Sequential filing
Here is a method I learned from someone smarter than myself, who is a frequent poster at this site! (I am sure he will immediately know who he is and -if he chooses to get involved with this thread- I would welcome his contribution. Implementing this method has been the best thing I have ever done for organizing my references!)
I have implemented it with incredible ease and success.
The system is based on using an indexing software that solves the problem of naming a file, because you assign keywords.
At the suggestion of the above-mentioned person I purchased Powermarks from
www.kaylon.com for about $20. This is a software used for indexing web pages (sort of a "Favorites" on steroids) and allows the user to add multiple keywords. (For David's web page one could have: david, GTD, productivity, organize, etc.) I use this software to index hundreds and hundreds of websites that I find of interest.
The software can be "tweaked" to index paper files, as well. When I have an item to file, I just give it a sequential number and I file it in numerical order. In Powermaks I type the file number in the web address field, than I can add a title, and multiple keywords.
To make this easier to implement I keep about 500 pre-printed labels -Avery 5267- are 80/page, numbered sequentially.
Let us say I have a document "ABC Client meeting notes" I want to file it in my "reference" filing system... I staple the pages together and place the next available numbered Avery label on it. In the Name field in Powermarks I put a descriptive name: "Meeting notes with ABC-Client 2005-02-25". In the URL field I type the sequential number: Z006,741, than I add as many keywords that I can come up with: ABC, notes, Mike, meeting, 2005, February, 25, XYZ-project, etc. [The software allows even further information to be added, but I rarely use it.] Note: I chose to add a "Z" in front of all my sequential file numbers because it makes it easier to group them together when needed.
Than i place the document in a folder, in which I keep 25 documents per folder. This will go in the folder labeled Z006,725-Z006,750.
When I ever need to go back to this item, I open Powermarks and type in a keyword. (This takes care of wheter it is filed under Client, Meeting, Date, Project, etc.) Powermarks will list all web pages AND paper files that contain this keyword in one list, which is great because it makes it easy by having all information pertaining to this keyword, both physical and web resources, in front of my eyes. The document in question is identified by its Z-number, part of the list of other documents pertaining to the same keyword. The list can be further narrowed by adding a second keyword in the search field.
At this stage, I just go to the drawer Z005,000-Z010,000, locate the Z006,725-Z006,750 folder and get my document. It doesn't bother me that it is filed between a restaurant menu (Z006,740) and an article on the proper pruning of my trees (Z005,742). My filing is no longer indexed by one word, as is the case in ALL paper filing systems, be them alphabetical, contextual, etc. All the documents are indexed by as many keywords as I choos, the indexing is done by the software and I can always add, remove or further refine my keywords on this document.
It might appear complicated, but it took about 2 hours to get started. I began implementing this system as of a certain date, placing all new reference files in it. I slowly converted my old files (my goal was 1 inch of old files processed and indexed per day-or about 1 month per drawer-which was a little ambitious. In reality it took me 8 months to convert 5 drawers, without ever doing it more than 15-20 minutes at the time.)
Moreover, inspired by the process, I chose to use the same method for my computer. Before all the recent desktop indexing software was made available by Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, the same "someone" steered me to Enfish Find ($40) and I have never looked back. I no longer care what folder a file is in, because Enfish indexes *every word in a document* and I can find any file in 10 seconds or less!
I have to admit that I was very reluctant at first, but I was driving myself crazy with alphabetical filing, never knowing where the insurance slip was-in the car file, bills file, insurance file, etc. Now Powermarks points its location in no time flat!
I hope my posting was coherent enough for the readers to get the idea. I would be happy to elaborate if anyone cares.