{"id":172,"date":"2024-12-08T04:37:15","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T04:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/?p=172"},"modified":"2024-12-08T04:37:15","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T04:37:15","slug":"feeling-a-bit-overwhelmed-by-your-research-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/08\/feeling-a-bit-overwhelmed-by-your-research-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling a Bit Overwhelmed by Your Research? Here's Why"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Feeling<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n

Feeling a Bit Overwhelmed by Your Research? Here\u2019s Why<\/h1>\n

Last Updated July 19, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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Family history research is one of the most popular hobbies on earth, and one of the most enjoyable. Most of us look forward to those special moments when we can finally sit down and focus on our trees, adding new records and facts, discovering a new line, or solving whatever the mystery of the month is.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also easy to get overwhelmed by everything you\u2019ve collected \u2013 wondering if you remembered to add a certain record to the right ancestor or if you were too hasty when reviewing that collection you found last week. Maybe you\u2019re even stressing a bit about files and photos you\u2019ve been meaning to digitize by haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s inevitable that we\u2019ll all feel like this now and then, it\u2019s good to know that there are clear reasons why \u2013 and even clearer ways to tackle this occasional (or even persistent!) feeling.<\/p>\n

Here are 5 reasons why you might be feeling like \u201cit\u2019s a bit too much,\u201d and what you can do to fix it.<\/p>\n

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1. Your Research Isn\u2019t Organized<\/h3>\n

This is, by far, the number one reason that genealogists begin to feel overwhelm with their research, and why it persists. In the beginning, it\u2019s a great deal of fun to dive right in and just start adding names and facts and line after line. Before you know it, you\u2019ve amassed hundreds of records \u2013 some of which you\u2019ve added to your tree, some of which you haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re lucky, you\u2019ve also collected some photos and probably have a list of places you\u2019d like to search in the future. Floating around in the back of your head are missing details you know you need to find, or ones you\u2019ve collected that need to go in the right place in your tree. Perhaps there\u2019s a family mystery or two you\u2019ve tried to solve but haven\u2019t quite figured out yet.<\/p>\n

This is where being organized, really organized, comes in handy.<\/strong> While it may seem like a tedious step, it\u2019s actually quite fun and very illuminating. The process of organization frees us from all those little things we mean to do but don\u2019t<\/strong>, helps us to accomplish tasks more easily, uncovers details in records we missed and could use, and makes our future research much easier and more enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Just imagine knowing exactly where everything is, how to find it, having a clear picture of what you\u2019re missing and a focused idea of where to find it!<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve tried to get organized in the past, or haven\u2019t yet reached that step. But you can do it! And, we promise, the process will be rewarding. There are many resources online to help<\/strong>, and it might be as simple as trying out a useful, online organization tool.<\/p>\n

Family History Daily\u2019s fun, self-paced Organization for Family Historians<\/strong> course, which is part of our learning center, offers a step-by-step way to work through this process. Our online lessons are designed to teach you everything you need to analyze your tree and records, discover new tools and get squared away once and for all. However you go about it, this isn\u2019t a move you\u2019ll regret.<\/p>\n

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Claim My Free Record Access Now<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

2. You\u2019re Spending a Lot of Time Adding Names and Not Enough Time Sourcing<\/h3>\n

One of the biggest mistakes people make in their research is adding facts and promising themselves they will source them later. This may mean collecting a piece of information and expecting that you\u2019ll search out the record it came from at another time, or having the record on hand but not actually adding it to your tree.<\/p>\n

We know, sourcing can be boring. But it\u2019s so needed and will absolutely help you feel like you\u2019re staying organized and on track. Start by going back and citing sources for every single fact in your tree, no matter how long it takes, and then make a pact with yourself to always add these resources in the future.<\/p>\n

If that\u2019s too much to handle, chose to add sources to one ancestor every time you sit down to research, before you start on anything new. Here\u2019s some help for doing this correctly.<\/p>\n

