Genealogy Do-Over Week One: Research Practicies

I decided last week that I was going to participate in Cycle 4 of the Genealogy Do-Over as a way to get back to my research after two months.

Since this is kind of a Do-Over Go-Over for me, I'm focusing on just my research practices for this week. I've reviewed what I did last time, which you can find in the "Best Practices and Guidelines" tab above, and I'm still happy with it.

I want my research to be fun and enjoyable, but I also want it to be intentional. I want to have goals and approach each one with all of the tools and practices I have learned and remember to follow these practices until they become habit. So I have taken eleven of these practices, printed them and framed them to hang above my computer desk for easy reference each time I sit down to research.

Popping down the occasional rabbit-hole chasing a BSO (Bright Shiny Object) without a definite goal in mind can be fun and has its place in my research I think, but if I'm going to do that once in a while, I still want to do it on purpose or intentionally so that I don't end up frustrated because I sat down with a solid goal in mind that I didn't come close to accomplishing.

I believe that these practices will keep me focused and help me make the most of the time, and let's not forget money, that I spend on my family research.

EDIT: Here is the link to my previous post for Week 1 of the Do-over. There you can find links to the sources for my practices, which I adapted from other Geneabloggers, including Thomas MacEntee.