Have you received impressions that you need to write your personal history or the histories of family members? These nudges from the Spirit can be the force behind our efforts to gather Israel and in connecting with members of our own family. Whether you are new to family research or are a seasoned researcher, there are a number of tips that can help you to stay organized and guide you in your efforts.

One of the biggest challenges for many of us is being able to organize existing records, how to stay on track so that we aren’t spending precious time repeating work others have done, or we have done ourselves. In a blog article written by Kathryn Grant for the Family History Guide; Small Tip for Big Results, she makes two simple suggestions that may help you to keep track of where you are in your family research, that have the potential to make a big difference. She suggests that when you’ve been doing family history and have to stop to focus on other priorities, write down two things:

• A quick summary of what you did
• What you want to do next time

For example:

• If you were scanning photos, make a brief note of which photos you finished and which ones you plan to do next time.
• If you were planning a family reunion, note which tasks you completed and which tasks you’ll do next.
• If you were researching a family, record what you found and make notes on what you want to do next time.

Kathryn Grant wrote: “Often we think there’s no way we’ll forget what we were working on, or even what we plan to do next. But just a few days later, it can all be fuzzy. So when we start again, we may end up repeating work we’ve already done, or worse yet, procrastinating because we don’t remember where we need to pick up.“

Sometimes it is the smallest things that make the biggest difference. I have found that if I use one notebook dedicated specifically to keeping notes about where I am in my research, and consistently keeping notes and referring to them, I feel more confident and secure in the work I am doing.

You can choose whatever method of note keeping that works for you. You may like to use a digital app, or to write the notes by hand (my preferred method), whatever you decide to do, stick with it. Try out this little tip and see if it doesn’t lower your stress and boost your productivity. As in all things, God can turn our weaknesses into our strengths as we are faithful and persist in this great work.

— Elaine Hardman, Communications – GFHC