Sunday 31 October 2021

Are genealogy to-do lists a help or a hindrance?


I have to admit, I'm not generally into creating to-do lists. Why waste time writing about what has to be done, when you can just get on and do it? Plus, I don't feel that sense of satisfaction other people say they experience when they complete a task and tick it off their list. So I rarely make lists, except for my genealogy task list.

This list makes sense. When I'm happily engrossed researching a family tree and have a brainwave moment about another line, or come across a promising new source that's not readily available online, it gets added to the list. Then it no longer distracts me from completing the task in hand. Otherwise, I'd probably hop from one thing to another and never finish anything. My genealogy to-do list ensures no potential clues are forgotten in the process.

Then, when I find myself with a few hours to kill in Dublin city, it helps to have a pre-prepared list of the items wanted at each record repository. And there are often a few quick-wins listed too, for when I've a spare hour or two in the evenings. This all makes for the efficient use of my genealogy time.

Recently however, my to-do list has become a place of procrastination, a never-ending list of tasks added and put on the long finger. More time is spent managing the list than completing the tasks. It's nearly overwhelming. I'm even starting to feel a sense of underachievement and associated guilt... when genealogy is supposed to be fun!

It all started during the first Lockdown. Granted, the archives were closed and most of their staff were cocooning at home and not available to respond to queries. In fairness, there was nothing I could do. But many places have been open for a while now, albeit with restrictions. It's past time to get motivated and take back control.

Yesterday, I selected five tasks to work on this week. Three of them have been actioned already, one has even had a response. Five more will be selected when these are complete. Soon I'll be back on top of things, and may even find a new story to tell you.

Already I anticipate that sense of satisfaction.

7 comments:

  1. Like you, I have a love/hate relationship with to-do lists. My Ancestry home page has a very brief perennial to-do list that has barely been whittled down in years. But it's a good reminder that as new records become available, maybe I'll find what I'm searching for one of these days! Thanks for a thoughtful post.

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    1. Thanks, that is a very convenient place to store it Marian!

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  2. Genie Search Lists keep you out of those rabbit burrows - where you can get lost for days. They don't have to be a physical list, just a small voice in your head that keeps repeating - 'what did you come here to find today?' My most used print based tool is my Ancestral File (printed by Invicta Books https://midland-ancestors.shop/Ancestral-File-Family-Research-V494 ) in which I continue to fill out the ancestral data and expand my family tree knowledge.

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    1. Cool! I keep everything 'in the cloud' as opposed to in paper format, but this book looks like it's very handy, thank you.

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  3. I keep a list too, on my desktop where I can't lose it ;) I use mine for those rare occasions subscription websites I don't subscribe to have free days.

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  4. I love my to-do lists: they keep me on track and make it so I don't have to remember everything I want to do. A list lets me forget and focus. But, like you, they sometimes become so long I think I'll never get everything done. But then there's always so much more to do when researching ancestors, isn't there? I hope you start to feel guiltless and successful soon!

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  5. I am a list maker; a list follower; a list lover. Mostly, I love crossing things off my lists. Sometimes I feel I have made no progress with my research but if I see the things I have crossed off, I feel a sense of accomplishment and I am motivated to do more!

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!