word or many other things. The point isn't the technology, it's that when you have a whole slew of tabs open, and you feel the urge to keep them open, it's a strong sign that your mind is trying to gather info about a topic. Putting it into a document often feels great. It gives you an opportunity to type out a few quick notes on the topic (like what you thought was significant about various links) or other thoughts you had. And you might find you want to share the document with people you're working with. And I find I feel more organized, not just because I cleaned up something messy but because I took a moment to focus my energies on something my mind was begging me to pay attention to. Sometimes you even realize you need two different documents on different subjects, and it's a little enlightening to realize the two separate themes.