Final Thoughts for 2010  

Posted by: Italian Surname Database

Well as another year ends and a new one begins we can't help but reflect.  Each year we make ourselves promises - swear not to make the same mistakes again, and resolve to give up some bad habit.  These promises are usually forgotten within the first few weeks in January as family, work and life in general get in the way.  Disappointment sets in and resolutions forgotten we promise that the following year will be different and the so the loop begins.
I  have learned not to set myself up for failure in this way.   Instead of making New Year Resolutions this year I have decided to set goals for myself - realistic goals which I have made only after carefully thinking each one through, writing them down along with a plan on how I can achieve these goals. I have also set a limit on these goals to 12 - one for each month of the year and placed them in order of importance and difficulty as some are quite simple and can be achieved easily while others will require a bit more dedication.

Genealogy goals are no different. The last two weeks have been spent organizing my home, office, websites, filing cabinets, paperwork and computer files.  Was I able to finish everything? No, of course not but that's what happens when you procrastinate for 350 days and try to cram everything into 14 days.

So this is a list of my genealogy goals for 2011:

1. Reserve Sunday mornings for entering names into the Surname Database and answering all emails.

2. Visit the Family History Center at least once a month and review and upload any records I get BEFORE my next visit.

3. Devote one week research to each of my four main family names and branches each month

4. Eliminate unnecessary paper clutter from my files. Keep only what I need and preserve, back up and file immediately the those records which are most important to me.

5. Back up my Family Tree Maker and PAF files on the 1rst Saturday of each month
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6. Put aside at least $10.00 per a week so that I will have the funds I need to continue my research, renew my domains and server and purchase new programs and books. Maybe use it to buy a Catasto for the area I am most researching.


7. Keep in contact/ visit with living family. I realized this last month that I know more about my deceased ancestors lives than I do about my living relatives.

8. Take a research course each month.  There are several free courses available online which you can find by doing a search on Google.

9. Change my passwords on any accounts, subscriptions, etc. each month to protect my info.

10. Scan all photos to CD and make copies. Protect the originals with archival type paper and put away.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New year!

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 01, 2011 . You can leave a response and follow any responses to this entry through the Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom ) .

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