Reflections on getting ORGANIZED

NOW THAT I AM ORGANIZED

According to Denise Levenick in her article in Family Tree magazine, "cutting clutter will make you better organized and sharpen your genealogy focus."

I am here to tell you Denise is

 "right on the money."

Using Denise's techniques for organizing  documents on my computer, I can apply them to hard copy files in my file cabinet. My hard copy files are yet to be done. 

Remember the mantra:

1) read, 2) scan and, 3) recyle

don't print... don't print...don't print 

Note what Levenick says: "If it would be a financial or logistical burden to replace the item, consider it an original."

If the above definition meets the criteria for a document, then scan, keep the original, file in hard copy file.

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Here are some examples of success from my organization project so far:

1) When I labeled consistently I found 2, 3 ,4 or more copies of documents, placed in several locations (so I could find it and still couldn't find it.)

I had a photocopied birth record for my mother Catherine (Kata) labeled:

Kata birth, 

Binder Kata Croatia birth, 

birth_record kata 

placed in several locations/folders.

Once all the copies were opened and labeled consistently Binder, Kata birth record, the computer alphabetized them and I 
1) noted that I had several of the same document, 2) practiced consistency and, 
3) trashed two of the copied.

I can easily find that document now.

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2) The family portrait that was within hundreds of pictures in iPhoto for which I had to search and search is now in a folder called Photos under each surname folder and labeled so I can find it. 

Binder, Joseph formal portrait. 

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3) Levenick says "label so you know what is in the folder." With consistency and labeling you KNOW what is in the folder.  For example:

What was in the folder I labelled Stoner information? The item in Stoner folder is now called 

S. Dak. neighbor letter re: Stoner.

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4) Found gold!
Going through email folders I reread, labelled, and placed emails in surname or appropriate folders. 

As I organized and reread emails I found contacts. I needed to reconnect with contacts and I did! 
I reconnected and it generated  

additional surname information and photos from  reconnecting with these contacts.

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5) I was always opening folders to see what was in them and then closing them because it wasn't what I was looking for. This was a waste of time and caused frustration.

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6) I located document, emails, and items that were 

  in the wrong surname folder

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I have not finished organizing. 
I am getting organized and it feels 

Great!

Thanks Denise

Share your reorganizing thoughts, surprises, esamples of success?

See ya down the road... 

Copyright @ 2015-16 Diane McClure Lott

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION