Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

I’m speaking at RootsTech 2020!

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I was so excited to learn last Thursday that one of my speaking proposals for RootsTech 2020 was accepted! My talk is called “The Imperfect Genealogist” and it’s about not letting perfectionism get in the way of your genealogy research. I’ll talk about the areas of genealogy where good enough really is good enough and discuss some techniques for getting past perfectionistic tendencies.

The topic, of course, ties in with the podcast I co-host, Getting to Good Enough and I’m thrilled that I’ll have a few months to work on it. RootsTech 2020 will be held February 26-29, 2020 in Salt Lake City. Please let me know if you’re planning to attend!

I spoke at RootsTech 2017, on going paperless in your genealogy. But that time I had a fabulous co-presenter, Brooks Duncan of DocumentSnap. (Together, we created the Paperless Genealogy Guide.) Doing this solo is a thousand times more terrifying. But I think I’m up for the challenge.

I hope to see some readers there! Registration will open September 18 and I’ll be sure to remind you when it’s open!

Time for a 30 x 30 check in!

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It’s the middle of August already! How’s your 30 x 30 challenge going? If you’re participating in the challenge, please  comment below and let us know how it’s going!

I’ll start. I have done at least 30 minutes of research all but three days. I had some oral surgery this week and just wasn’t up for it afterward. And the next day I had to lead an organizing team for eight hours and had no energy afterward for anything. And I just plain forgot one day. The good news is that I researched more than 30 minutes enough days to make up for that deficit. So once I get back on track today, I should have no trouble reaching my goal of an average of 30 minutes a day for 30 days.

How about you? Has the challenge been helpful? Have you had your ups and downs like me? Remember, any effort is good!

I need an August 30 x 30 challenge!

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I try to space out my 30 x 30 challenges. The last one was only two months ago, but I find myself in dire need! Is there anyone out there who would like to join me?

June was a genealogy-rich month for me. I spent most of the month planning my research trip to Kentucky and then going on it. Upon my return in late June, I tried to process everything I’d learned on the trip, but real life kept getting in the way. I got some of it done, but not all of it. Then, on July 18, I drove to Indianapolis with my OYFH friend, Vickie, for the Midwestern Roots Family History and Genealogy Conference. It was great! (I encourage you to make plans to attend the next one, which will be held July 30-31, 2020.)

When Midwestern Roots was over, I took an obscenely early flight from Indianapolis to Seattle, where I started a five-day vacation. I met my husband there, along with four friends from St. Louis, and we drove four hours to Walla Walla, Washington, where I grew up. Walla Walla is now a wine destination, so we had a lovely time drinking wine and enjoying the quaint town. I returned obscenely late on Friday night and ever since I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things.

Each day since my return I’ve had “family history research” on my task list. And each day I’ve done none. That is why I need a 30 x 30 challenge. I know that if I pledge to you that I’ll do an average of 30 minutes of research a day for 30 straight days (notice how I snuck “an average of” into that description) then genealogy research will skyrocket to the top of my task list.

Is there anyone else who needs the accountability of a 30 x 30 challenge this month? You can, of course, adapt it to your needs. If you’re in, please let me know in the comments! In the middle of the month, I’ll post a progress report for my work and you can tell us all how it’s going for you.

How’d the June 30 x 30 go?

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June is behind us, as is another 30 x 30 challenge. How did things go for you? Did you manage to meet your goal of 30 minutes of genealogy research/organizing for 30 days (or whatever your alternate goal was)? If not, did you do more than might have done without the challenge? Please report in!

My month didn’t go exactly as planned, due to competing responsibilities. But I definitely put in more than 15 hours, thanks to my genealogy research trip. I had hoped to expend daily effort on planning the trip, but it didn’t work out that way. Instead, the planning went in spurts of larger amounts of time. And then, of course, I had the trip itself, which I took the last week in June. That week alone, I spent more than 30 hours doing genealogy research. So I’m calling this challenge a success, even if my approach wasn’t exactly 30 x 30esque.

I’ll write about my trip in Friday’s post. In the meantime, those of you who took on the challenge please use the comments to let us know how it went!