Organize Your Family History

Stay focused and happy while exploring your roots

Quick Tip #9: Use a timer!

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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 is one I use literally every day, in many aspects of my life.

Use a timer to stay focused

It’s so easy to fall down a rabbit hole when you’re researching and the next thing you know hours have passed and it’s past your bedtime (or you’ve missed a meal). Sometimes the likelihood of a long session is enough to stop you from starting a research session altogether.

Setting a timer can really help. It has two benefits: It reminds you to stop when the timer goes off. And knowing the timer will be going off soon is often enough to keep you from falling down that rabbit hole in the first place. When you’re tempted to stray, you can make a note to follow up on later and get back to to your research focus.

I almost always set a timer before a genealogy research session because I usually can’t afford to spend hours on a research session, no matter how enjoyable it is (or badly I want to solve a problem). I use the timer on my iPhone or Apple Watch, but you can ask Google (or Alexa) to set a timer you or use an old-fashioned kitchen timer.

Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash

Quick Tip #8: Imperfect research logs

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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 lesson on imperfection is one I embrace on a daily basis in most aspects of my life.

An imperfect research log is better than no log at all

As I’ve written here before, I struggled for years with guilt over not having a research log. Every now and then I would try one and then I would give up because it felt like too much work. But then I embraced ease and I started a simple, extremely imperfect, Evernote research log where I simply free-write what I did during each session in a new note in my Research Log notebook. I go into it in some detail in this post.

The fact that it’s so easy to log my research means that I actually do it. One key component of my log is that I write down the next action at the end of each session so I can pick up where I left off. I find it really helpful to check my previous session’s log at the beginning of a new session.

It’s certainly possible to do a more robust research log. And you’ll surely benefit from it. But I’ve come to acknowledge that my imperfect log is perfect for me. And that’s what it’s all about.

P.S. If the topic of genealogy research logs is of interest to you, you might want to join my Genealogy Research Loggers Facebook group. It tends to be a pretty quiet group, but you can always post there looking for guidance.

Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash

Quick Tip #7: Don’t ignore the siblings

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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. This one is about an important lesson I learned years ago. Please, learn from my mistakes!

Don’t ignore your ancestors’ siblings

When I first started doing genealogy research, I was easily overwhelmed by the ever-growing number of ancestors I encountered. I started out with census research, primarily, and when I looked at the long list of names on a given ancestor’s census form, I decided to focus on just the ancestor I was descended from. It felt overwhelming and tedious to enter information from all the siblings into my software. I didn’t see the point.

I was wrong.

I’ve since discovered (as I posted about here) that these siblings (called collateral relatives) are hugely helpful in my research. Not only do they flesh out the experience of my direct-line ancestors, they provide valuable clues that I’ve found the right family. So rather than feel overwhelmed by these large families, I now feel thrilled when I find them. It may take a few minutes to enter information for each person into my database, but it’s time well spent. The bushier the tree the better (as long as every person in the tree has been confirmed with sources)!

Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash

Quick Tip #6: Tidy up your research space

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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. This one is about your genealogy research, but it can certainly apply to other areas of your home!

Tidy up your research space before ending the session

If you use paper in your genealogy research, you probably opene file folders or binders during a session and you undoubtedly create some new paper by printing. If you take a few minutes at the end of the session to file those papers in their folders or binders and put them away in their homes, your future self will thank you. When you start your next session with a clear research space, it’s easier to jump right in.

I don’t use paper in my research, but I use the same principle with my digital research. I try hard to process any documents I download during the session. And I file in my folder structure as I go along. Keeping the genealogy folder on my hard drive tidy and organized makes everything easier.

I also try to clear my work desk at the end of every work day to make the next day easier, whether I’m doing genealogy research or working on my business. An uncluttered space contributes to an uncluttered mind!

Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash