COG - New Year's Resolution[s]

Carnival of Genealogy – New Year’s Resolutions




As the New Year rapidly approaches, we pause and take the time to reflect on our past New Year’s resolution, and ask ourselves how close we came to fulfilling it. And then we begin to formulate our new New Year’s resolution.

Last year I’d such high hopes of getting so much personal research done on my own family tree! And I’d planned to perform an equal amount of research on my brother-in-law’s tree and gift him with the results.

Unfortunately, all of that fell by the wayside as I was inundated this year with client requests for their research on family trees. Not that I am totally complaining, mind you! But it did inhibit my ability, and time, to work on those previous goals.

Now, at my age, I am getting to the point that money isn’t the everything I used to believe it to be, so I propose to limit the amount of clients I take into hand this coming year.

I propose to allot myself at least 10-hours per week for personal research, while maintaining at least 30 hours of research time for my clients weekly.

How do I propose to stick to that plan?

Simple. A time sheet. Yep, a plain old simple time sheet. I already use one in keeping the hours of my client’s research. So, my plan is to also keep one for overall hours in each day.

My plan is to limit my business research to 6 hours a day, unless of course extensive travel has been involved in order to reach a repository, and in which case, I must utilize every second while there to be able to keep costs at a minimum. Now, should that be the case, I will offset with other days of the week, in which I will then increase my personal hours of research.

I set my goal for a 40-hour week of research. In reality, I usually perform 60 or more. [My dh is a long-haul truck driver, and so I spend most of my time alone and can work as late as I want to each evening… and yes… this means I AM addicted to genealogy! I am just waiting for a local support group to form! I can see it now… me standing before the group… “Hello, my name is Cyndi… and I’m a geneaholic.” Wonder how the 12-Step program works with that? Hmmmm] However, this New Year, I am planning to stick to that 40-hour work week, to allow me time for some of my other passions.

Reading! Right now I am relinquishing those moments before falling to sleep with a book. It sometimes takes me a month to read a book now! I’d like to allow myself a full hour each day to read.

Crocheting! I LOVE to crochet. And I probably have 6 or 7 projects started and lying about in various workbaskets. All of which need to be completed!

Writing! “A Mountain Gentleman” has been lying dormant on my computer for nearly 2 years now. I’d really like to get it completed, for my Dad’s sake, as well as my own. [Dad is 72 years young, and the book is about his great-grandfather. He asks me about it every now and then. However, I’ve noticed that it’s been quite a while since the last time he questioned how the book was going!]

Correspondence! And I mean the old fashioned kind, where you sit down with a fountain pen, and luxurious vellum and write in your own distinctive script, from the heart. Oh, it seems it’s been ages since I’ve done that!

And, of course, there’s the desire to continue the journey which I began 13-weeks ago, on my wellness program. [Yep, the old girl has lost an amazing 66 pounds in 13-weeks. But I still have a ways to go!]

So, my goals are definite. My desire is sincere.

Will I be voicing regrets this time next year?

…
….
……………..
Why break a streak that’s nearly a half century old now???