Here’s the next in my occasional series of bite-size Quick Tips. Click on the Quick Tips tag for my other Quick Tips. Because I tend to write longer posts, I wanted to provide a quick-to-read (and quick-to-write) post every couple of weeks on a small topic that pops into my head. This one has saved me from going down a rabbit hole many times.
Create follow-up notebooks to stay focused
I love playing detective, which is probably why I love genealogy research. So when I’m looking for information online it’s really hard to resist exploring every clue or idea that comes my way in the course of a research session. But if I do follow every lead, I often end up far away from where I intended to go.
That’s where follow-up notebooks come in. I have created follow-up notebooks by surname in Evernote. (This could certainly be accomplished in other platforms, in a tab in a spreadsheet, or on paper.) When I come across a clue or resource that has no bearing on the research question at hand, I just make a new note in the appropriate follow-up notebook. Later, when I’m researching that surname, the note is waiting for me. I don’t have to worry about forgetting it!
Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash
What a simple, but helpful idea!! You must have been looking over my shoulder yesterday when, as I was searching for information on one ancestor, I came across some possible clues for another. I wasted so much time trying to figure out where to put this obscure information so I could locate it again at a later date. Thanks for the “quick tip”.
So glad my tip was helpful and timely, Jean! Thanks for commenting. Your comment made my day.
I have a OneNote folder for each known ancestor name. In each I have a page that I call OTHER by that same name. I stuff things I find in there on yet unrelated people. I have been able to complete fratries and find new generations thanks to these nuggets waiting to be put in the right places.
That’s a great idea, Annick! Thanks for sharing.
A great idea and much better than the ‘system’ I use which is to create an email and send it to myself and then move into an email folder. Which I always forget to look at 🙂
Yeah, email folders are really hard to remember to look at! Glad you found this helpful.
Great idea. My Ancestral Quest db uses s Research Manager that should work for this – I just have to use it and remember to keep checking it.
I can never remember what I stored in my follow-up folders, so it’s kind of like Christmas when I do take a look!
Cool idea – I need to start doing this!! Thanks 🙂
I’m glad you found it helpful!