1. Organize yourself. Get files and notebooks, keep a sheet accumulating the info you have learned, and a log showing what you did, when, and the results. Not only will this keep you organized, it will show you where you are and have been which comes in handy during those down times. It also gives you an area in which to brainstorm.

Under a tab heading in your binder, make a place for all the documents you have accumulated in your search. This should include copies of (always place originals in a safe place) your birth certificate, final adoption decree, non-identifying information....anything else you can find. If you are a birthparent, this might include a copy of the original birth certificate, relinquishment (if you have it), your maternity records, anything else pertaining to the birth or adoption. When you are ready to register at different sites, you will have the information at hand and will not have to hunt for it. Also, you now have an idea of what you have and as you gain more information, you can update with new information.
Today, with the use of computers and internet, there is very little paperwork to keep track of, however, you need to keep track of what sites you find, their URL (address), what you did there and what you can expect from them.

Since you are on computer, you no doubt have access to email. It is important to have a tab title for e-mail you would like to save, or a chart to organize e-mail addresses. Always remember, just because the computer is stationary, your files are not. Occasionally your hard drive will fritz, the delete key will eat your mail, you can often misplace an item, or gremlins will do unspeakable things to your correspondence. It is always good to have a written log of who you have written and their address.

Make another tab title for search sites you visit that you can use for information. Remember bookmarks can fail. Just put the URL site address and a description of the site for future reference.

2. Make a Registry Chart on a plain piece of paper (or a spreadsheet program) make the following title headers:
Date
Registry Name
Address (URL)
Registered (Yes/No)
Fee?
Updated (Weekly/Daily/Monthly)
User Id
Password?

Using a registry chart you can keep track of which registries you have visited, if you registered there, the address to get back to it if your bookmarks fail, if you had to pay a fee to register and for how long the registration fee is, and when they update the registry to see any new registrations that may pertain to your search or update your registration. If you are assigned an user id and password to allow you access to update or search, write it down. Believe me, you will forget!