Organizing with “Dear Myrtle”: January

I know it’s March, but I’ve just started in March, therefore I’m still in “January”! {Rolling eyes }!
I told you how I’m switching back to binders here.  I've decided it’s a good time to make this change for myself and had heard about Dear Myrtle’s Organizing Checklists at about the same time, so why not play along?  It’s not too late and you can certainly start now if you want to follow along.  Just go to the link and begin!
Here’s how I’m doing so far for January":

• Back-up genealogy data:   I already have a Dropbox account, but I noticed this would not work for me.  I use Legacy Family Tree software and pointing my genealogy database file to Dropbox in the past caused “Error 91”.  I contacted technical support and got this reply:

“There isn't a bug in Legacy. The problem is that everytime you add or edit information in Legacy you click Save, Dropbox instantly wants to upload your file because it has detected a change. The work-around is don't use Dropbox as your regular Data folder. Only add your family file to Dropbox after you are done working in it and have closed Legacy.”

This resolved the problem for me and I’ve been doing it this way ever since. Especially because I share files between my desktop where I do data entry and my netbook.  In addition, I only have 2GB of space on Dropbox and my photos and documents folders combined are already too big.  This will not be a long-term solution unless I pay for more space, which I won’t do.  I'm looking into a free work-around solution to using Dropbox and will keep you informed.

• Clear off computer desk: This is an ongoing challenge for me the way my office is set-up, but I am finding solutions for the way I work.  Consider this a work in progress.  Btw, I did take before pictures all around my office.  I had already begun a photo archiving project, so the part about sorting photos is handled.
• Check office supplies: Oh my, my, my!  This one was a surprise because I had to buy new binders and extra-wide tab dividers a little at a time.  I already had boxes of sheet protectors and a label-maker.  I also splurged on a ream of lavender colored paper, cream colored paper for the Family Group Sheets and  sticky-tabs .  Total spent was $181.94 not including tax. 
• Set up the computer desk the way you really want it:  It’s already set up the way I want it.
• “Golden Clipboard”: Isn’t necessary, I just impatiently yell for nicely call my husband to come rescue me!
• Make Surname binders: I’ve made some, and will purchase more as we progress through the next phases of entering data from the binders.  Mine won’t be alphabetically entered, as I’ve created the binders for the names with the most information first.
• Create family group sheets for DIRECT LINE, COLLATERAL LINES, place all important docs in sheet protectors, file NOT PROVEN docs:  All done for the binders I’ve made.
• Prepare Scanner: Already had that set up.
• Attend Scanfest: I attended this once in the past and could not chat and focus on page numbers I was scanning in chronological order.  I enjoyed the chat, but had to decide to do one or the other and not both to be most productive at scanning.

That has me caught up…to February!
Copyright © 2010 Joanne Schleier