Is your genealogy in shape? Now you may think this is a silly question. When we hear the phrase “in shape” we automatically associate it with our physical health. So, what could these two concepts -- “fitness” and “genealogy” -- possibly have in common?
Like millions of others, one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2006 is to become more physically fit. Another is to become a more dedicated and effective genealogist.
As I approach my physical fitness and genealogical research goals, I observe many similarities. First of all, just as physical fitness is accomplished by exercising your body, success as a genealogist often requires exercising your mind. Secondly, the preparation for each activity is often parallel. You need to warm up, stretch, sometimes hit the ground running, feel the exhilaration of activity, and then, cool down.
Often you start off with a bang; you have the best of intentions that excite you and initially spur you on. With a regular physical workout, you lose a few pounds and your clothes fit better. With genealogy, you discover a detail about an ancestor. You feel great.
Then, it happens. You hit a brick wall. Your weight loss stalls. You search for further information on your ancestor, but fail to find that one record that will confirm your assumptions. (The courthouse did not have the birth or marriage record; the church your ancestor attended burned down and the records were lost in the fire, etc.). You begin to get discouraged and want to pack it in. “Is it really worth it, anyway?” Then you make excuses -- “I don’t have the time. It’s too difficult,” and so on.
Both activities require a great deal of hard work and also have similar obstacles. So I have identified twelve steps to use as a guideline for working on my personal fitness and my family’s genealogy.
1) Set Realistic Goals. When starting any new project or endeavor like a diet or exercise regimen, or a genealogical quest, it is important to set realistic goals, and develop a workable timetable. You typically would not try to run ten miles, or expect to lose fifty lbs. right away. And, whether you are a novice or a seasoned genealogist, you typically would not set out to research multiple family lines at once, or plan to write your entire family history in a month. Rather, you should aim to set shorter, more attainable goals. For example, with your fitness program you could seek to lose one-two lbs. per week, or do at least twenty minutes of exercise each day. With your genealogy, you might attempt to trace one ancestor as far back as you can before moving on to another, or thoroughly search one particular online database or microfilm reel per week.
2) Devise a Schedule and Stick To It. With our busy lives, most of us have to schedule time to exercise, and this same discipline should be applied to genealogy. Whether you use a traditional paper calendar, an online calendar software program, or personal digital assistant, blocking off time in your daily schedule for your research is often the best way to ensure that you will actually do it. This time may be in the early morning or late at night while everyone else in your house is still asleep, or maybe during the time the kids are at soccer practice. Also, take into consideration your own body’s natural clock. What time of day do you feel your best to do your most efficient work? Perhaps you are a morning person, or on the other hand, a night owl. Maybe you prefer to work in the mid-afternoon. Follow your body clock and reserve some time during your “peak” periods to work on your genealogy. Some of us are “weekend genealogists,” while others work on our family history on a daily basis. Either way, the important point is to devise a schedule that suits you and make an effort to keep your commitment.
3) Make Time for a Check-up. While it is important to schedule an annual appointment with your physician to evaluate or reassess your physical health, it is also a good idea to make an appointment with yourself to take a “research inventory.” Set aside a day or two to just peruse over your findings to date. Then make a list of missing information and devise a strategy or “research plan.”
4) Trim the Fat and Toss Out the Junk. When you begin a weight management program, you often hear that you must clean out your cupboards, toss out junk food and replace your vices with healthier food choices. Apply this approach to genealogy. Do you really need five copies of Aunt Betty’s port record? What about all those miscellaneous slips of paper that contain notes from your library research? Go through your family history files and purge what you don’t need. Face it, filing is the least interesting part of family history, but it is an essential component. Use binders to store printed information. File and label miscellaneous items that you might need “somewhere down the road...” Organize your work space so that you can maximize your time researching and not pushing papers from one area of your desk to another.
5) Diversify Your Tasks. Engaging in the same type of exercise day after day can often lead to boredom and frustration. In the same way, genealogical tasks can also seem tedious and even at times exasperating. Instead, strive to make your search fun and challenging throughout the year. One way to do this is to use your calendar as a genealogical research guide. Schedule your tasks around major holidays. For example, work on military records research around Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day, research marriage records on Valentine’s Day, and so forth. Note birthdays of relatives or ancestors and conduct your research about them on those days.
6) Count Your Steps. Fitness experts often recommend using a pedometer to measure the number of steps you take, the distance/time of the workout, or the number of calories. How do you measure your progress with your family history? If “must get organized” is a mantra that you mutter over and over again to yourself, you need to find a way to account for your steps. Try using the free, downloadable, genealogical forms and documents available at Ancestry.com to help organize your correspondence and research data. Enter your family information into a computerized genealogy software program such as Family Tree Maker.
