​By Cathy Seckman

[Cathy shared these thoughts in a mini-presentation at the Heartland chapter's Fall 2016 meeting.]

Someday, someone will come up with a catchy new meme, “work-life juggling.” (Hey, it was me!) That’s what I always picture when I’m trying to give attention to my best friend/husband, my fragile mother, my needy cat, an overflowing vegetable garden, our neglected motorcycles, the dusty house, a due-next-Tuesday index, my read-me-right-now novel (currently Laura Ewald’s first Cat and Mac mystery), an uncleaned closet—I could go on for awhile, but you get the idea. I picture me, trying to juggle seventeen balls that are all different sizes and shapes.
 
That’s why I was so interested in a keynote speech, “YOU Management vs. Time Management,” given by Colette Carlson at a conference last summer. “Forget work-life conflict,” she said. We shouldn’t be pitting one important part of our lives against another important part. “Forget work-life balance.” We’d grow old and die, she said, before anything actually fell into balance. Everyone loses with those scenarios. The only thing to do these days is strive for work-life integration. With this scenario, there is more harmonization and mutual reinforcement.

I like that concept, especially the striving part. We may not achieve optimal integration all the time, but we can keep trying. One way to start doing that is to assess the importance of all your various responsibilities and projects. Do you even like all of them? Suppose you’re moderating a Facebook page for your service club, or finishing a cross-stitched tablecloth for your mother, or even opening your house for a Christmas tour. Don’t want to do it? Say no. I ran across a great quote on this subject recently: “If you don’t like where you are, then change it. You are not a tree.” You’re never stuck in one place unless you agree to be stuck in it. Or as Ann Landers used to say, “No one can take advantage of you without your permission.” Or as we frequently hear on television these days, “Grow a pair.”
 
Okay, so suppose you’ve actually ditched all your unwelcome projects. Now take a look at the ones still on your plate. Are you giving too much attention to unimportant ones? There’s been some research on the blurring of career and family boundaries, and we as indexers are particularly vulnerable to that. We’re part of the 70% of Americans who work from home at times. Because we work at home all the time, are we ever victims of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)? FOMO means you check work email when your kids are trying to talk about their day, or when you’re on a hike with your husband. Have you ever taken work on vacation with you? (Of course you have, you’re an indexer.) Those are the problems we face as we try to integrate work and life. There can be such a thing as too much integration.
 
So here are some tips, culled from recent research, on successful work-life integration.

1. Put all of your calendars together. Maybe you only keep indexing projects on a work calendar, doctor’s appointments on your phone, and birthdays on the kitchen calendar. I’m like that, but recently I’ve tapped everything from every calendar into my phone. Though the other calendars are still available for double-checking, everything I need to know for an average week is reliably in one place.

2. Work around your productivity. I’m definitely a morning person, and whether I’m on a tight deadline or not, sometimes I get up at 5 a.m. because I work faster in the early hours than after lunch. Afternoons are saved for errands, doctor’s appointments, canning tomato sauce, anything that takes me away from the desk.
Prioritize. If the garden cucumbers are a day past prime and the index isn’t due till Friday, deal with the cucumbers first.

3. Practice full concentration. This is really hard for me, which is why I sometimes set an alarm for 5 a.m. I concentrate better then, without wondering what new cat videos are online, or whether any digital library books came in yet.

4. Leverage technology. I’ve just downloaded a free calendar app called Wunderlist that promises to do everything but cook and clean house. I haven’t tried it yet, but the day is coming.

5. Set boundaries. Here, practice a little by saying these out loud:

• "No, I won’t be able to chair that committee. There are 17 other people in this group you can ask."
• "No, I can’t index a 288-page book before 5 p.m. today. How does tomorrow at 5 p.m. work for you?"
• "No, you’re not getting Chocolate Tweed Layer Cake today, I’m on deadline. I’ll bake it Friday, though."
  
  

6. Write daily, next-day, and long-term lists. Lists are great. I read a book once in which the main character wrote a to-do list every morning, putting “write to-do list” at the top of each one. That way, as soon as she finished the list, she could cross something off. Very satisfying.

• Daily lists: today, my list included work/life tasks like clean clothes closet, wash towels, start new index, send more agent queries, take birdseed to Mother’s. What I failed to put on this list was ‘write blog for Heartland,’ because it was on the last list, and I threw that one away without noticing I hadn’t crossed off one entry. When Carol reminded me very gently that I had promised it for yesterday, I added it to today’s list. As soon as I finish this, at about 1:30 today, I’ll have crossed three things off the list and be on my way to save Mother’s parakeet from starvation.
• Next-day lists: these are essential when you’re in the middle of any writing project, because life integrates itself into your work regularly, and sometimes you have to stop writing in the middle of an important thought. Next-day lists ensure you won’t lose that thought as soon as you close the file or put down the pen.
• Long-term lists: I’m a big fan of these, too, but rarely make them. I should. Research has shown that just writing down a task makes us more likely to complete it. If you want to start exercising three times a week, write that down as a long-term goal, and write it down every day. Don’t obsess, just keep it at the top of your mind, and eventually you’ll do it, if only so you can stop writing it down.

7. Take incremental steps. You don’t have to beat yourself up if an unexpected meeting interrupts indexing time, or your mother suddenly remembers the birdseed bin is almost empty. No one can be on top of everything all the time.

8. Be selfish sometimes, say no sometimes, but always remember what’s most important. Juggle the balls in a thoughtful kind of way. Which is more important right now, the index that’s due on Friday, or the sunny day that’s just right for a canoe outing? Which is the best use of the two hours before dinner, wrapping up a magazine article or cleaning out the closet? When you consider every aspect of your life to be integrated, it makes for more harmonious decision-making.

By Margie Towery

[Margie shared these tips in a mini-presentation at the Heartland chapter's Fall 2016 meeting.]

Beginning indexers, don’t skip this post! You don’t have to be an expert to write for ASI publications. Indeed, there are several reasons that every serious indexer should consider writing for ASI:

• To gather information and gain knowledge
• To share your perspective and expertise
• To promote your indexing business

​An easy entry into writing for Key Words (KW) and your local chapter blogs and newsletters is to gather information about a subject that you want more information about. For example, very early in my indexing career, I “wrote” a column for KW called “The ABCs of Indexing.” My premise was that I had questions and others had answers. I wanted to know about such topics as getting your first client, office equipment, insurance, training, etc. For each KW column, I picked a topic, queried 3 or 4 indexers, then collated and edited their responses. I added a very short introduction and off it went to KW. Not only did I get the info I needed but my name got “out there,” too! What are your burning index-related questions?

Right now, there is also an opportunity for all indexers to be involved in the forthcoming kohlrabi cookbook. Interested in contributing and/or testing recipes? Contact Pilar Wyman: pilarw [at] wymanindexing [.] com!

Another easy entry to this level of writing is to share your perspective through book reviews, chapter and national meeting reports, and on specific ideas, such as John Bealle’s KW article on when to index author citations and Carol Reed’s article on working with authors. Contact the KW editor to discuss the possibilities.

With a bit more commitment, you might consider serving as the editor for one of the Indexing Specialties series books. I edited the volume on history just 4 years after I started indexing. This series includes History, Scholarly Books, Psychology, Cookbooks, Law, and Medicine. There are certainly other topics that could be added. The editor’s (or coeditors’) tasks include, for example, soliciting articles from experts, editing those articles, and keeping the project organized and on schedule. This kind of writing project serves all three of the above points. Got an idea? Contact Pilar.

As you develop into an expert in particular areas, you might be asked to write for one of the specialties books or for the more recent series, Index It Right! Writing a single article is obviously easier than editing a collection, but both are helpful in getting your ideas and your indexing bona fides into the limelight.
​
Another batch of ASI books are what I would call “one-offs,” that is, books of either collected essays (e.g., Indexing for Editors and Authors) or single-authored volumes, such as the two newest ASI books, Janet Perlman’s Indexing Tactics and Tidbits and my own Ten Characteristics of Quality Indexes. As a new indexer I never envisioned writing a book about indexing, but it has been a very satisfying endeavor—and one that I wouldn’t have attempted if I hadn’t been writing for ASI all along.

As you can see, there are many avenues into writing for our professional organization, each of which has different expertise and time commitment factors. You just have to pick one and get started!

​By Meridith Murray

[Meridith shared her strategy in a mini-presentation at the Heartland chapter's Fall 2016 meeting.]

I’m usually pretty good about organization. But as my business has continued to grow and expand, I found that my system just wasn’t working. I was keeping a list of current projects on the back of desk calendar tear-off sheets (my scrap paper of choice), which necessitated constant revision as new jobs were added.

Enter the Excel spreadsheet. I set up a spreadsheet so that I could keep track of current and future jobs; it’s easy enough to move a row up or down, or to insert a new row in between, depending on need. I like to organize by due date so that I can see what is up next. So the spreadsheet starts with a column for TITLE, then COMPANY (or publisher), CONTACT (or author), LENGTH (to help me judge how much time to allow), RATE (so I remember what I quoted), DATE IN (when I received the files), DATE DUE, SUBMITTED (the date I actually send it in), and DONE. There is great satisfaction in writing DONE at the end of a project! This saved me a lot of time, as I was constantly searching through emails for information. Each project is just a little different and requires a change of brain-set.

I keep a separate section for CURRENT PROJECTS and FUTURE PROJECTS, so I know what is on the horizon and can at least try not to overcommit. So that takes care of before and during, but what about after? You all know that a job is not really over until we get paid, and sometimes that is a challenge all its own. My previous system was to print out an invoice and put it in a file folder. I have a file drawer with a folder for each client. But it’s so easy to forget them once they are filed, and I found that I was losing track of which invoices might be overdue (and require a gentle nudge to the client.)

​So I added another section, PROJECTS WAITING PAYMENT. Once I finish a job, I move it to this section. Here I added three more columns: To Pay (date I would reasonably expect payment), Invoice (amount billed), and Paid (date I receive payment.) Also, if I have billed a job in currency other than US Dollars, I indicate what the converted amount was. This section I organize by the date I expect payment, so I can see at a glance what money might be coming in next. If a “To Pay” date comes and goes with no money received, I mark that date in red to indicate overdue, and contact the client to make sure that the invoice is working its way through the system.

Once I receive payment, the job information gets moved once again (just cut and paste the whole row into a new blank slot.) The last section is PROJECTS PAID; it is organized by date payment was received, and this gives me a complete record that I can use at the end of the year for my tax figures. So I now have a system that sees a project through from initial scheduling to final payment, and I am saving a ton of time that I used to spend digging through emails and files for information.  I just keep the spreadsheet at the bottom of my screen, so that I can consult it quickly so see if I can fit a new job into my schedule or to see what my projected cash flow might be. You can adapt the column headings to suit your needs or your own particular approach, but just make sure you include all the information you might need to complete the job on time and then get paid (hopefully on time as well.)
​
What systems do you use to track your projects? We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a comment below!

By Shelley Quattrocchi

​On Thursday through Saturday, June 16 – 18, 2016, ASI & ISC/SCI (Indexing Society of Canada/Société canadienne d’indexation) held a joint conference at Conference Chicago at University Center, a full-service conference facility. Several members of the Heartland Chapter were among the approximately 140 attendees. There were also attendees from various other countries including Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Turkey and Egypt.

Thursday was arrival day for the Heartland indexers, and we took advantage of some free time to go on our own impromptu 45-minute tour of Chicago Public Library, the world’s largest public library at the time of its opening in 1991. We managed to visit all nine floors and made it a point to view the art displayed throughout the library. Library employees were happy to chat with us about the library.

​Keynote addresses on Friday and Saturday provided much to ponder.

Indexer/author Larry Sweazy asked the questions: Are indexers born or made? Are writers born or made? Sweazy is the author of twelve novels, including two featuring the crime-solving freelance indexer Marjorie Trumaine. He has indexed over 800 books. He shared some of his life experiences with the audience to demonstrate what contributed to his evolution as an indexer and author, recalling his childhood stays with his grandparents that were filled with gardening, crossword puzzles, and rules about where things belong. He held various jobs over the years to earn a living while submitting stories and novels to publishers, but it was his job at Macmillan Publishing in Indianapolis that was a lucky break that gave him a connection to the publishing world and the people who work in it. Sweazy’s presentation encouraged us to consider what has made each of us an indexer.

Sourcebooks founder and CEO Dominique Raccah gave an optimistic prediction for the future of print book publishing, noting that the Sourcebooks line of personalized books (Put Me in the Story) have provided transformative revenue growth for the Sourcebooks company. She brought several books for the audience to look at and discussed the concept of augmented reality (AR) in books which expands and enhances the experience of reading. Raccah is a poetry lover and conceived the idea of the Poetry Speaks books that combine audio and text, making an interactive experience for children. I like to think that active ebook indexes are the indexer’s contribution to augmented reality in books.

In this collegial atmosphere we attended presentations on wide-ranging topics. It was hard to choose with so many options, but ebook indexing was on my learning to-do list, so I made sure to attend the two-part program, Enter the Matrix: eBook Indexing. This workshop looked at options for indexing content that will be output in multiple formats, including ebook formats (EPUB and Kindle), PDF, HTML and print. The Matrix Group introduced tools for ebook indexing decision making, and presented scenarios that considered possible workflows and indexing approaches. Mentoring and Being Mentored reminded us of the importance of supportive and encouraging relationships between new and established indexers, and To Textbooks, With Love offered techniques for managing the special circumstances that arise in indexing textbooks.

Some of the Heartland Indexers were able to get away to an outdoor concert at Millennium Park Saturday night, and several of us enjoyed the Chicago Architectural Foundation boat tour on Sunday morning.

Downtown Chicago was hot and busy, filled with construction, and always compelling. Though Chicago may be best known as “the windy city,” I’m drawn to a lesser-known nickname: “the city of the big shoulders” from Carl Sandburg’s poem “Chicago.” Sandburg’s Chicago is dynamic and defiant:

     “Bareheaded,
      Shoveling,
      Wrecking,
      Planning,
      Building, breaking, rebuilding…”
​ 
Walking this imposing and energetic city to and from the train station, to various events and attractions, was an unforgettable part of our experience at the conference.

By Carol Reed
​
​The nagging question crops up regularly on indexing discussion lists: As more content goes digital, is there a future for indexing? And the responses predictably conclude: 1) Yes, the publishing industry is changing significantly; 2) In spite of the changes, there continues to be a stable demand for print books and indexes; and 3) It’s a good idea to keep developing related skill sets to hedge your bets anyway.

The less-discussed version of the question gets a bit existential: Am I becoming a relic of a dying medium? Is what I do still relevant? It’s unavoidable after you’re asked for the hundredth time, “Can’t they automate that?”

The nature of our work is extremely focused, so it’s important to step back now and then and look at the big picture. This is what I had in mind when I picked up David Weinberger’s Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder. Though written in 2007, the book is still a staple on information architecture reading lists.

​Weinberger unseated some of my long-held biases about knowledge and organization.

Like many indexers, I love organizing things. Editing an index toward elegance is a satisfying task. I mocked the KonMari decluttering book, but my socks and kitchen towels are now stored vertically, and they make me happy. I’m pretty sure I picked up mosaic as a hobby only so I could sort stained glass and Italian smalti pieces in plastic bins by color.

Weinberger paints the digital content landscape as a powerfully functional disorder, contrasting it with previous organizational schemes (think physical products on store shelves, or card catalogues, indexes, or the Dewey Decimal system). Physical constraints have limited the way we organize and access information. There’s only so much shelf space in a brick-and-mortar store, only so many pages reasonably allotted for an index, only one location in my pre-digital photo albums for that snapshot of Grandma on the hayride. These systems he refers to as the first and second “orders of order.”

Digital information, on the other hand, can have many tags, and Weinberger calls it the third order of order. Third-order content doesn’t need to be filed into folders, or categorized by a single taxonomy. My photos can be in a virtual heap somewhere on Flickr, with multiple tags that allow me to find the same photo under “Upper Peninsula,” “beach,” “Uncle Bob,” or “2012.”  Geolocation, facial recognition, and algorithms that infer “Upper Peninsula” is probably equivalent to “U.P.” all expand the ways I can find my photos, beyond the tags I apply manually.

Despite the initial skepticism about crowd-sourced tagging and content creation, both have proven far more effective than anyone anticipated—not perfect, of course, but often pretty darned good, and far more democratic than expert-controlled content. Defenders of traditional editorial authority use Wikipedia far more than we like to admit, because the vast majority of the time, it answers our questions quickly and accurately, while being thoroughly transparent about the behind-the-scenes negotiations of passionate and often non-pedigreed contributors.

Digital information is a mess. And it works, much to the consternation of obsessive organizers everywhere. (Remember early articles about indexing the Internet? LOL.)

Is this the writing on the wall for second-order indexers? Probably not, at least not for a good while. There’s plenty of evidence that print publishing isn’t going away anytime soon [1], and UX-savvy ebook publishers will realize the potential for enhanced ebook indexes to become a value-added feature that delights readers [2].
​
Admittedly, Weinberg locates book indexes as a pre-digital organizing scheme, and the book is about the positive disruption of the digital disorder. We’re the “before” in a “before and after” narrative. But even the descriptions of the first and second orders of order contain examples indexers will appreciate, like the Bettman Archive of historic photos, the Universal Alphabet, Mortimer Adler’s fight against alphabetization, alternate models for the periodic table of elements, problems with the Dewey Decimal System, and terminology from indexer Seth Maislin. The “before” portion of the book is actually pretty entertaining, if you’re an indexer or taxonomist.

Fortunately, the meat of the book—Weinberger’s focus on the third order—does not argue that the first and second orders will become obsolete. Rather, he makes the case that the digital disorder affects not only the way we find information, but also the way we understand knowledge itself. Third-order knowledge, he asserts, is grassroots, iterative, commoditized, and metadata driven, upsetting the power structures and categories of the past. And it becomes harder to define what constitutes a topic, or topic mastery, when you can slice it up so many ways. These are the landscape changes that may not affect the day-to-day work of indexers, but on the meta-level they affect our clients, our readers, and the context in which we work.

As algorithms advance, you can bet the digital disorder—the third order of order—will only become more powerful and more useful. Compulsive organizers like me will need to let it go and take solace in our sock drawers and elegant indexes [3]. But keeping an eye on the evolving content landscape is always a good idea, and since Everything Is Miscellaneous speaks especially well to an indexer’s sensibilities, it’s a great place to start.
 
​
 
[1] See Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows for a discussion of digital vs print reading comprehension. Carr’s  article “Paper Versus Pixel” gives an overview of why print is unlikely to go away, and Frank Catalano’s article “Paper Is Back” compares recent print and digital book sales.

[2] See the ASI Digital Trends Task Force recommendations for ebook indexes.

[3] Regrettably, the index to Everything Is Miscellaneous contains long spans of undifferentiated locators, which I found frustrating. It does, however, include a few silly, self-reflective, and thoroughly miscellaneous entries in the traditional format.

. . . . .

Welcome to our blog! If you've been a follower of the Heartland Chapter newsletter, we'll still be posting articles on indexing practice, running a business, member profiles, and book reviews. Providing content in blog form will lighten the load on our volunteers, and it'll allow us to stay in touch more frequently. Stay tuned!

—Carol Reed