Hey Lovely Genies! ✨
Did you know that genealogy challenges can be transformed into genealogy organisation opportunities?
Much like the dandelion’s ingenious method of seed dispersal, genealogy roadblocks are opportunities for innovation and progress. 🌱🌼
I had a recent experience that I learned a lot from – and I thought it might help you too. 💡
Have you ever…
Faced a genealogy roadblock that was so frustrating because the solution seemed to be out of reach? 🛑
You just wanted it fixed!
And then you discover that it held the key 🔑 to a game-changing solution?
Well, that was me two weeks ago!
I wanted a colour copy of my 2024 Genealogy Organising Planner.
Simple right!
Until I researched what the local copy store was going to charge me!
I desperately wanted a printed copy, but the cost was exorbitant! 💵😩💵
And then I was thinking about you lovely genies – you probably experienced the same thing.
So then I started feeling bad. 😢
Because I had created a problem not just for me, but worse, for all of you!
Here was this fabulous planner that was too expensive to print!
❓❓I thought – what’s the point of having it???
(I was not feeling grand at this point).
I didn’t know what to do… 🤔
So here’s the twist – 🎉 necessity sparked innovation.
I wanted to find a way that all you lovely genies could print the planner at a reasonable cost.
Let’s queue_ _ _ online, on-demand printing! (OMG, it’s my new favourite thing!)
And with a bit of 💪 reworking…
Voilà, anyone can now access the planner 📚 (with proper professional covers and binding!) and have it delivered to their house – for less than half the cost!
[Insert HAPPY DANCE here 💃🏻 💃🏻 💃🏻]
This whole 180° scenario got me thinking – how can we optimise this journey?
Can our challenges become catalysts for positive change and organisation?
What are the key elements that help us transform a difficulty into an opportunity?
And this is what I want to share with you…
Here are my ‘Top 5 Tips For Turning Genealogy Challenges into Genealogy Organisation Opportunities’
🔍 Identify The Problem 🔍
- This may not be as easy as it sounds!
- Finding the root problem could involve deeper exploration
- Take your time and really assess where the problem lays
- ‘Where does it start’ and ‘what/who does it affect’ are two really important questions
- Give yourself time to think about it over a few days – perhaps even weeks – so that your subconscious mind has time to work on it too
🧠 Engage A Learning Mindset 🧠
- While the problem may seem overwhelming, take a step back and know that it is not only manageable – but changeable
- Pay attention to your self-talk – that it’s not focused on the problem, but rather the potential solutions/s
- Embrace the situation as a learning opportunity – as a chance to make improvements in your genealogy and its organisation
- Adopting a continuous learning attitude turns setbacks into stepping stones
- Celebrate not only achievements but also moments of learning and improvement – this reinforces the mindset that challenges are valuable experiences
🖼️ Use The Power Of Reframing & Association 🖼️
- Use the power of association to reframe the situation
- Explore connections between seemingly unrelated elements or situations to help spark creative ideas for innovative approaches to genealogy organisation
- Ask yourself ‘what’ questions rather than ‘how’ questions so that the logistics don’t cramp your innovation
- Capture all of your ideas, mix them up, shake them out so that your ideas go beyond traditional thinking and strategies
- These tactics may not prove to the be the final answer, but they may well shine a light on it
🛠️ Turn It Into A Project 🛠️
- Give yourself permission to spend time on this opportunity to overcome this bugbear – it’s an investment in yourself and your genealogy
- Spend time on outlining your desired outcome/s so you know what you’re aiming for
- Be flexible – an innovative solution will require that breadth of scope
- Capture and capitalise on your evolving insights – they may just provide the key
- Gather any resources you may need (including the 2024 Genealogy Organising Planner) so you can map-out action plans – or at least, a sense of direction
👥 Seek Guidance & Ideas 👥
- Seek guidance and resources where you can – you don’t have to do this alone
- Collective wisdom can provide fresh perspectives and practical solutions
- The answer may lie in an unexpected quarter – so the more perspectives and experiences you can gather, the better the input, and potentially, the better the solution
- Use genealogy brain trusts such as the Organise Your Genealogy Facebook group – we have more than 17,000 brains in there!
- Referring back to tip three, mix and match the advice you receive because inspiration and the answer may come from a few different sources
I hope this helps give you some motivation and inspiration.
And if you have an example of your own, please share it. 🙏❤️

PS. If you haven’t already got your copy…
Here’s the Genealogy Organising Planner PDF
And here’s the Genealogy Organising Workbook