ORGANIZING - LET'S BEGIN THE NEW YEAR BY ACCOMPLISHING ONE ORGANIZATIONAL TASK

YIKES! Do you have notes on or around your desk?  I removed these from various notepads that I keep on my desk.  I’ve laid them on display for you to see.  I try to begin each year by doing various organization tasks in my office and around my home.

 

The plan……

• Select a note
• Look at each individual item on the note
• Is this something I need to take action on (research? add to my Legacy database?)
• If so, then take action and cross off the items as I complete them
• THROW THE NOTE AWAY

I’m not a big “paper person.”  I store things digitally and rarely print anything.  I do keep originals of vital records I’ve sent for (after they’ve been scanned and entered in Legacy). I put them in a page protector and then into a binder.

But, honestly, I have to say I rarely order records any more.  Fifteen years ago I did a lot of ordering.  I know there are a couple I need to order this year and I will.

What I’m going to do now is stop writing this post.  I’ll work on these notes one at a time and then I’ll tell you how long it took me to go through them.  It’s currently 10:56 a.m.

Time of completion – 12:18 p.m.  I began with 11 pieces of paper with notes all over them and 8 post-it notes.

I’m done!  It took me 1 hour and 22 minutes.  Here’s what I accomplished and how.

1. I took action on and threw out 11 pieces of paper with notes all over them.

• I either completed a task in Legacy or online. 
• I also created a note in Evernote that was dated today and tagged with “notes from my desk.”  There were only a few things that went into that Evernote note – like Gedmatch numbers I’d written down or a possible DNA connection I need to remember.

2.  I took action on and threw out 8 post-it notes by doing the same thing stated above.

TIP:  There are 3 things that can be done with a piece of paper – act on it, file it or throw it away.

 

Here's my desk now. What a difference from the photo at the top.  

I know you’ve all seen me write about cleaning my desk or office before.  In fact, not long ago I wrote a post about going through the various piles sitting on my desk area.

 

The point is…..we have to continually keep at the task of organization so that it doesn’t get away from us and become an overwhelming task.

As most of you probably know, there's even a Facebook group devoted specifically to this subject The Organized Genealogist.  It's a wonderful group full of ideas and genealogists just like us who need help.

 

I encourage all of you to take that hour and accomplish a specific chore in your own work area.  When you do, please tell me what you did and how it feels to have accomplished the task.  Leave me a comment or send me an email via the contact me tab.

HERE ARE SOME OTHER POSTS I’VE WRITTEN – I hope they’ll inspire you

Office Closet Clean Out - The Finished Product

Are You Getting Off Track?  Losing Your Focus?

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ARE YOU GETTING OFF TRACK? Losing your focus?

Do you feel like you go around in circles sometimes?  Are you just playing at staying on track and organized, or are you serious?  I had to ask myself these questions today and here's what got me started.


I was sorting things on my desk and saw the list of 33 Michigan Death Certificates I was able to locate when Seeking Michigan released new records in March of this year.  I even wrote two blog posts about how I made a list from my Legacy database before proceeding to the site to locate records.
 
Michigan Death Certificate Images Released - 1921-1939

And, then I wrote a second post about my procedure once I’ve located the death certificates.

Day Two of the Michigan Death Certificates Journey - Now What?

So, it’s not like I don’t know what to do. Right?  I added & cited a few of them.  But, then I stopped.  When I say few, I’m talking about 4 out of 33!

Why waste time locating records online, at libraries, at courthouses, from family members etc., if we don’t then record those records to our database?

Darn good question, I think.
 
Here are my examples of unfinished “business.”

• Multiple trips to Michigan for research and to visit family and bringing home all sorts of photos and documents, many of which still sit in folders.
• A trip to the Family History Library where myself and a friend spent 5 glorious days and I took hundreds of photographs of books & microfilm - still not all processed.
• A trip to the local Carlsbad Library where they have wonderful genealogy resources and I found many and photographed them - most are not processed.
• A trip to Ohio & West Virginia for one thing – genealogy research - still need to process some items.
• And, of course, downloading the much awaited death certificates, saving them in proper file format on my computer and then DOING NOTHING with them.

I’m sure I could go on.  Am I the only one?  Do you also have this “problem?”

Maybe we are in too big a hurry to “find absolutely everything.”  It’s sure fun to find things.  All that finding does us absolutely NO GOOD if we don’t process what we locate.

There is currently a project begun by Thomas MacEntee called the “Genealogy Do Over.  Many people are participating and finding it very useful. 

I think what I’m going to do, right here and now, is to begin a type of “Do Over.”

HERE IS MY PLAN:

1.  If I get an email or other contact from a cousin, new or otherwise, I will respond to them, but tell them I will get back to them.  Then make a reminder in Evernote to do so.

