Get
It Together
January 19, 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.
Taking
Action
Last week we discussed clearing off your desk by creating
a permanent action file. This week we will discuss
creating a "temporary action file" for the rest
of the scattered papers left on your desktop. A temporary
action file is designed to hold items that need your
attention, and that have an end-date, such as future
travel or upcoming projects. If you have a desk drawer
that will hold hanging file folders, you have the perfect
location to set up your temporary action file. These files
should be kept in your desk, or within arm's reach while
you're sitting at the desk so you'll have ready access to
them while you're working.
If you've ever spent time pulling
together all the papers you need before an out-of-town
trip, you'll appreciate the need for these files. The idea
is that each time you have a new future event or project,
you should assign the respective papers to a specific
folder. Whenever you get any paperwork pertaining to that
event or project, put it into the folder. When the date
approaches for the event, you can pull all of the
paperwork for that event out of the folder and take it
with you. That then opens up a folder for use with the
next project or event that comes up.
How should you label these
folders? If you're using an organizing software program
such as Taming the Paper Tiger (http://www.thepapertiger.com),
you'll receive preprinted labels marked "Action
1," "Action 2," "Action 3," etc.
There are a couple of reasons why this is an efficient
numbering system: 1) The labels are general and don't need
to be changed when the contents change; 2) You can tell by
the label "Action" that it's a folder that you
need to pay attention to; 3) Your events or projects don't
need to be in alphabetical or chronological order within
this system, rather they can be placed in order of
importance.
If you're not using an organizing
program, you can create your own filing index in a
database, spreadsheet, or word processing program. You
should set up fields labeled something like File Number,
File Name, Description, and Action Date so you can develop
an index for your files as you create them. Using the
method described above, your first temporary action folder
would be labeled "Action 1," which would be the
File Number. The File Name would be a brief description of
the event or project, such as "California Trip."
Use the Description field to be as descriptive of the file
contents as possible, so you can use the Find feature in
your program to locate the file if you can't remember what
you named it. Put the date of the event or the project due
date in the Action Date field. You can print out an index
and keep it in a file marked "File Index" in
your Permanent Action File (discussed in last week's
column). Then you'll quickly know where to put papers for
your temporary actions as they come in.
As far as organizing the files in
your file drawer, don't overlook the simple effectiveness
of using different colors. You can use, for example, red
folders and/or red tabs on these folders, to highlight the
action folders. And if you use a different color for your
temporary action files, you can easily re-file the folders
using color as the separator.
Once you've created your
temporary action files, your desktop should be relatively
free of clutter. Pat yourself on the back and treat
yourself to a reward. You've done your part to make the
world just a little more organized.
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