Xs and Os: The Power of Marking Reviewed Documents

I'm a lawyer, so I review a ton of documents. Today alone, I reviewed 56 pages of regulations. (Please try to hold back your excitement.)

But in my other life roles, I also review and process documents all the time. That might mean different kinds of documents, depending on my role. 

As a mom, I might need to process papers from the kids' folders, including reenrollment forms, graded papers, and permission slips.

As an adult, my husband and I have to review and track incoming tax forms.

As a teacher, there are lessons to plan based on the parts of the Constitution.

Each time I process documents, I have a simple code of Xs and Os that indicate where I am in the processing process. (See the red square below).

X = Reviewed/read and not useful/discard/delete

O = Reviewed/read and has useful information or tasks to complete

XO = Information or tasks completed

nothing = not read yet

In the example above, I was reviewing the Constitution, page by page, to create lesson plans. Once the plans for Page 1 were complete, the O (task to be done) became an XO. I read a bunch of pages that won't produce lesson plans (marked X), and I put a task on the page shown (marked O). The rest of the Constitution hasn't been reviewed yet, so it has no mark.

If I was reviewing paper documents (as opposed to on-line documents), I would write the O, X, or XO next to The Box that I use to indicate where to file the document.

It's a simple code that makes sense. People routinely X out unimportant things and use a circle or square to mark a task, so this system is easy to use and remember.

Etcetera