You’re probably wondering how to track your genealogy research objectives right?
When working toward your goals, using a genealogy progress tracker can make all the difference.
By developing a research plan and using a genealogy progress tracker, you can quite literally see your progress on paper (or on screen) and reap the rewards in three significant ways:
- Motivation
- Self-awareness
- Accomplishment
Motivation: One of the biggest benefits of using a form to track your genealogy work is increased motivation – and who doesn’t want some of that! A tracker offers tangible evidence of your progress, and even when it feels like you’re going too slowly, or things are getting tough, you can still see that you’re making steady progress which will help you stay focused and keep moving the needle on your genealogy pursuits.
Self-awareness: Tracking your genealogy progress can also help you become more self-aware. By reflecting on your daily plans, and whether you’ve reached them or not, you gain a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and can adapt to suit.
Accomplishment: The third great personal benefit of using a genealogy tracker is an increased sense of accomplishment. Seeing your progress increase can provide a great sense of pride and satisfaction, and can help you feel more confident in your planning and follow-through abilities.
Common Struggles with Family History Trackers
Tracking your progress towards reaching your genealogy goals is crucial for success, but it can also be difficult and overwhelming. Many people struggle with tracking because they don’t have the right tools which causes the following three issues:
- Don’t know where to start
- Unsure of what to track
- And less sure of how to track it
However, fear-not my lovely genie friends, I’ve created an easy-to-use solution for you in the 2023 Genealogy Research Planner – on pages 26-29 you have a genealogy checklist planner for a whole year!
Most people struggle to track their genealogy progress simple because they don’t have a tool (or the right tool) that acts as a guide for the process. What I’ve created is like a genealogy tracking spreadsheet, and by following my lead, you’ll be able to track your progress with ease.
Genealogy Research Tracker Template Can Be Downloaded Here
2023 Genealogy Research Planner
Which can be downloaded here
Don’t let the challenges of tracking your progress toward your genealogy research plan hold you back because my genealogy tracker template will help you get started today.
The Benefits of Using a Genealogy Progress Tracker
Using a tracker for your family history is one of the most valuable tools you can use for your genealogy research journey.
There are multiple benefits to using a family heritage tracker, and I’ve outlined a few below for you:
Measuring Progress: This is the number one tracking benefit because you can see your progress over time – which is the first, and potentially most important, step. Concentrating on your achievements will help you enormously, and specifically, by watching your hard work pay off, you’ll be able to stay focused and ideally celebrate each movement forward.
Accountability: By tracking your progress, you become accountable to yourself and your goals. This ‘inked’ record of your achievements provides you with a visual reminder of what you have accomplished and how far you’ve come.
Reflection & Refinement: Regularly reviewing your progress can help you identify patterns of achievement and how incremental, small, achievable actions lead to exciting progress which will encourage you to make any necessary activity adjustments to aim for more ‘ticks’ on your tracker.
Creating Habits: Tracking your progress will also help you build new habits, encouraging consistency in your research and ultimately leading to positive change. With the right genealogy progress tracker, you can turn your goals into a reality.
So, if you’re ready to take your genealogy research to the next level, consider using a genealogy progress tracker to unlock your success today!
The Key to Building Good Habits and Achieving Success with a Research Tracker
So what makes a habit good you may be asking…
Good habits are repeated behaviours that support your values and goals, have a positive impact on your life, and promote your self-worth.
They’re formed by consistent repetition (even when you seriously don’t feel like doing it!) over an extended period of time – and you’ll find action will gradually become easier to implement, and then will become automatic.
You can develop good habits in any scenario – including of course, genealogy research techniques!
What I teach in terms of progress and productivity, is the ‘3 To Thrive’ and that means identifying three of your highest priorities (which we cover in the Genealogy Research Planner) and focusing on doing those each day.
The visual record of your 3 To Thrive activity (ie. the tracker) helps you see your good habits as they’re developing, which in turn increases your feelings of confidence and momentum, which in turns creates a positive feedback-loop when you ‘tick the tracker.’
Maximize Your Progress in Genealogy with Regular Reviews and a Tracker
Regular reviews of your actions are a great way to keep yourself accountable, reflect on your progress, and make positive changes as we’ve outlined.
By asking yourself, “Have I achieved my ‘3 To Thrive’ today?” and marking your planner in the affirmative, is a strong indicator that you’re taking solid steps towards making progress in your genealogy journey.
It’s important to set achievable daily goals and tracking these daily wins. I recommend being ‘loud and proud’ in the way you mark your planner because celebrating your accomplishments, even if they’re small, can boost your ‘feel good’ hormone called dopamine and incentivise you to create really great research habits.
Remember, with each tick you’re a step closer to reaching your goals. And while we’re not aiming for a 100% success rate, reaching 85% or more is a remarkable achievement and will definitely move you closer to 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
#3: Monthly Plans For Genealogy: 5 Simple Steps
#4: Introducing The 1-Page Genealogy Research Plan
#5: Boost Your Genealogy Workflow With This Simple Productivity Template
To download the the Genealogy Planner Workbook: Access Here