Friday, January 6, 2012

Follow Up Friday - How I'm Doing On My January Goals

So here it is the first Friday of the month. This is Follow Up Friday where those of us who are participating in Corn and Cotton's Blogging Meme post what they achieved towards their 2012 goals. In my last "goal" post I broke down my year goals and posted what I planned to work on in January. I think I did fairly well this week. I'm tired and I will be glad to see date night tonight, but for the most part I am satisfied. I still have a couple of things I want to get done this weekend, (lecture to attend, client work to do) but for the most part I am pleased with my week. I spent a fair amount of time scheduling things into my day planner and for the most part stuck to what I had scheduled. I really liked the structure this provided. Furthermore, I feel the accountability the Meme is providing is just what I need to keep me on task. (Thanks Stephanie) So without further ado, here are my accomplishments.

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. So far the New Year resolution momentum is serving me well and I feel I got a lot done. I addition to those things you will find below:
         I will be attending a lecture presented by Lisa Louise Cooke on Sunday at the Central Library in Sacramento (with my friend and cohort in crime, Gloryann). 
         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. (More about this in the next blog.)
         I worked on two clients cases.
         I talked with and scheduled some speakers for the Second Life Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
         I attended a meeting in Second Life. 
         I took care of personal life things like Doctor's appointments, lawyer consultations, church work, plumbers, chimney sweep, 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.
         I ordered my new business cards on Tuesday. 
2. I need to prepare my "homework" for SLIG (Tom Jones class. We haven't even got there and we have homework)
         Still need to do this
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)
         This is on the schedule for Monday
4. Make a list of things I want to learn during RootsTech
         This is done
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
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)
         If you don't count the Tombstone Tuesday post (which I don't, it didn't require much writing) I have    posted three times this month already (with this post counting as one). I have 2 others all done and waiting to post. So that is five out of the goal of six. 
7. I will be attending a Webinar by Thomas McEntee and two Webinars put on by Legacy in January
         Because of a doctor's appointment that ran late I missed the Webinar I was to attend on Wednesday. But I will review it from Legacy archives (or if it is not available I will find another.)
8. I will be attending SLIG (both 7 & 8 go towards my educational goals for the year)
         Can't wait
9. I plan on getting three classes done on the NGS Home Study Course in January
         Finished Lesson Number One today. (One down, two to go to reach my goal)
10. I have set a goal of finishing two classes from National Institute for Genealogical Studies (GenealogicalStudies.com)
         Discovered that the class I was half way through has expired so I need to re-up for it. So a little more time involved. I can't just click into the website and off I go. Hoped to have it finished before the next one began. So this will be addressed next week. Meanwhile, my next class begins on Jan 9. 
11. The organization of my genealogy files (already in progress)
         Didn't work on this at all this week. Hope to get to it next week. It's on the schedule.
12. To check on my various genealogy memberships (societies, NGS, APG, Speakers Guild, etc) and be sure they are all up to date.
         I just put this on the schedule for next week.
13. Transcribe the Succession Papers (It's like a will) for Irma Domingue (wife of Slyvester Romero) for my certification work.
         Got three pages done this week. (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.
15. Send for two different succession records for Landry and Romero (for use in Kinship part of my certification work)
         This is on the schedule for next week. 
16. Order three films for review in Feb. from my Family History Center
         I will do this right before my trip so that they arrive about the same time I get home. I don't look at films at the Family History Library since I can do that at home. I'd rather spend my time looking at the books and other sources that I can't get at home. 


Well, that's it for this week. Wow, what a colorful blog. Although the color coding thing works, I think I need to find a better way to show my progress. Any ideas anyone? However, on the achievement scale Not Bad, if I do say so myself. I have a good feeling that I can achieve all that I have set up to achieve in January. What do you think? How are you doing? (Caroline, my goal buddy, how are you doing?)