1. A non-transitory signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus of a computer to perform operations for managing a computer system on an activity basis, the operations comprising: associating at least one computer-system-related item with at least one activity to be performed by a user using the computer system, where the at least one activity comprises at least one action performed by an application program using the at least one computer-system-related item; establishing management procedures for use in managing the at least one computer-system-related item associated with the at least one activity; detecting whether the at least one activity is being performed by the user; and in response to detecting that the at least one activity is being performed, managing the at least one computer-system-related item in accordance with the established management procedures when performing the at least one action of the at least one activity.