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| My bulletin board and Trello board |
As I noted last year, I don’t
write resolutions. Instead, I make to-do
lists. Each year, I go through my master
to-do list. I look at those I planned to
do last year and cross off those I did and those I decided I don’t care about
any longer. I then plan which to do this
coming year and plot them out so that there is a way to get them done. In other words, I don’t just say, “Write a book” and leave
it at that. I say what the book will be
about and how I will get from now to DONE in as many steps as I can plot. Usually many, many to-dos are added for those
steps, but I get a plan down to at least TRY.
At the bottom of this post is my
master list of Genealogy Things to Do. I
crossed off those I accomplished or changed my mind on and put those that I
plan to do in 2015 in red.
Breaking down my 2015 list,
here are my objectives and next steps:
·
Visit Sacramento- 1) 2nd great grandparent's house; 2)
Roots Cellar Library. - I can take a day trip with the kids for this. Next step is to find out where the house
was. Calendar for January on next step.
·
Write a book about my dad and my personal history.- I will continue adding
stories to my journal about Dad throughout the year. This will be a multi-year project. Next step is to find my personal history story
I already did. Calendar for February for
next step.
·
Take classes at National Institute for GenealogicalStudies.- This requires money. Once I have enough to spend, I will continue
my classes. Next step is to save money
directly for this. Calendar for April
for next step .
·
Local Newspaper Project- The kids’ 4-H family
history group is working on a project with the local genealogical society to
print out obituaries from the microfilm at the library for those buried in a
certain cemetery. It’s proving difficult
as the microfilm machines are constantly broken.
·
Enter Footnotes to Dukes book.- This one I will have an
entirely separate post about, as I’m using the Geneabloggers’ Genealogy Do-Over
as the tool for this project. I
will also incorporate my other to-dos: Revisit Blog Posts and Map and Pin
Ancestors, as I go through this Do-Over.
Expect much about this in the coming year. Or not.
Because life is allowed to happen.
For each of the above, I have a
Trello list with as many steps as I can think of for now. I also have a bulletin board (real, physical
one) with ALL my master to-dos (no next steps) on index cards. As I tackle a project completely (as I will
with the Dukes book), I will likely have more index cards (real ones) to help
me through.
I have this same process for my
genealogy, my personal life, and my work life.
And throughout each year, some of these automatically have to get
stalled, as one part of life takes over that was never on the list. This is okay.
Life is allowed to happen (as I chanted this like a Buddhist monk
throughout 2014).
But this isn’t the time of year to
evaluate what you DIDN’T do in 2014, but what you DID do. Add to the list and cross it off. I didn’t get to Sacramento last year (it was
on the 2013 list), but I did see my mom through cancer and a fire. I didn’t finish Dad’s book, but I did manage
a move that adds 2-3 hours to my day in commuting. I didn’t read 52 books, but I did find a way
to read 32, despite all the above. Etc Etc
Etc.
Life is allowed to happen. Here is hoping it happens much nicer in 2015.
Debbie’s Master List of Genealogy
Things to Do
TRIPS
Lucas County, Iowa where my Conner
and Price families lived
Capa, South Dakota where my
grandfather lived. Preferably WITH my grandfather.
Haakon County, South Dakota where my
2nd great grandfather had a homestead
Sacramento- 2nd great
grandparent's house
Sacramento- Roots Cellar
Library
Massachusetts- New England Historic
Genealogical Society
Massachusetts- Plymouth again
Indiana- Allen County Public Library
again
Salt Lake City- Family History
Library
Motor home the Civil War route that
Miles’ took
Carluke, Scotland
Go on a genealogy cruise
WRITING
Write a book about my dad-
in progress
Write
a book about Miles Price
Complete a genealogy scrapbook
Enter footnotes to Duke’s
book
Write a 5-generation book of the kids' ancestors
Write my personal family history book- in progress
Picture book of Christmas decorations
Revisit blog posts and update to provide source
info
Write a 5-generation book of the kids' ancestors
Write my personal family history book- in progress
Update links and pages on
website
Mariani book to internet
Kilborne Smith Civil War book
CONFERENCES
Roots Tech
FGS conference
NGS conference
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
Take classes at National
Institute for Genealogical Studies
Learn Photoshop
Learn inDesign
Learn how to do a for-family podcast
Update my website with all new features
Map and pin where ancestors were from and lived
Learn how to do a for-family podcast
Capa one place study
Local newspaper project
