In a message dated 2/1/99 9:16:06 PM, Phyllis Adamson wrote:


>>>>There's a name for all those piles on your desk/floor/table.  It's called
the AHS Filing System.  Any Horizontal Surface!!     :-)>>>>

I can relate to this! LOL!!! Only one time in the past 10 years have the
horizontal surfaces in  my work area (aka dining room) been completely free of
paper - when I threw a surprise 40th birthday for my husband. Luckily he
wasn't suspicious of this uncharacteristic behavior because I blamed it on
"nesting instincts"-- being 6 months pregnant at the time I got away with this
decluttering.

After trying many filing systems, the one that works best for me is to have
things categorized as "ABC's, administrative,  local and national LLL topics,
etc."
The ABC's have most breastfeeding topics listed individually. The other speak
for themselves and are broken down into many subtopics. I cross reference by
writing current article info on the manila folders themselves. For example,
when I'm finished reading JHL or Breastfeeding Abstracts, I will list the
title and publication date on the file folder of a specific topic. This way, I
can keep all my publications in chronological order but keep the ABC file up-
to-date.

I also keep a 3 wire stacking basket next to the computer labeled, "Urgent,
Pending, and Filing." I'm a visual learner so I definitely need to *see*
things in order to accomplish them - this wire type of basket allows me to
peer in and once I see the tip of a paper, I know what needs be done.

It's interesting to see how our individual differences shine through with
regard to helping mother/baby dyads, and how we manage the paper that these
very important jobs create. :-)

Luann Gilliland, BA
Bloomsburg, PA