Friday, January 13, 2012

Follow Up Friday - How I'm Doing - January Second Week

Here it is the second week of January and I am ripping right through my goals for January. I have to. I loose part of my month to a wonderful conference/institute. I am going to SLIG! (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy) I will be too busy there to work on much of my goal list.

My "goal buddy" Caroline Pointer over at the YourFamilyStories blog is ripping right through her's too. As are all the folks participating in Corn and Cotton's Meme.

Once again things I got done this week will be in red. Things I have put on the schedule for next week (or coming up later like the conferences) are in blue and those things that I had planned on doing and somehow they just didn't happen, well, those are in green. When everything is in RED I plan a well deserved ice cream coma.

         I attended a presentation on search stratigies presented by Lisa Louise Cooke on Sunday (Jan 8 at the Central Library in Sacramento. My friend Gloryann was supossed to go with me, but she bowed out. I did run into lots of other friends there. Sherri Finley from      blog was there, as was Sandy and Denise from Root Cellar (Sacramento Genealogy Society)
         I wrote a blog (and posted it today) about the field trip I attended (the Northern California Association of Professional Genealogists field trip to the Special Collections Department of the Library at the University of the Pacific.)
         I worked on three clients cases. And had one client meeting.
         I talked with and scheduled some speakers for the Second Life Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. (See the Facebook page (Genealogists in Second Life) for the line up of speakers for the year.
         I attended the first Second Life APG meeting for the year.  (Great presentation on Polish research by Sherlock)
         I researched & downloaded all the information I need to apply for my new business license. (I'll be finishing that up in February after I get back from the conferences. 
         I took care of personal life things like doctor's appointments, lawyer consultations, church work, aborist, grocery shopping, cooking, house cleaning, and reading.  


1. Before I attend those conferences I need to get my business cards made up with my new business name.
         The business cards have been designed and I am looking at the proofs on Monday. I'll make the final changes and they will be printed and in my hot little hands before SLIG. I've also started working on my new website and blog changes. 
2. I need to prepare my "homework" for SLIG (Tom Jones class. We haven't even got there and we have homework)
         I have read through and am in the process of charting out the homework. I will be Skyping my "Tom Jones Class Buddy" Kathryn this coming week to discuss.
3. Gather together what I will need to do research in the Family History Library (I have about 4 days available to do research there between SLIG and RootsTech)
         I am gathered and set to go. I will be working on my certification project and my Parker family. I also promised a friend that I would spend half a day gathering stuff she forgot to get when she was there in Oct. 
4. Make a list of things I want to learn during RootsTech
         This is done. Now if I can just find a willing victim friend to help me learn what goes over my head in the lectures. (I've also plotted out my classes and unless I get distracted by "bright and shiny things" I have decided ....oh wait, Thomas is speaking there, and I might want to hear Lisa Alzo there...)
5. I have a deadline of Jan 8 to submit my class handouts for the two lectures I will be giving in Redding on Feb 25.
         This is done and I am waiting to hear back if they meet her needs. I have also finished tweaking the presentations. Will check them again closer to the event.
6. Write six blogs for January (I have set six blogs per month as my overall goal and I feel that is very doable. Six blogs per month equals 72 blogs and I posted 77 last year)
        I have posted five posts (counting this one but not counting Tombstone Tuesday). I have six more that I have partially written and they will be posted this month as well. So I have met and exceeded my goal. Plus I will probably blog about the SLIG course. 
7. I will be attending a Webinar by Thomas McEntee and two Webinars put on by Legacy in January
         Attended Thomas' wonderful webinar and I will be viewing the other two this coming week. 
8. I will be attending SLIG (both 7 & 8 go towards my educational goals for the year)
         Working on my homework as mentioned above. I am looking forward to this year, I think it will be a challenge to me. 
9. I plan on getting three classes done on the NGS Home Study Course in January
         Didn't work on this. I will try to work on class number two on Saturday or Sunday.
10. I have set a goal of finishing two classes from National Institute for Genealogical Studies (GenealogicalStudies.com)
         Ok, ran into some major technical glitches and had to take my computer to the doctor this week to correct them. (Yes, I was without my computer for a whole day, suffered withdrawals.) But now I am able to access my classes and I am enrolled in three classes. So I better get a shuffle in my duffle  and get a move on.  
11. The organization of my genealogy files (already in progress)
         Ok, once again I have to say: Didn't work on this at all this week. Hope to get to it next week. It's on the schedule. I'm so bad. I keep procrastinating this very much needed step. Someone want to come help? 
12. To check on my various genealogy memberships (societies, NGS, APG, Speakers Guild, etc) and be sure they are all up to date.
         Renewed my membership with Genealogy Speakers Guild, and Root Cellar, (my local society) all my other memberships are good.
13. Transcribe the Succession Papers (It's like a will) for Irma Domingue (wife of Slyvester Romero) for my certification work.
         Completed four more pages this week. Total stands at seven pages (It's 20 pages long.) 
14. Review my Rhoades family genealogy and see if there is something in that research I can use for my certification.
         Didn't work on this. But there is one more week
15. Send for two different succession records for Landry and Romero (for use in Kinship part of my certification work)
        Didn't get to this either. Don't know why. This should be easy to cross off the list. NEXT WEEK.
16. Order three films for review in Feb. from my Family History Center
         I will do this right before my trip, but I have looked through the card catalog and decided which ones I want to order. 


That's the week in review. More and more of it is turning red. Yee Ha. I wasn't going to keep with the color coding thing but several people have told me it works. And I have to admit. I can't wait to see the whole page turn red.
How are you doing with your goals? Chime in, we're in this together, right? To see how other's are doing with their goals check out Corn and Cotton for links.