Not only will this help ease those nagging parts of your brain, you\u2019ll likely discover more information than you had before (we promise) AND have a tree to really show off. After all, not enough people take the time to give their research the attention it deserves and this leads to incorrect assumptions, missed facts, the spreading of misinformation and much confusion later on.<\/p>\n

Also read:<\/strong> Why You Should Stop Your Research and Reexamine Every Single Genealogy Record You Have<\/p>\n

3. You\u2019re Not Using Research Forms<\/h3>\n

From the ever-important research log to a family group sheet, research forms are something many people just never find the time to explore. But they are a tool used by professionals for a reason. They help you stay on task, cover the basics, highlight facts you\u2019re missing and help you discover the information you need to add new (and correct!) lines to your tree.<\/p>\n

Family History Daily offers free articles on using some of these forms (see the links above) as well as a dedicated digital workbook that includes the most important ones in a convenient online fillable format (or print). You can get this as part of our Complete Course Package or with our Organization Course, which also offers detailed help for using them in your own research.<\/p>\n

If you would prefer to search them out individually, you can also do a google search and find many of these forms online that you can print out. Here\u2019s are some of our favorites.<\/p>\n

Research LogFamily Group SheetAncestor TimelineName Variation TrackerEmail Correspondence Form<\/p>\n

Start by giving at least one of these a try and see how it helps you tackle your overwhelm.<\/p>\n

4. You\u2019re Only Doing the Fun Stuff<\/h3>\n

So, you like to spend the less than ideal<\/strong> amount of time you get for family history research doing something fun? You\u2019re not alone. We all want to do this. And there\u2019s nothing wrong with spending most of your genealogy hours really enjoying what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

But there is also an important time and place for doing the stuff you don\u2019t care for as much. This may mean those things we\u2019ve already discussed, like organization and record sourcing, but can include a number of other tasks that get pushed aside in favor of digging into something more exciting.<\/p>\n

Take a look at the list below and see which ones you\u2019ve been skipping. Checking off even a couple of these could be just what you need to lighten your mind and stop feeling like your research is starting to get away from you.<\/p>\n

Not running error checks on your tree to make sure everything is accurateNot responding to that message you got from someone that could really help youNot backing up your research somewhere safe (files do get destroyed!)Not adding old photos or records you\u2019ve collected to the correct ancestorChoosing to ignore a fact or two you suspect to be incorrect or incorrectly documentedDoing the research but not updating your actual treeNot asking a relative who may have information for helpDoing too much. Research is not a race. Take it slow and enjoy the process.<\/p>\n

Do any of these sound familiar? If so, pick one and tackle it. It could make all the difference.<\/p>\n

5. You Don\u2019t Have Enough Information<\/h3>\n

Finally, many genealogists get stuck inside a research bubble. After all, it\u2019s easy and tempting to keep doing what we know how to do and ignore the rest. Researching on the same sites over and over again, not trying out new programs or tools, and not having the help you need to overcome obstacles can lead to a tree that is just not growing the way you like.<\/p>\n

Luckily there are thousands of helpful articles online from a wide variety of wonderful sources (like FamilySearch\u2019s wiki database) that will help you step outside of this bubble and expand your mind. Family History Daily alone has hundreds of free pages of help and we also offer online courses that will take you all the way from the basics (and the overlooked basics) to advanced, expert research tricks.<\/p>\n

So get out there and learn! Every time you do, you\u2019ll be able to take steps to improve your research methods AND your tree \u2013 all while feeling more empowered and in control.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re so glad you share our love of family history research \u2013 if you\u2019re feeling a bit overwhelmed we hope this article will help you overcome it so you can enjoy this hobby for many years to come.<\/p>\n

Other articles you might enjoy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

20 Things Your Ancestors Did That You Probably Never WillWhy Getting to Know an Ancestor\u2019s Location Can Be a Research Game Changer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Feeling a Bit Overwhelmed by Your Research? Here\u2019s Why Last Updated July 19, 2023 Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!) Family history research is one of the most popular hobbies on earth, and one of the most enjoyable. Most of us look forward to those special moments when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-guides","tag-db"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions\/176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}