I thought it might be fun to do a 30 x 30 challenge next month. If you participate, you commit to doing 30 minutes of genealogy research/organizing/whatever for 30 days in a row (i.e. the month of November). The “rules” of this challenge are very fluid. For example, you could decide that, for you, 30 minutes daily translates into 15 hours of activity over the course of the month. And, if you’re in the U.S., you could use Thanksgiving weekend to get in the bulk of the time. Whatever motivates you is great.
I’m personally not doing a lot of genealogy research these days but I think I’ll use the challenge for blogging. I have three blogs: this one, my organizing blog at Peace of Mind Organizing, and my YNAB blog at Peace of Mind Spending. I’d like to spend 30 minutes a day working on at least one of the blogs. I’m going to adapt the rules (see what I mean about fluid?) to mean 30 minutes each weekday and I’ll take the weekend off.
If you’re up for the challenge, please let me know in the comments. I always hearing what you plan to work on during the challenge!
Count me in. I’ll work on processing some documents.
And happy Halloween
Excellent, Gwen! I hope you have a fun Halloween!
I haven’t done much genealogy lately either so will be a good way to rebuild the habit for winter time. Not sure yet what I’ll be doing.
That’s terrific. I hope the challenge provides a nice jump start!
Looking forward to the challenge
Yay, Tiffanie!
I am in. I will be traveling home from a trip tomorrow so I will be missing the first day. During my trip, my brother passed away, and his children has asked me to do a family writeup on life growing up with their father. Part of my 30 day challenge will be doing the writeup.
Jerry, I’m so sorry for your loss. How wonderful, though, that you can give the gift of this writeup. I’m sure your nieces and nephews will treasure it.
I’m in! I’ll work on organizing my notes and information on my immediate family (including aunts, uncles, their children). I think I let those linger because I actually know them
That’s great, Jackie! Creating and organizing source documents for the relatives you know is a great legacy for those who come after you!
Count me in — I will do my best! Struggling a bit now to find time for family history so am hoping this challenge will get me focused again. I plan to organize and input a whole pile of documents I found at the Scotlands People Centre in Edinburgh earlier this year! 🙂
One way I’ve found the challenge to be helpful, Elizabeth, is that it prompts me to get started on a day when I might not feel so motivated. Even if you do just five minutes, you make progress. Enjoy those documents and your memories of that research trip!
November challenge: I’ll be filing and consolidating my digital files.
Excellent, Jane. That’s the kind of work that is great for 30 minute chunks of time. You can get a lot done but it doesn’t get too tedious.
Yes, please! The timing could not be better, exactly a week ago, Room to Breathe organizers came to my home. I had selected my office as the first project since, due to a variety of issues (all on the upswing now!)I was unable to do much genealogy. The higher the paper piles, book stacks and stuff, the more paralyzed I felt. I commit to 30 minutes for 30 days.
P.S. Huge shout out to professional organizers, my office is more than I could have ever imagined. One of the best gifts I have ever given myself..
Connie, I love you that you have a refreshed genealogy space to do your 30 x 30 challenge in. Just take it a bite at a time. Your shout out to POs made my heart sing. It really is a wonderful gift to give yourself. Even though I’m a professional organizer, I have my employees or other professional organizers help me from time to time in my home!
I need this “goal” to get me going again! As many previously mentioned, I get going and then put things off, especially when I run into a brick wall. 30 min a day will definitely be doable.
Just the nudge I needed. My progress has been a bit ‘all over the place’ , this might give me the incentive to get moving again!!
I have not had time to work on genealogy lately due to my heavy work schedule. It will be good to revisit my files, organize them, and rejoin the love of research I have been missing out on.
Wonderful! I hope it’s a great month for you.
I hope (plan) to finish my great grandfather’s story, sort my father’s ephemera, and record all the heirlooms in my house. Too much?
It seems ambitious! I urge you to celebrate all your progress, whether or not you meet that ambitious goal. I hope it’s a great month!
I will work on editing an article I have written for publication.
Excellent, Kathryn. Best of luck with your article!
I need the challenge. I haven’t written much in my blog this year (family histories as I will probably never get a book written). The piles are getting out of hand too. I do genealogical research at the local historical society but it’s not my research. I’m behind.
I hope this month allows you to feel more caught up, Angie!
I so need this – both for blogging and organizing family history files. Count me in! Starting tomorrow 4th November.
So glad! I hope daily effort is really helpful this month!
I am working on combining stories of a similar theme from the 52 Ancestor series of prompts to add to “my story” or to add to ancestor sketches I have been working on for a few years. I want to bring some closure to some of these and publish for the family. This will help keep me motivated! Thank you!
This sounds like a great project, Brenda! Welcome to the challenge!
Feeling a bit late to the party!
Love this idea, especially now the winter is setting in and I have more time to snuggle indoors with my research.
I’m going to focus on organising and figuring out what’s missing – love the excel/numbers tracking idea and may very well “pinch with pride!”
It’s never too late to join! You can stop on November 30 or keep going until December 13 if you want. Best of luck!
I’m still trying to get through my piles of documents and filing.
You got this, Angela!
Hello and Happy Holidays!
For the challenge of 30×30, since November has come and gone, I will do mine for December. I typically search for about 16 hours a day. I was severely injured at work about three years ago and have had multiple surgeries to correct all of the damage, so I have a lot of free time on my hands. Who knew being a nurse was so hazardous! For this challenge, I will focus on my brick walls and any trails where I am led. I will do this for 30 minutes per day, and hopefully, I can solve the mystery of some of my brick walls. Next month, it will be all about sorting, organizing, and storing the mountains of information I have amassed over the past 33 years.
Hope you have a wonderful Holiday season, and cheers for a safe and happy New Year!
Best of luck with your December 30 x 30 challenge. Since you typically research for 16 hours a day, I bet 30 minutes won’t be a problem. But it sounds like the challenge is helping your focus (brick walls), which is great. I hope you have a terrific. And I wish you a happy holiday season and new year as well.