I know some of you work on genealogy research every day. But I think the majority of folks are like I once was. I’d wait until I had a free day or half day on the weekend before I’d do any research. And sometimes when that day finally came I’d be paralyzed with all the choices of things to research and very slow to start. Very occasionally, I wouldn’t get anything done because I couldn’t decide!
This year, I’ve been trying hard to research daily. As I mentioned in my last post introducing a new 30 x 30 challenge, I haven’t missed a day since August 1. That feels great.
It got me thinking about some of the advantages to short, frequent research sessions over long, infrequent ones. Here’s what I came up with.
- I’m more connected with my ancestors. Because I’m thinking about them every single day, I don’t have to review everything in order to get started.
- I forget less. In addition to researching daily I’m also keeping a very informal research log in Evernote that helps me stay on top of what I’ve researched.
- I keep a “next steps” list in my research log so I know exactly what to work on when I sit down to research in the morning. Overwhelm and paralysis is a thing of the past!
- I stay focused. I don’t have the luxury of going down rabbit holes when my timer is going and I know I’ll have to stop before long. This does a great job of keeping me focused. When I’m tempted to get distracted, I just add the bright shiny object to my genealogy task list.
- I’ve created a habit! Doing 30 minutes of genealogy research is a great way to start the day. It used to be I’d forget to research. No more. It’s part of my routine and I love it.
- It’s easier for me to find 30 minutes a day (3.5 hours a week) than a weekly half day or biweekly full day to research. Taking a whole weekend once a month feels pretty much impossible. I still love having longer sessions–it’s truly a special day when I spend the whole day researching. (Thankfully, I have had a few of those this year.) But daily research means that researching is getting done without my feeling like I’m sacrificing other things.
I really do enjoy longer sessions and I consider those a bonus. This year’s daily research, which is usually a minimum of 30 minutes, means that 2017 will be my most productive year yet when it comes to family history research. And from a time perspective, it’s been really easy!
As a professional genealogist, I research every day, but until I started doing a 30 x 30 challenge, I wasn’t necessarily working on my own family. (Kinda like that shoemaker’s kids). This challenge really helped me move forward on my lines and I am happy to say that I have gotten one back into the 1400s. So, I have a question. Do you keep your research log on Evernote? Or does it live on your Reunion software?
Maria, it makes me so happy that the 30 x 30 challenge helps you get research done on your own family! And congrats on getting back to the 1400s!
I keep my research log in Evernote. It’s very simple. I have a 2017 Research Log notebook, and each day I create a note describing the day’s research and next steps. The date is the title of the note. (I also include the surname researched in the title.) I’m confident it’s not as valuable as a formal research log, but it is definitely more valuable than no consistent research log, which is what I had before this year!
I found i got into good habits when i worked with you on the last 30×30 challenge and i so agree with your comments and find i don’t waste as much time getting straight to work when i sit down for my 30 mins.
That makes me happy, Marilyn! Thank you for participating! (And commenting!)
In theory, I would be doing it every day, and some weeks I do…but with sleep problems and busy days at work, there are evenings I just can’t even think of opening my computer…it is my goal, however, to research at least 5 days a week!
I would have a hard time doing research in the evening after work. Hats off to you! For me, the only sustainable way to do it daily is to get a little earlier and do it first thing in the morning. Thanks for commenting!