2024 Genealogy Goals and a Roadmap

Goals are a crucial part of achieving success with genealogy. Goals assist you in developing a roadmap to get from where you are, to where you want to be. The clearer and more defined that your roadmap is, then the easier it will be to follow it. The beginning of a new year gives us a reason for a new start or a restart then to evaluate our previous genealogy activities. And to set new goals and a new roadmap for 2024.

It is time to get organized, or at least more organized! We all have limited resources and time.

Your 2024 Genealogy Research Plan (Organized by Month) by Sunny Jane Morton
Family Tree Magazine https://familytreemagazine.com/research/genealogy-research-plan/

Setting Genealogy Goals:

The best way to start listing out your goals, is to use the SMART method.

“S” = a specific outcome

“M” = measurable

“A” = achievable/attainable

“R” = relevant/realistic

“T” = time-based/time-bound

The 15 Minute Plan For Achieving Your Genealogy Goals by Patricia Hartley
Family History Daily, originally published in Jan. 2019, updated Dec. 2020
https://familyhistorydaily.com/genealogy-help-and-how-to/achieving-genealogy-goals/

How to Set Genealogy Goals
Heritage Consulting
https://www.heritageconsulting.com/how-to-set-genealogy-goals/

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

Having a Genealogy Toolkit (or dashboard or hub):

A genealogy toolkit is a collection of frequently used family history tools, resources, and processes kept together for easy access. This includes all of our paper and computer files and folders, software programs, books, databases, and hardware etc. Tools include such as worksheets, checklists, planners, charts, and templates. Resources include books, genealogy databases, newspapers, websites, and registers etc. And processes include guides, instructions, location specific lists etc.

• Look at how you structure the folders on your hard drive or cloud storage and also with your paper folders, you should use the same labeling system.

• Create a dashboard in a project management software (e.g. Evernote, Trello)

• Create a list of the web links you use in a Microsoft Word or Google Docs file. I have also seen some people using an Excel spreadsheet instead. This is more organized than relying on bookmarks. Many years ago, when I worked on environmental scanning and foresight, I had a Word document with the various categories and web links I was researching daily on. It was very easy to update in this format.

Regarding the creating of a toolkit, first you create a framework by deciding the broad categories of what you’ll include. Then look at the contents and split them out into the relevant categories. Finally choose where your toolkit will live and what your toolkit structure will be. This must be easily accessible so you can use it in every research session.

My first career was as a chef and my kitchen needed the equipment to be set up properly and the food prep done and easily accessible for the lunch hour rush. This is how I am looking at setting up my genealogy toolkit now. I want it to be as smooth as the kitchen line was. Your genealogy toolkit is a hub of information that makes your life easier. Once it’s set up, it should save you time because everything you typically need for each research session is at your fingertips.

I have been also looking at various office layouts and what containers and furniture etc. will work best for me. For example, I have books in two different rooms which need to be sorted. It has also been my goal to go more digital instead of so much paper files. I do have a scanner in my home office.

I have been using Evernote for quite some time but have lately been hearing about Trello. I am currently setting up on Trello to manage all of my genealogy goals, research plans and the various projects and activities which I am responsible for.

With Evernote, I use it for various notes, to-do-lists, and resources etc. and have them organized by topic (called Notebooks) and articles (called Notes). It lists the date and time created and last updated, title, Notebook, tags, and size. You are able to use various text and drop in images etc. I am happy with the free version as I don’t need all the bells and whistles.

Trello is a project management app that uses boards and cards. It is better for visual organization and team collaboration. Evernote is a note-taking program that focuses on organization and productivity. It is better for personal organization and cross-device syncing. If you want a solid management program to create, assign, follow, and complete tasks, go with Trello. If you want a note-keeping and documentation app with a project management touch, go with Evernote.

Trello 

https://trello.com/

Evernote 

https://evernote.com/

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Creating a Research Log:

A research log can help you not only organize your research finds, but also identify areas where you need to do more research. It also helps with instant recall and the reducing of do-overs. And finally, it helps you to analyze the data collected. A good habit to get into doing is creating research logs.

To create a research log for genealogy research, you should:

• Choose your preferred tool and template.

• Establish a workflow that incorporates your log.

• Create a separate research log for each objective.

• Follow your research plan and add entries to your log for each result from genealogy sources you search.

• Create source citations for each entry.

Research Logs, FamilySearch
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Research_Logs

Why You Need a Genealogy Research Log (and How to Create One)
Family Tree Magazine, by Vanessa Wieland
https://familytreemagazine.com/research/tips-conquer-genealogy-research-log/

Research Log Spreadsheet (for free)
Thomas MacEntee at Genealogy Bargains
https://geneabloggers.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=e6b48e8de3ee2e5430b75a4d5&id=98e427340