Organize Your Genealogy: Strategies and Solutions for Every Researcher by Drew Smith

Table of Contents

It's easy to become overwhelmed by the volume of information you discover, and you might be frustrated without a plan of attack for maximizing your progress. This book will show you how to use tried-and-true methods and the latest tech tools and genealogy software to organize your research plan, your workspace and your family-history finds. In this book, you'll learn how to organize your time and resources, including how to set goals and objectives, determine workable research questions, create the most suitable physical and online workspace, sort paper and digital documents, keep track of physical and online correspondence, prepare for a research trip and follow a skill-building plan. With this comprehensive guide, you'll make the most of your research time and energy and get yourself on a road to genealogy success.

Whether you're a newbie wanting some best practices as you get started or a seasoned researcher looking for new and better ways of getting organized, this guide will help you manage every facet of your ancestry research.

Who Should Get This Book

You'll love Organize Your Genealogy if...

• You feel like you're drowning in files and information and need strategies for getting it all in order
• You'd like practical organizing tips for every step of the research process, from setting goals to drawing conclusions
• You want to take advantage of new genealogy activities (such as research trips and volunteering) but don't know how to start

What's Inside

Organize Your Genealogy features:

• Secrets to developing the organized habits that will maximize your research time and progress
• Hints for setting up the right physical and online workspaces
• Proven, useful systems for organizing paper and electronic documents
• Tips for managing genealogy projects and goals
• The best tools for organizing every aspect of your ancestry research
• Checklists and worksheets you can use to easily apply the book's strategies

Excerpt: Sample Tips

Here are some tips you'll find in Organize Your Genealogy:

• Organize yourself first. Genealogy is a mental game, but you need to pay attention to both your mental and physical needs to be productive. Keep yourself hydrated and well fed, and make sure you're getting enough sleep. And once you've done that, note at which time of the day you're most productive and start building your genealogy routine around it to set yourself up for success.
• Keep the most important items close. When organizing your physical and digital workspaces, make sure you're positioning frequently used items (such as important atlases or a particular ancestor's file) close to you. This will help you cut through the clutter to find the items or files you really need during research.
• Turn your research into a gift. Need more motivation' Create birthday, wedding or anniversary gifts from your hard-earned research (such as photo albums or decorative family trees). In addition to giving yourself purpose and a concrete deadline, making a gift will also show your appreciation for family and friends and maybe even get them hooked on genealogy.
• Make specific goals. It's hard to get somewhere if you don't know where you're going. Before you dive into research, make a list of specific things you hope to accomplish and brainstorm some ways you can do so.