This hint comes from the new Macworld OS X Special Issue that I mentioned a few days back. It was listed as hint #34 in the booklet of 50 OS X tips...
If you use Classic a lot, you may often need to access Classic control panels. You may have also noticed that the only way to do that is to first switch to a Classic application, and then go look under the Apple menu for the one you want.
A simpler solution is to drag the Control Panels folder from your OS 9 System Folder onto the right side of your dock. Now if you control-click (or click and hold) on that folder in the dock, you'll have instant access to the Classic control panels without first activating a Classic app. You could also paste a custom icon (for example, the "Classic Startup" OS 9 logo in /System -> Library -> CoreServices) onto the folder first to make it easily identifiable in the dock.
Although this is a somewhat basic tip, if you spend much time with Classic's control panels, it can be a real time saver.
[More hints coming this evening...]
Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20020410100134114