This week’s #52Ancestors theme is “A Breakthrough Moment,” but here’s my confession: I haven’t had a major genealogy research breakthrough in months.
Despite attending genealogy conferences last year, enrolling in multiple courses, and maintaining a weekly genealogy blog, I’m starting to understand why those breakthroughs aren’t happening. Somewhere along the way, learning genealogy became my primary activity instead of actual research. The genealogy education trap is real.
Then there’s the blogging paradox. Writing about genealogy research means having less time to conduct genealogy research. Each post consumes four to six hours that could be spent in databases or analyzing DNA matches.
Between my full-time work-from-home job, family obligations with my husband, son, and parents, and all the genealogy commitments I’ve created, what’s left for actual research? The genealogy research breakthrough I’m chasing isn’t about finding a specific record. It’s about breaking through the trap where learning and writing have replaced doing.