Have you ever sat down to research a family tree only to have this happen?
Multi-tasking is known for leaving overly-exhausted people and half-done tasks behind. Juggling multiple tasks at one time is only sustainable in short bursts, if at all. More often than not, quality is impacted for the sake of quantity.
Today is Single Tasking Day - a day that celebrates and encourages completing one task at a time, flying in the face of all those compliments you got for being able to multitask so well.
Single-tasking is not only engaging in a single task at a time but also breaking down that task into smaller parts as needed. This allows you to pay greater attention to what you are doing, completing the task with more quality and accuracy.
Implementing this can be difficult with limited time and a strong desire to complete a task. This situation can lead back to multitasking in an effort to just finish something.
So how to stay on track while researching?
Write It Down
I like to start by jotting down what I want to research. This is the main goal that I keep in front of me while I’m researching. I usually write this on scrap paper to keep on my desk so it isn’t lost in a sea of open tabs. I don’t worry about how long it will take or if I can finish it in one sit-down.
Before I begin any session of family history research, I pull up my database and documents and do a quick search to see if I have any previous research on this subject.
After I have my research topic and some notes about what I might already know, I begin my research. This process usually brings out some additional questions. For instance, my main research topic might be ‘John Planchard’s early life’ and I know from my previous notes that he is buried in a National Cemetery. This means he served in the military or died as a dependent of someone in the military. So now I know to look for possible military enlistment, a subtask I can add to my list. I may not be able to immediately switch gears to this subject, but I don’t want to forget it for later research.
Use a Research Log
Research logs are AH-mazing! tools. If you are not using one, start as soon as you can!
The research log I use is as easy as it can be - I use a single Google Doc for everything. I have had it for years. If I do something related to genealogy, it will probably get recorded in my research log. Make a backup of my files? It goes in the log, this way I know the last time I backed things up. Email a library? Goes in the research log. Get an email or Ancestry message? It gets copied and pasted into the document. This allows me one place to search.
I have also known people who successfully use paper notebooks. These, however, have the downside of not being as easily searchable as something on the computer. It is also easy to forget these at home. Google docs can usually be signed into from wherever you happen to be, either on your phone or a library computer.
Write A Summary
As your research session comes to an end, try to carve out a five-minute block of time where you can summarize your research and record it in your research log. It does not need to be fully complete documentation and sources do not need to be included unless you want them to be. This can be something like, ‘Researched John Planchard’s early life. Located birth & military records, index only, no originals. Found mother’s name: Mary Stevens on birth index.’
This is just a summary to help jog your memory later on when you come back to researching this topic again. This helps reduce the amount of duplicated research tasks. Summaries are only as good as your notes, so be sure to include full names so you know which John and Mary you were researching the next time you look.
Single-tasking can be more stressful than multitasking, especially at first. Our society is so accustomed to being BUSY that the very idea of not doing more than one thing at a time can seem difficult or inefficient.
Single-tasking your genealogy sessions will make them more productive and result in research that is better documented and more thoroughly examined.
