Winter 2010 GeneaBloggers Games and my messy, messy desk

Flags representing (upper) my ancestry as a (primarily) Franco-British-American and (lower) the flag of Louisiana Cajuns (I grew up in SW La.).  If I had my druthers, I'd create a collage with the lower flag in the center & flags of my blog title ancestries surrounding it, but I am graphics-program-challenged and don't want to waste more time at this, so this will have to do!  Use your imagination. :)

OK, I'll bite.  I'm participating in the Winter 2010 GeneaBloggers Games (inspired by the Olympics), if only to goad myself into organizing some of the piles of paper and folders and boxes and CDs of photos cluttering up my desk and the floor around it.  The "rules" require a flag, so mine are pictured above.  Reports on my progress to follow.

Part of the problem is a nice one to have--lots of info and photos accumulated over the past couple of years--and part not--I can get organized but sometimes have trouble staying that way.  I also like to flit around from branch to branch of my family tree depending on my current interest or the contents of my e-mail in-box.  I really enjoy the freedom to do that with my personal genealogy, but lately I'm feeling a little guilty for some info/e-mails I owe a few cousins and also rather overwhelmed at all the folders and papers I have lying around calling out for me to enter data into my database, file or scan info, organize, prioritize, etc.

I can't believe I'm actually posting this photo.  Yes, this really is my desk.  Now maybe I'll do something about it.

I don't like genealogy to feel like work--it's too much fun for that.  But perhaps clearing my desk and establishing some priorities [I do have a genealogy "to do" list but it doesn't include much about the housekeeping part of genealogy] and routines [15 minutes a day of entering data, filing once or twice a week, etc.] would help me have more fun.  I am NOT a "BO" ["Born Organized"] type of person, so if anyone wants to give me organization tips that work for creative thinkers [as in, "I can't remember what I filed that under because I can think of so many possibilities" :)], feel free.

I'm not promising gold medals here, people--I have a lot of non-genealogical things I currently need to be doing--but I'm hoping the possibility of public humiliation will get me working on this stuff.  Backing Up (which I have done regularly in the past, but not recently) and Organizing will be my main "events" in the GB Games.  Anything else I get done will be lagniappe.  And any progress will be a win!

Text/photos copyright 2010 by Liz Hall Morgan