Organize Your Family History

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Reconnecting with my research

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Reconnecting with my genealogy researchI was out of town for ten days and I managed to sneak in a little genealogy research. I returned on May 7 to a full client schedule for my organizing business. I’m certainly not complaining about that, but I have not had the energy and time to do any genealogy research for over a week.

I was regretting that state of affairs when I realized I didn’t have to have a large swath of time available to me in order to get some research done. Sometimes just spending a little time on it to reconnect me with my ancestors and get the ball rolling again can be really beneficial.

In the past, a big barrier to my starting a research session was figuring out what to work on. But now I have a few small, systematic projects I can always fall back on. This morning, I decided to set a timer and work on my research for just 15 minutes. I had three choices of easy things to dive into:

For any of these projects, I could make some progress in just 15 minutes. I chose to work on option #1, checking my source documentation. I have a checklist in Evernote in which I check off each source after I’ve made sure that the source citation is good, the multimedia file is attached to the source and the pertinent data from the source was included in Reunion. When I finish a source I check it off so I can always see where I stand.

This morning, the next source on the list was the Compiled Service Record for a different 2nd great grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Igleheart (1845-1913). I hit the jackpot, because I hadn’t done a great job of extracting data to include in his record on Reunion. The 15 minutes flew by as I noted his eye, hair and complexion color, for example. (His eyes were listed as black!)

I didn’t actually finish going through the 16-page record, but I employed a trick I learned years ago: When my timer went off, I stopped, even though I was in the middle of a document. I know that since our brains crave completion, I’ll be anxious to get right back to the document and finished extracting data from it. Then I’ll check it off my source documentation checklist (another satisfying thing to do). I made a note in my research log to remind me where I left off. I’d be willing to bet I’ll be so anxious to finish it that I work on it this evening.

I find that if I spend too much time away from my research I feel disconnected from it. Taking a little snippet of time to work on it this morning will help me get back to it this weekend, when I have more time.

30 x 30 wrap up

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My March 30 x 30 challenge ended yesterday. I challenged myself to do 30 minutes of genealogy research every day for 30 days (in this case, March 1 to 30). Some of you said you’d join me.

For me, this was a successful challenge! As in my November 2016 30 x 30 challenge, I spent a lot of time transcribing. I will say that having a project like that makes the challenge easier because it was always there for me to turn to. But it wasn’t completely about the transcribing. Here’s what I accomplished:

  • I did at least 30 minutes of research for probably 28 days (a couple of days I forgot!).
  • I transcribed 24 documents in the Civil War pension file of my 2nd great grandfather, George Washington Adams (1845-1938).
  • I abstracted six documents in that pension file.
  • I made a few breakthroughs in researching that 2nd great grandfather’s second family.
  • I managed to stay focused on the Adams family, my goal for 2017.
  • I remembered to log each of my sessions! (Full disclosure: For the transcriptions, I counted checking off a document on my checklist logging.) I feel like I’m slowly building up the research log habit.

I can tell you in all sincerity that if it weren’t for this challenge, a fraction of those things would have been accomplished. Some days I just didn’t feel like thinking about my research, but because of the challenge, I pulled out that pension file and started transcribing. It has 138 documents and I’ve transcribed 89 if them (almost two-thirds!) and abstracted 31. I still have a ways to go, but thanks to this challenge, the light is starting to shine at the end of the tunnel.

How about you? If you participated in the challenge (or a variation of it), how did it go?

30 x 30 challenge check in

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On March 1, I started a 30 x 30 challenge in which I vowed to do at least 30 minutes of genealogy research every day for 30 days. I was delighted that a number of you said you were going to do it too!

So I thought I’d check in and see how it’s going. I’m delighted to say that I have managed, so far, to keep my commitment. I had dicey day where I fell asleep on the couch then woke up at 11 pm and realized I hadn’t done my research. If it weren’t for the public accountability of the 30 x 30 project, there’s no way I would have done it. But thanks to the challenge, I dragged myself to my home office, set a timer and did 30 minutes of transcription.

For me, the hardest part of the challenge is to remember to do the research. I try to put it on my daily task list. But some days that list holds more sway than others.

How about you? I’d love to hear about your progress and about any challenges you’ve encountered.

It’s 30 x 30 challenge time!

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Unfortunately, so far this year, genealogy research hasn’t been a top priority. The beginning of the calendar is typically a busy time for me as a professional organizer. People love to get organized at the beginning of the year and 2017 has been no exception. I took a couple of trips in February (including RootsTech!) and wrote and published with Brooks Duncan The Paperless Genealogy Guide. So I’ve been busy. And as a result, with the exception of the time I spent at the Family History Library in February, I haven’t had a chance to do a whole lot of genealogy research.

The antidote to that, for me, is to start a new 30 x 30 challenge in which I pledge to do at least 30 minutes of research 30 days in a row. I’m starting today. Will you join me? If you’d like, comment here and let me know you’re in. Then feel free to post your progress.

Time management is really priority management, isn’t it? When I do a 30 x 30 challenge, family history research becomes a priority because I don’t like to fail challenges. Add to it the accountability of posting this in public and I hope I’m setting myself up for success. (It didn’t work so well in January 2016, though.)

I’m going to add one thing to this challenge: In addition to doing 30 minutes of research daily, I pledge to document that research in a research log each and every session. That should really help me develop the habit of using a research log (one of my 2017 genealogy goals). Because daily habits are the easiest habits to form. (If you’re interested in creating the research log habit too, feel free to join my Facebook group, Genealogy Research Loggers!)

I’ll do a mid-month update. I look forward to seeing if anyone else is up for March 30 x 30 challenge!