Get
It Together
January 5, 2000
By Liz Kelley Kerstens, CGRS
This
column is posted on the Clooz.com Web site with
permission of MyFamily.com. The
column was originally posted on the Ancestry.com
Web site.
Your
Inbox: A Temporary Resting Place
Whether your inbox
is a typical stacking tray sold by office supply retailers
or a large cardboard box, you need to designate a place to
put all "incoming" papers. This includes items
that need action from your daily mail (as discussed last
week), genealogical documents brought home from libraries
or archives, and any other paperwork that has not yet been
assigned a home. However, the inbox should only be used as
a temporary resting place, not the "I'll get to it
later" collection point.
How do you use your inbox as a
temporary stop on your paper's journey to its final home?
Designate multiple containers for papers with specific
purposes. For instance, your inbox can be accompanied by a
"To Spouse" box, a "Data Input" box, a
"To File" box, an "Action" box, and a
"Pursue" box.
The "To Spouse" box is
the place to put items that are meant for your significant
other, but could also be labeled "To Children"
or whatever is appropriate for your situation. These
papers can include items you need to discuss with a spouse
or child, including insurance and financial decisions.
The "Data Input" box is
for genealogical documents waiting to be entered into your
software program(s). When you come home from a library or
archives, you can bypass the inbox and put these documents
directly into the data input box to save you some time
processing the items in your inbox.
The "To File" box is
for papers you need to retain for tax, legal, or
historical purposes. Be brutal in deciding what items need
to be retained. Ask yourself what could happen if you
throw away a piece of paper. Sometimes it's easier to toss
paper if you know you can get it again from somewhere
else.
The "Action" box is for
items requiring action--action that you don't have time
for immediately. This box needs to be checked routinely so
items can be moved out and either tossed or put in a final
destination.
The "Pursue" box is for
items that have sparked your interest and you need to
follow through on at a future date. This box is perfect
for research leads and ideas in relation to your current
projects.
Physically, these
"boxes" can take the shape of stackable trays,
stackable drawers, or individual containers. There are
several catalogues devoted to organizing supplies that may
help you to make your decision for setting up your inbox
system. "Get Organized" (800-803-9400) and
"Organize Now" (800-631-2233), my favorite
organizing catalogues, have multiple options for those
looking to containerize. Reliable Office Supply http://www.reliable.com,
Staples http://www.staples.com,
Office Max http://www.officemax.com,
and Office Depot http://www.officedepot.com
also sell a variety of containers to assist the
organizationally challenged.
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