September went by so quickly and, according to my research log, I  researched only about six times. So I’m declaring a 30 x 30 challenge for October 2021. I need the accountability of publicly committing to 30 minutes of genealogy research a day for 30 days in a row. I have a crazy work day on October 1. So I’m going to start on October 2 and finish on Halloween.

It might be a bit challenging because in October I’ll be traveling to visit my father, brother and aunt in Walla Walla, Washington. But I find that being with family always reminds me of my genealogy research, so I should be okay.

Who would like to join me? If you’re up for the challenge, please let me know in the comments!

It’s the end of another 30 x 30 challenge! How did it go? Please use the comments to let us know how your challenge went.

I had a good month and the challenge certainly helped me prioritize genealogy research. (I’m so grateful for that!) I didn’t research every day–I missed four days total. But I was able to have a few sessions that were longer than 30 minutes, so my average was 37 minutes a day for the 30 days.

I started the month with a 20-document backlog of documents to be processed. In the first five days of the challenge, I focused on processing those documents and got the backlog down to 3. Then I found I needed to do a little more research, which added documents to the backlog, so it wasn’t until August 12 that I got my backlog completely eliminated. Then I went to town researching a particular collateral family group in my Rasco line and my backlog ballooned to as high as 32. Here we are at month’s end, and I still have 27 documents in my backlog. I hope to eliminate that by the end of September (though I’m not starting a new challenge until October).

I also spent a couple of sessions on the box of inherited documents I’m working on. All in all, it was a fun month combining new research with processing the documents from prior sessions. Doing daily research is so helpful to me and I hope to stick with it in the coming month!

How was your month? Please let us know in the comments!

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!