It’s the last day of the month. Somehow, during this pandemic, one month feels like two months. So this 30 x 30 challenge feels especially long. I’m proud to say that I did actually do genealogy research every day this month except one. I can’t remember what happened the day I didn’t manage to do any–I think it was a day I worked with an organizing client. But I feel very proud to have accomplished 29 out of 30 days of research. I didn’t do 30 minutes every day, but definitely averaged at least 30 minutes a day.
The challenge put genealogy research at the top of my priority list and for that I’m grateful. I’m so grateful, in fact, that I’ll probably have another one in just a couple of months. Keep your eye out for an August 2020 30 x 30 challenge. (I’m curious to see if I keep it up in July without the challenge.)
Until then, though, please let me know in the comments how the challenge went for you, if you participated. Did you manage to research every day? Did you work on what you expected? And did you find more frequent research to be more beneficial?
I can’t wait to hear. I’m grateful for those of you who took up the challenge!
I didn’t get a complete 30-day success rate but did get a lot accomplished! I was able to digitize 3 folders of photos and one family journal (of over 100 pages)! With the momentum, I’ll finish the other journal this week! I’m so thankful for this challenge! Even with traveling for a week and helping my husband after knee surgery, I feel I’ve made good progress!
That’s fantastic, Zenda! Thanks for checking in and congrats on your progress!
I only missed one day, and definitely averaged well over 30 minutes. The major bonus for me was implementing a new approach to a daily research log, which has now become a habit. A big win! The log does reveal that I tend to bounce around from project to project. Thanks for the challenge!
Yay, Russ! Congratulations on your new habit! I’d love to hear more about your research log, either in the comments or in an email. I’m happy for you!
I did miss 3 days but overall averaged almost 2 hours per day. I completed my Genealogy Reference Center in Evernote and added many webinar notes to Evernote. I have begun developing family group sheets for 4 generations. My next 30 x 30 challenge will be to identify the “missing pieces” from these family group sheets. I’m looking forward to the next one. Thanks so very much for making this challenge available!
Gwen, that’s fantastic. I’m intrigued by your Evernote Genealogy Reference Center concept (and I love what you’ve named it) and am so happy that you completed it this month!
I averaged over 30 minutes a day. Missed one day when I had to resolve a printer problem. Still maintaining my free form research log. Today I prioritized what goals I want to accomplish for the rest of the year. I enjoy these 30 day challenges. As a side note, when I was listening to the Genealogy Guys, your 30 Day Challenge was mentioned. I do not remember which person was taking the challenge.
Jerry, congrats on your success this month!! And good on you for setting your goals for the rest of the year. That’s a great thing to do mid-year. Thank you for telling me that the challenge was mentioned on the Genealogy Guys. I wasn’t aware of that and it makes me happy!
I didn’t get 30 days in but I felt it was a successful month. I really felt focus with my resaerch being in one village. I was also able to connect with two cousins.
That sounds great, Mary. Congratulations on your successful month!
While I didn’t get 30 days in (I only got 8), I at least got a few stories fully written down in my genealogy program. So that’s a win, I guess?
Absolutely that’s a win! Congrats!
I also didn’t make the 30 day challenge but I did make some definite progress. Since this quarantine I seem to have lost track of the days. So I am going to make a chart to keep track of my progress. Thanks for the challenges.
I know what you mean about losing track of days during the quarantine! Congrats on your progress this month!
I’ve kept to it and exceeded it on most days. I have been working on “disappearing ancestors,” ones whose families lived in a place for generations and then upped and moved (in the 1700s) and left no forwarding address. 🙂
That’s fantastic, Linda. What a great challenge to take on! I hope you’re enjoying yourself. Congratulations on not just meeting but exceeding the challenge!
I have no clue how many days I was able to get in. Being a 24/7 caregiver for my 97 year old mother with Alzheimers and who is a fall risk slows me down quite a bit. However, I used my Research Log and found I need to make changes to it but it is working well. I started using my FTM 2019 which has been a challenge in itself because it is so different from the much earlier version I was using. I have been working on the Do-Over and spent a lot of time organizing the interview notes from older family members now deceased and will never get the information again. And I have been pulling all the documents I have found in the past and putting them with the family members I will be adding to my tree in the future. The most difficult person I have had in finding information is myself!!! But I now have several people in my tree and am satisfied that I think I will get through this and have a better documented tree than I had before. Thank you for offering this challenge.
Congrats on all your hard work, Jennifer!
I ended up being one of the late bloomers, but one of your hints “The value of daily research
November 3, 2017” was exactly what I needed to get off dead center. Being able to focus on just one ancestor brought clarity and questions I’m not sure I would have considered before. Example: My g-gmother [Janine, she lived in Linneus, Linn Co., MO!] died 3 days before Christmas. It hit me of how Christmas would have been so tragic that year and perhaps for the rest of their lives. G-gfather was a farmer. Single fathers attempting to raise children and maintain the family farm??? That extra bit of focus gave me a whole new perspective.
Thanks for all that you do to inspire us!
Thanks for your kind comments, Chris. I think focusing on a single ancestor allows us to consider all aspects of their lives–I still amazed at the discoveries I make just by trying to put things in context and imagine how they lived. A mother dying right at Christmas is so sad! So glad you’re getting that clarity!