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. I’m hoping this one will prompt you to go the extra mile, even when it feels tedious.
Think of your future self
I think we’ve all experienced fatigue when we’re analyzing a document and we decide not to record tiny details because it just feels like too much. Or we’re processing a census return and the ancestor had 14 kids and adding all of them to the tree is too tedious to bear. If you’re tempted to stop short of completely processing a document or perhaps wanting to take short cuts in a transcribing project, I encourage to think about how you will benefit from today’s effort tomorrow. When I first started researching, I took all sorts of short cuts that I regretted later on when I turned my attention a particular ancestor or collateral relative.
Next time you’re tempted to stop and move on, I encourage you to think of your future self and press Pause instead. Write down your next steps in your research log or elsewhere so you don’t forget. Come back to the task with a fresh brain. Remember, genealogy is a marathon not a sprint!
Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash
What an excellent idea. My one problem is getting it into the research log and truthfully doing a research log.
Yes! A research log can be so challenging. My (personal) solution has been to create such an informal one that it’s easy to do. It’s useful, but far from amazing. Here’s a blog post about it if you’re interested: https://organizeyourfamilyhistory.com/informal-research-log/.
Thanks for your tip. I am starting to transcribe 26 newspaper accounts on an incident one of my ancestors were involved in. I find by transcribing the articles, I find more about the incident. Luckily, this is about my favorite ancestor. Also, I am starting to transcribe a Civil War pension file. Your tip helped me to carry on with these tasks.
Glad it was helpful, Jerry. Transcribing is one of those things your future self will definitely thank you for! I love that you have a favorite ancestor. I do too. Enjoy those newspaper accounts!