2.  I’m going to finish adding & sourcing the rest of those 33 death certificates I found.  In doing so I will stay focused and make notes (in Evernote) of items I want to go back & find out more about.  The goal is to enter and source the death certificates, first & foremost.

3.  I will go through the plastic tub I have that has neatly organized surname folders where I have filed miscellaneous papers I’ve intended to go back to.  I no longer file in paper files, but these are from several years ago.

4.  I will go through every digital file I have from all the library research I have done and process that information.  When I was at the FHL I took over 500 digital photos from books and microfilm.  They are organized by state & county, but I’ve never gone through all of them.

5.  Only conduct research that is directly from these items.    
I think that this process will not only make me feel more organized and productive, but I suspect it will lead to many finds.
 

CAN THIS PROCESS CAUSE ME TO GET HORRIBLY SIDETRACKED…OH MY YES!
BUT, I'M HOPING IT WON'T
  

How many of you have done something similar to this?
How many of you are participating in the Genealogy Do Over?  If so, has it helped?
Do you have other suggestions that we, as genealogists, can follow in order to avoid this sort of situation?

There is a wonderful group on Facebook called The Organized Genealogist.  With over 20,000 members there are lots of ideas presented about how to get and stay organized.

Wish me luck.  I sure hope that I’m successful and can get a lot of this work done.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
DIGITAL FOLDER ORGANIZING & NAMING MADE EASY
EVERNOTE - A VERY USEFUL AND FREE TOOL TO HELP YOU ORGANIZE GENEALOGY AND EVERYTHING ELSE

Happy hunting & organizing,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2015   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

PAPER vs DIGITAL–DON’T LET YOUR WORK GO UP IN FLAMES

Images like this are very difficult to watch.  As of today no lives have been lost.  But, when a home goes up in flames it is devastating.

As I sit here for the past two days, watching 9 fires burn in my home county, San Diego, it has brought some thoughts to my mind.

I see a lot of discussion on the several Facebook groups which I follow, regarding paper vs. digital files.  These are the comments I read all the time.

• “I’m keeping all my paper files because I don’t trust computers.”
• “I like to hold a piece of paper in my hand as I’m doing my research.”
• “I feel more comfortable using pen & paper to make notes.”
• “I prefer having paper copies of all my family group sheets.”
• “I print out every census record and other document I find online.”
• “You never know when or if those records will still be online when you need them.”

Sound familiar?

Who among us hasn’t thought those same thoughts at least once?  I’m not here to ridicule those who like their paper files.  Not at all.  BUT, I want to say to those people......

PLEASE, make digital copies of your files and keep them on several different medias. Or at the very least make paper copies of everything you have and store them at another location.

Most of us live in areas where we are subject to one kind of natural disaster or another.  Be it floods, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, fires or something else.  When the time comes to leave your home in a hurry it is much easier to grab your computer, back up hard drive, laptop, flash drives, CD’s etc. than to try to decide which paper files you can take.  

Having been in the local fires in San Diego County in 2003 and 2007, we have had to evacuate.  We lost part of our barn and nearly our home in 2003.  There was no way I could fit all the plastic tubs of scrapbooks, photos, family files etc. in the space we had in our truck and car.  Let alone grabbing financial records, the fire safe, any photos hanging on the walls, or other precious keepsakes.   I had to make some very tough decisions.  Thankfully, our home was spared.

Here are a couple of links to the Cedar Fire, which was in 2003 and the worst one for us.
Cedar_Fire
Cedar Fire - Worst in CA history

I do keep the originals of vital records I’ve sent for and other documents I’ve obtained at various courthouses or libraries.  They are kept in binders. However, they’ve all been scanned or photographed and saved digitally.  I have 3 small archival plastic bins with family photos (again all have been scanned).  Yes, this is truly all of my paper files and two of these pictures are of my genealogy books.

Here are photos of those items.  These are the extent of my paper files.  Several of those binders in the photos will be cleaned out and combined this year.  One of my many projects.  

(Click on any image to enlarge it)
      
  

We all work so very long and hard, over many years, on our research.  

Don’t lose it all.  

Here is a great Facebook page that is all about “getting organized.”  THE ORGANIZED GENEALOGIST.  And another great page that is all about technology for genealogists.  TECHNOLOGY FOR GENEALOGY.

We all learn from one another and genealogists just love to share their failures and their successes.  Those two Facebook pages I mentioned has all of that and more. 
Here is my system for saving my digital files.

• Primary computer is a desktop PC with a very large hard drive.
• I also have a Toshiba laptop to which I copy all of my files via flash drive or Dropbox.  This serves as a partial backup of my desktop computer.  I don’t transfer photos to the laptop due to space considerations.
• I have two Passport external hard drives that I backup to.  They measure 5" x 3" and can literally fit in your pocket.

