It’s almost half way through the month and since I ordinarily post on Tuesdays and Fridays, I thought I’d do the mid-month check in for the 30 x 30 challenge a little early.

How’s it going? For those of you participating in the challenge, have you been able to get in 30 minutes a day?

My challenge is going very well. Except for last Saturday, when I forgot (it was a particularly busy day), I have researched each day. It hasn’t been 30 minutes every day but I did have one session that was nearly three hours so I’ve averaged 38 minutes per session. Yesterday I got through the last document in my backlog of unprocessed files. I started out with 20 in my backlog and was whittling it down until Day 8 when I added 16 files. (Yikes!) So I’m glad to have it down to zero. Now I get to do some new research. This feels great.

In case you’re interested, here’s a screenshot of the Surnames Backlog spreadsheet I created a while back that helps me focus on getting rid of the backlog during a 30 x 30 challenge. I also add the amount of time I researched so I have a nice record. (You can click on the image to see a larger version.)

How about you? Please leave a comment and let everyone know how your 30 x 30 is going!

Oh my goodness, do I need a 30 x 30 challenge. After a dismal June challenge, my research did not pick up pace in July. So I’m declaring a 30 x 30 challenge for August 2021. During this coming month my goal is to spend 30 minutes a day for 30 days in a row doing genealogy research. If I average 30 minutes, that will be good enough. (I keep a spreadsheet that calculates my average.)

I find that daily research is so beneficial–it keeps my ancestors top of mind and makes it so much easier to dive right in. When I don’t have a challenge going, unfortunately, sometimes genealogy plummets on my priority list. So I’m thrilled to rev up again.

Would you care to join me? If so, please say so in the comments. Feel free to share what you intend to work on (genealogy research, genealogy organizing, a specific project or goal). About halfway through the month, I’ll do an update post and invite you to let everyone know how it’s going for you.

This is the boost I need!

It’s the middle of the month…how’s your June 30 x 30 going? I have to admit that I have not been as successful as I’d like (or as I was in April). I was doing pretty well until my husband was hospitalized for a heart ailment and that took priority over everything. So I didn’t research June 5 to 9. He’s home now and doing very well and I’ve gotten back into the swing of daily research. I just love how easy it is for me to research when it’s all so fresh in my memory. And I’m grateful for the challenge because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have jumped back in without it.

How about you? If you’re participating in the challenge, how is it going? Have you found daily research to be helpful? And has the challenge helped you stick with it? Please share in the comments!