If possible, try to do one small task toward your research every day, even if you can only spare fifteen minutes. For example, in fifteen minutes you can perform a quick search using an online database, draft a quick letter to a relative, scan an old photograph, or note five questions to ask in your next oral history interview. When you break your research tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces, the process is not as overwhelming. For ideas, see Juliana Smith’s ADN articles “In Fifteen Minutes or Less . . .” and “More Projects In Fifteen Minutes or Less”.
7) Pick Up the Pace. Sometimes you can become stagnant both in your exercise routine, and your genealogical research, and even the slightest increase in activity can help to yield additional results. Perhaps you are struggling with writing that letter to an overseas archive, or hesitate contacting the parish priest of the church your ancestors attended. Stop procrastinating. Follow the Nike slogan and “Just Do It!” Sometimes in both areas, you may have to work harder to for a desired result in a limited period of time.
8) Vary Your Location. When you exercise, instead of walking on your treadmill, take a walk around your neighborhood. If you always do your research at your computer or desk, find a change of scenery. Go to the library or park and take your laptop with you, or if possible, plan a research trip to your ancestor’s town and include a visit a cemetery, travel to Ellis Island, the National Archives in Washington, D.C. or one of NARA’s regional facilities, or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
9) Find a Buddy. Working out and dieting with a partner provides encouragement, inspiration and support, especially during those times you want to quit. When researching your roots, try to find a family member to share the research tasks. If you do not have a family member who shares your passion for genealogy, then find an online buddy. Post to genealogy-specific message board at Ancestry.com/RootsWeb.com or Genealogy.com. Join a local genealogical or historical society or ethnic-based research group, and network with other researchers at genealogy conferences and seminars.
10) Take a Break. Just as it is recommended that you rest your body in order to repair your muscles, you may also consider recharging your batteries when it comes to genealogy. Your brain is on overdrive, processing all of your family history information. Put aside the family line you have been researching and do something completely unrelated. Schedule a vacation. Watch a movie. Read a novel. When you return to your research tasks, you will have a new perspective, perhaps you will see a new lead or direction to bust that brick wall or find that elusive ancestor.
11) Add a New Twist to Your Routine. You can vary your physical workout by swimming instead of jogging, or signing up for a step aerobics or spinning class. With genealogy, try subscribing to or using a new database at Ancestry.com, or signing for a class at your local community college or library. There are a variety of online courses available through MyFamily.com.
12) Persist Over the Plateau. Inevitably with your fitness program and your genealogical research you will hit a plateau. If you find yourself facing an impasse, don’t give up. Ask yourself whether you have really given it your all? Then push yourself a little harder. Spend an extra fifteen minutes perusing that microfilmed baptismal certificate. Experiment with alternate spellings or use search tools such as ethnicity or year when searching in online databases. Find new and creative ways to obtain information, such as contacting libraries or historical societies, or posting queries to an online forum or print publication. Sometimes thinking “outside the box” will lead you to information on your ancestor that you never even knew existed.
Finally, remember that once you reach a half way point in your routine, take time to evaluate your progress. With fitness goals you look at how many pounds have been lost and what further effort it will take to reach a target weight. Similarly, with genealogy, you should keep a checklist of what research tasks have been accomplished and what is still unknown. This system of checks and balances gives you a perspective on how many more pounds you have left to lose and how many more ancestors you still need to find, and most importantly, it gives you a chance to look back and take pride in all you’ve accomplished.
Lisa Alzo, M.F.A. is the author of Three Slovak Women, Baba’s Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions (Gateway Press), and the recently published Finding Your Slovak Ancestors (Heritage Productions), as well as numerous articles for genealogy magazines. She is an instructor of Eastern European, Slovak, and Great Lakes Region genealogy classes for MyFamily.com, and is a frequent speaker at national conferences, genealogical and historical societies. Lisa can be reached through her website at www.lisaalzo.com.
Lisa’s Upcoming Speaking Engagements:
- Genealogical Club of Newtown Connecticut
(April 12, 2006, Newtown, Connecticut)
- The National Council on Public History
(April 19, 2006, Washington, D.C.)
- Niagara County Genealogical Society
(May 24, 2006, Lockport, New York)
Lisa’s Upcoming Classes at MyFamily.com:
Copyright 2006, MyFamily.com.
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