What is holding you back from making progress on your family history projects? Too many to count? Not knowing where to start? If just thinking about your projects sends you into panic mode, it's time for an intervention. I previously wrote about Family History & Getting Things Done, using David Allen's book, Getting Things done: the art of stress-free productivity, as a model. The ideas in the book have been a game changer for me. Sometimes a simple mind shift is all we need to move forward. What did I discover? I have a multitude of personal family history projects...
Are you drowning in a mountain of inherited genealogy? Do you have photos to scan and organize? Would you like to write histories of all your ancestors? Are there brick walls to break down? Do you have a life outside of family history and genealogy? If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be feeling overwhelmed with all you need to do. I recently discovered David Allen's book, Getting Things done: the art of stress-free productivity and for the next few months am going to share with you applications from the book for how to get...
In our podcast episode today, we are sharing Nicole's RootsTech lecture, Organize Your Research with Google Drive. Do you work from multiple devices? Laptop, desktop, work computer, home computer, smartphone, iPad? Learn how to utilize the free tools at Google Drive and Google Docs to help keep your genealogy research organized. You can create research logs with Google Sheets, transcribe records into Google Docs, add document links to records you have saved within your Google Drive files and share your work with other genealogists. The comment feature is a powerful collaborative tool that allows you to give and receive feedback...
I taught Organize Your Research with Google Drive at RootsTech this year and I enjoyed preparing for it immensely. I already loved Google Drive and used it with my usual genealogy workflow; but my preparation helped me find even more ways to use it to become a more productive and organized researcher. In this post, I'm sharing an overview of what I covered in the class, as well as links to my syllabus and presentation slides. I love sharing and I hope you will benefit from viewing the course materials. Organize Your Research with Google Drive Expanded Syllabus PDF -...
How do you keep track of the various projects or to-do lists in your genealogy? Do you fill sticky notes with ideas about what to do next or get overwhelmed with all of the thoughts running through your head? Google Keep is my new favorite productivity tool and it might be just what you need to organize your genealogy life. Think of it as a place to keep all of your sticky notes - electronically. You can access Keep on the web at keep.google.com, install and use the Keep Chrome browser extension, and/or download the Keep mobile app on your...
Have you ever sat down at your computer to do some genealogy research and two hours later you come up for air? You've found interesting documents and looked at a lot of websites, but you didn't find what you wanted and you don't know where you looked? If so, you are not alone! Disciplining yourself to create a simple research plan and follow through is the hallmark of the true professional. The fourth in the Research Like a Pro series, in this article you'll build on what you've already learned. Each part of the series has an assignment to help...
Have you thought about doing the "thirty day challenge?" For thirty days straight work for thirty minutes a day on family history? It sounds interesting, but can you really accomplish much in just thirty minutes a day? Blog reader and my personal friend, Nancy Brown, decided to take the challenge. Her experience surprised her. Read on to see just how Nancy prepared, what she discovered, and what she's going to do next. My Thirty Day Challenge by Nancy Brown I had been intrigued by the “Thirty Day Challenge” ever since reading about it on the Family Locket blog. I’d added...
After my third baby was born last year, I have been relearning how to manage my time effectively. I thought I learned how to do this in college, yet after each new addition to the family, I have to figure it out again. This time, I focused on finding out what was taking up my time, then cutting out non-essentials, and simplifying. This has helped me be able to continue working on my passion: family history. I've put together ten tips for making time for family history. I hope something here helps! Please share in the comments what works for you....
What potential time thieves are stealing away bits and pieces of your day that could be spent on something you really want to do - like family history? By identifying and eliminating those pesky thieves, you just may find that you have freed up 30 minutes to an hour of time each day that you can now spend on finding your ancestors and sharing those finds with your children. What is a time thief? Anything that takes up your time without giving you a good return. We all have the same 24 hours in the day. We're never going to...
Do you wish you had more time to devote to your genealogical research or family history projects? Do you ever sit down to your computer and after an hour wonder what you've accomplished? I've found that most people feel time crunched and struggle with feeling productive in their family history efforts. When I set the goal to become an accredited genealogist I wondered how I could possibly get everything done. This year I've worked hard to develop several strategies to streamline my efforts and today I'm going to share how I make the most of my time. Set a Timer A few weeks ago...
