I have a rather extensive spreadsheet database to keep track of incoming. It has the day received, name, brief description of correspondence and a column for "age" that has a formula so it always tells me exactly how long that piece of mail has been waiting for response. I get a huge volume of mail, so having such a database is very important for keeping me from getting overwhelmed. The spreadsheet has a second page for me to move replied mail to once I've put it in the mailbox. I note the date sent and keep track of how long it took me to respond. My average turnaround is 20 days, but at the moment up around 35 days, and I think that is going to be my new average.
On the outgoing mail I keep all addresses in a digital address book ... Mac Address Book ... that syncs to my phone so I have it with me at all time. At the moment my address book has 9,902 contacts. On each contact card I note what stationery I sent, and when I sent it and sometimes why I sent it (thank you for Orphaned Postcard Project participation ... congrats on new job ... etc). Some of my contacts have pages and pages of entries, but most only have one or two entries because I include all my Postcrossing sends in my address book and those are typically, but not always, one time only connections.
Incoming mail is stored in a mail sorter that looks like
this one, but I am seriously considering buying a surplus USPS mail sorter because it is crazy trying to stuff my mail in those tiny slots, and at the end of the month, I usually have mail from the beginning of the month still unanswered so there is no place to put the new mail.
I have various systems for storing incoming mail, none of them satisfactory, and none of them worth noting. I struggle with that all the time. I really need a storage facility where I can catalog and store everything nice and proper, but that isn't going to happen.
Keeping track of what has been written becomes easier as you get to know someone. I know I repeat myself on occasion, but that's okay. Mostly I try to keep to what is going on right at the moment when I am writing. I used to keep copies of letters, but I know that if I tried that again, it would bog me down. I often write on the go, and I don't want to have to carry around copies of letters because goodness knows I'm already carrying a small person on my back with just the incoming, ALL my pens, extra ink, stationery, postage (I keep about $200 on hand at all times), and the other sundry mail enthusiast accoutrements.
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