• I save my Legacy database files to Dropbox in addition to the other places I’ve mentioned.
• I also save my Legacy database files to a couple of flash drives.  Although flash drives are, in my opinion, the least reliable.

Are all of those devices likely to fail at the same time? NO!

Please let me know your thoughts on this subject. Or share your experiences if you’ve had to evacuate or, heaven forbid, lost your research.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

OFFICE CLOSET CLEAN OUT & ORGANIZATION PROJECT–DO YOU HAVE ONE OF “THOSE” SPACES?

If you do have one of “those” spaces, then you are not alone and there is hope.

Recognize any of these items?

• What are those things still doing in my house? 
• Why do I need them? 
• Why do I keep them?

We all love to chase those ancestors.  We can sit for hours at the computer and search, save, record and search some more.

BUT, how do you keep your area, your computer files, your folders, your desk….everything, organized and neat?

Isn’t that the big question?

It is for most of the genealogists I know.  

What I am doing right now is reorganizing my office.  I am fortunate to be able to have a room in our home that is my own little genealogy haven.  However, it doesn’t matter the size of your area, it still must be organized.  How else are you going to be able to find anything?

I was doing pretty well in my office area, but there is a closet in this room too.  And I will confess right now…..IT WAS A HUGE MESS!!  Nearly 20 years of living in this house and using that closet as the catch all for everything.  It took it’s toll  But, hey, if I didn’t open the door then I didn’t have to think about it, right?  WRONG!

I decided this was the year.  That closet was getting cleaned out no matter what.

It began with the emptying of everything from that horrible space.  So much stuff.  Seriously?  Tax records in boxes, going back to 1984.  Old computer books, floppy disks, modems, hard drives, dresses that I didn’t have a space for, old uniforms, you name it, we had it in that closet.  The rest of our home doesn’t look like this, I swear.

Here is a picture of what I’m talking about.  

That space is completely empty now.  Of course, much of it is out in the office area.  But, I have thrown away countless numbers of things that I definitely DO NOT NEED.

Here is the second big bin of trash I have gotten rid of.  The first one was over flowing and this one will be too.



HOW WILL THIS BENEFIT ME AND MY RESEARCH?
1.  You WILL locate items, documents, photos that you have forgotten about.
2.  You WILL be able to locate everything without hunting.
3.  You WILL actually be able to research without the guilt of thinking “gosh, I should be scanning, sorting, cleaning, filing or whatever.”
4.  You will just feel better, more calm and happier.  Unless disorganization is what you like and there are those folks who do.  Nothing wrong with that, it’s how they are comfortable.

Here is what that closet looks like now.



Can I get a big YIPPEEE!!!!

Can you believe the difference?  I painted it a tan color to contrast with the shelves.  We (my helpful husband) still has to install the baseboard and a new light fixture. The shelves were purchased at the Container Store during their yearly Elfa Shelf sale.  I have used that system in our master closet and have been very happy with it now for about 15 years.
 
It’s really coming along and it’s only been 2 weeks since the project began.  

Here are some of the treasures I have located so far:

• Negatives of photos of my Dad’s first marriage from 1934.
• Pictures of my brother and me when we were kids in Florida.
• Documents that were somehow never filed in their proper place.
• Pictures of me and my Dad from back in the 1970’s.
• An album of photos that belonged to my husband’s grandmother.  We had obtained that album when his Mom died 20 years ago and not seen it since then.
• Lots of other miscellaneous items that I won’t bore you with.

HOW CAN YOU GET MORE ORGANIZED?

JOIN A GROUP - Whether it’s a small area or a big area. It really helps to have the support and encouragement of other genealogists who have similar issues. 
There is a FACEBOOK group called THE ORGANIZED GENEALOGIST that is absolutely wonderful.  This group was started just last year and has grown by hundreds of people.  We all support, share, confess and help one another.  I highly recommend it.

START SOMEWHERE  - Pick up any pile of papers you have sitting out and begin.  Tell yourself you will spend 10 minutes or 15 or whatever works for you, and do just the tasks that involve organizing.  It might be filing.  It might be scanning.  It might be throwing things away.  Taking small steps helps you to not become overwhelmed.  And, think how good you’ll feel at the end of that time.

REMEMBER THE RULE – Only touch each piece of paper ONCE.  Don’t pick it up and move it to another space or pile.  There are THREE things you can do with a piece of paper or document.

1.  ACT ON IT
2.  FILE IT
3.  TOSS IT

That’s it.  It seems simple, but we all know how hard it is sometimes.

I encourage you to start your own organizing project.  Please don’t forget to tell me about your progress and successes.  

STAY TUNED
I will post a picture of that closet once it’s all organized.  I’m hoping that will be by the end of this week.  Wish me luck.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
Digital Folder Organizing & Naming Made Easy
Easy Document Editing

Happy organizing and happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall