Monthly Plans For Genealogy: 5 Simple Steps

Genealogy plans are essential because they have so many benefits no matter what is on your genealogy research checklist or wish list.

Below I’ve outlined several genealogy tips on how to research genealogy using monthly plans – and I’ve even included a step-by-step plan.

This article can be used as an overview, or as part of my genealogy research plan template…

Genealogy Research Plan Example

2023 Genealogy Research Planner

Which can be downloaded here

Benefits Of A Monthly Genealogy Plan

There are six major benefits of planning monthly when researching your family history – and they are:

Clarity – you understand what needs to be done to move forward

Confidence – you feel you’re following the right direction

Flexibility – you know you can easily make adjustments if needed

Focus – you have a ‘to do’ list to guide your activity

Purpose – you know what you want to achieve increasing your drive and determination

Productivity – you have a clear roadmap to follow (Happy days!)

Now you know how you can benefit from having a monthly plan, it’s now time to use the 5 Simple FRAME Steps to bring your plan to life.

The Five Simple FRAME Steps To Creating A Monthly Plan

To create your own monthly plan, I’ve created a simple step-by-step FRAME-work to follow (I loooove an acronym because they help me remember things!).

1. FIND: Review your current genealogy goals and identify what you want to achieve.

2. RECORD: Do a brain dump of every task that needs to be done.

3. ASSORT: Group your ‘to dos’ into monthly projects so they each have a single aim/focus.

4. MAXIMISE: Make sure your monthly plans are SMART (by referring to questions below).

5. EXECUTE: Activate your plan and regularly track your progress.

Setting SMART Monthly Genealogy Goals

As mentioned above in Step 4, one of the key aspects of monthly planning for your family history is setting SMART monthly goals – they will help you research your family tree.

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely and to understand if your goals meet these requirements, here are five simple questions to ask yourself.

S = Specific: Ask yourself, “What do I want to achieve?”

M = Measurable: Ask yourself: “How will I know when I’ve achieved it?”

A = Attainable: Ask yourself “Can I achieve it?”

R = Relevant: Ask yourself “Does it help me achieve what I want?”

T = Timely: Ask yourself: “When do I need to achieve it by?”

These question are so powerful because they’re so simple, yet help you get right to the point.

If you ask yourself these questions and find that your goals aren’t as SMART as you’d like, then review your plans and adapt them as necessary – it’s much better to find out earlier rather than later!

Creating Your Own Monthly Plans

It’s now time for you to create your own monthly plan so that you can start each month with a clear objective.

It’s important to know what you have planned each month because it will give you the structure to help you stay focused and organised.

A monthly plan will help increase your confidence and decrease your stress because you’re more likely to stay on track and reach your goals.

Related Genealogy Planner Articles

This article is the first in a series to accompany the 2023 Genealogy Research Planner which can be used as your genealogy research plan template and can be downloaded from here.

#1: How To Set An Annual Goal For Your Genealogy Plan

#2: Plan Your Genealogy Quarter-By-Quarter To Achieve Your Goals

#4: Introducing The 1-Page Genealogy Research Plan

#5: Boost Your Genealogy Workflow With This Simple Productivity Template

#6: The Benefits Of Using A Genealogy Progress Tracker

To download the the Genealogy Planner Workbook: Access Here