I'm notorious, at least in my own mind. I'm a great gatherer of information but then I file it all away in drawers or on shelves, not putting the information gathered in the places where it would add to my family knowledge. What lingers is the excitement of discovery not the facts that were discovered. That means, of course, I get to find things all over again in my own books of written notes and in photos I've taken of records and books.
There is a point though, where I have to take stock. That's usually when I'm preparing for my next research trip. After all, it wouldn't do to hunt down information I've already found. I got to the taking stock point recently when I started the long process of getting ready for a trip to the FamilySearch Library. That's a place where you really need to focus or you could get lost in all the floors full of researchable information.
This time I'll have at least two projects to focus on, the story of Alexander Matheson, my civil war soldier, and the other, larger endeavour, filling in my family tree with the collateral lines for my Dorset ancestors. Perhaps I should first look through my notes, thumbdrives and photos of records to see if I have anything at hand that answers questions for either of those projects.
I may curse myself for being so unorganized but it means that there are valuable things to be found in my own drawers full of information. Perhaps I should take a course on organization but sometimes being unorganized is a boon. Like when I stumble across a forgotten record and inspiration strikes. There could be a story in that hidden treasure I just uncovered.
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