Getting Organized

A never-ending topic for genealogists: how to deal with all the notes, files and papers that quickly accumulate when you are doing your family tree research.

Keeping track of the information itself isn't that difficult, especially if you are using a good genealogy software program. If you're not, it's still reasonable to organize your family tree with pedigree charts and family group forms.

But what will soon take over your desk and your life, isn't the information itself, but all the paper. Newspaper clippings, all kinds of certificates, letters, photos, maps and more photocopies than you can shake a stick at. It's the documentation that will bury you.

Now, I will confess to being terribly disorganized and don't have a personal filing system to share. I have a handful of file folders, one folder for each branch of my family that I am researching (basically, one folder per surname). Oh, and I have a big pile on a book shelf that I am a little afraid to look at.

So I thought I would share a few filing system ideas from other experts, and let you come up with the perfect system for your own research. I know I've gotten a few good ideas from these articles.

Organizing Your Research - By organizing your material into 4 different categories, you can hopefully manage your records a little bit better.

Organizing Your Paper Files with File Folders - A very detailed system that should help even the messiest genealogist get organized.

Organizing Your Family Records - A paper-based way to file (when not using a computer), but some great tips to manage your documents even if you are using software as well.

Your Genealogy Work Area - Not just about filing, but about how you manage all aspects of your research. Keeping your desk under control is a good first step.

I'm sure one of these articles will be able to point you in the right direction towards managing your mountain of disorganized paper.

_{first posted at Suite101}