2014 New Year's Resolutions ~ Or Not

Emma Zaugg 16 yrs old

In some years past I have diligently set forth my genealogy goals for the year - and then promptly not followed them. Oh I am VERY good at setting down goals - solid, specific, and achievable goals.  I can even divide them up into very do-able chunks with appropriate ECDs attached.  None of that, however, seems to get me any closer to actually doing the things on my list.

I was recently re-reading Emma, by Jane Austen, and came across a passage that just makes me think of myself,

“Emma has been meaning to read more ever since she was twelve years old. I have seen a great many lists of her drawingup at various times of books that she meant to read regularly through—and very good lists they were—very well chosen, and very neatly arranged—sometimes alphabetically, and sometimes by some other rule. The list she drew up when only fourteen—I remember thinking it did her judgment so much credit, that I preserved it some time; and I dare say she may have made out a very good list now. But I have done with expecting any course of steady reading from Emma. She will never submit to any thing requiring industry and patience, and a subjection of the fancy to the understanding.” 

So this year, instead of generating a year's worth of things I will (not) do, I'm going to pick my two areas of focus and then come up with the ONE next thing I need to do.  The first focus will be on my nieces' DAR applications and the second will be doing some Zaugg research in preparation for an anticipated trip to Switzerland.  So what is the next thing I need to do for each one?

DAR application - review all the items (indexes etc) that I found while at the ACPL in August and see what they've told me.  The deliverable here is to see what, if anything, I could look for when I am in Salt Lake City for SLIG.

Zaugg research - pretty much ditto above expect it's just to review what I have and see what to look for in SLC.

So that only gives me a week for these items - I'd better buckle down over the weekend!