It’s October 15 already and we’re halfway through the current 30 x 30 challenge. How’s it going? Please let everyone know in the comments.
I am happy to report that I have not missed a day! I did so poorly in the August challenge that this month I was bound and determined to succeed in the challenge. So I made genealogy research a true priority. Mostly, I accomplished this by researching first thing in the morning. Most days I set a timer and researched for the full 30 minutes. Some days I went a little longer and some days a little shorter.
I am traveling now, visiting my dad in Walla Walla, Washington. I have still been able to keep up with the research, which is great. Mostly I’ve been processing the documents that I found in my June research trip to Kentucky. I’m almost finished with those. But I’ve also added to my backlog this month, so my initial goal of eliminating the backlog has gone by the wayside. But I’m still happy with my performance on the challenge.
One nice, motivating factor has been the opportunity to discuss family history with my 89-year-old dad. He did some reminiscing about his childhood and I was able to fill him in on some details of his grandparents’ and great grandparents’ lives. He really enjoyed that, as did I. That’s been keeping me going with my 30 minutes of daily research each day while I’m here!
How about you? If you signed on for the challenge, how’s it going?
My “look over” and “do over” for my dad has gone very well. In fact I’ve far exceeded my 30 minutes daily between research and education (podcasts and webinars). Thanks so much for providing the challenge. It was exactly what I needed to get back on track.
That’s excellent, Gwen! So glad to hear it.
Thanks for the reminder. I got sidetracked. I’m making a dat with my Patriot Ancestor’s DAR Supplemental Application.
Glad this check-in post was helpful. Enjoy your date!
First time I have stuck with it! Missed one day, but most days I have done 2-3 hours! For me the difficulty is just getting started. Thanks for the challenge!
Hooray, Roberta! That feels good, doesn’t it?
I’ve managed to only do three days this month. (Granted, I’m trying to do six other things on top of this (as usual) so only managing three days so far is probably pretty good all things considered. Sorry if I sound like I’m complaining; I don’t mean to be.)
On a completely different note, I’m attending RootsTech in SLC! Does anybody want to be roommates for the duration of the conference?
Rebecca, give yourself credit for the three days you’ve done!
I’m glad to hear you’re going to RootsTech! If anyone here wants to share a room with you, I hope they’ll leave a comment or contact me and I can put the two of you together. I stay solo, so I’m not a roommate candidate. 🙂
Let’s be sure to meet up at RootsTech!
I changed my focus, discovering that I had processed most of the data I collected on my genealogy trip in June – to more organizing of photos. 20,000+ in my iPhotos. Many are “old” family photos and notes from Evernote, along with adorable grandchildren! I’ve been fairly consistent to do 30 mins a day.
Good for your for having processed all your research-trip data! Your photos project sounds big and doing it 30 minutes at a time is great. How are you organizing all those digital photos? In the Photos app or elsewhere? I’d love to hear.
I picked up 3 boxes of family photos from my sister in Kentucky and have been scanning those in, getting them labeled, and adding some to Ancestry. The actual photos will then get sent along to various siblings.
What a great project, Virginia! And lucky you for getting your hands on all those photos!
Hi! I’m brand new to your blog (discovered through Amy Johnson Crow). So I’m working my way through your posts. I love the short posts and really helpful bits of advice. I’m curious about the 30×30 Challenge, but I can’t find the beginning post for it. How does it work? What are the criteria? I’m sure there’s a simple answer, like “Work on genealogy 30 minutes per day,” but maybe you originally had some suggestions?
Thanks for reading the blog! The 30 x 30 challenge is really that simple: Work on genealogy–however that looks for you–for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in a row. Some people work on organizing their research, some work on writing profiles or family histories, I just try to either research or organize. Here’s the link to the very first one, back in 2015: https://organizeyourfamilyhistory.com/my-30-x-30-challenge/. The search function disappeared on my blog recently, which would have made it nearly impossible for you to find that beginning post. My apologies!