I guess that I could make excuses that the concept was above my understanding. Or maybe I could say that the template was too detailed for me and became cumbersome. It was the template's fault, not mine.
I could say all of this and make convincing arguments to the point that you would agree with me that technology was a waste of our time. You'd sit there scratching your heads wondering why on earth you thought Microsoft programs were the bee's knees. You'd be ready to throw that expensive piece of machinery that you use to read this blog right out the window.
But part of this do-over is looking deep within ourselves and making changes to how we handle our genealogy. I wanted to be the person that gave up the pen and paper and turned to the computer to handle every last part of my genealogical research. The practical part of my brain said that it would save time and money to use the computer. It would save trees since I wouldn't be using so much notebook paper. But the emotional part...Why was it so hard to give up the old-fashioned way of handling things?
It very well may be that all my life I battled a learning disability and learned at a young age that as long as I wrote it out and organized it the way my mind worked I could remember it and succeed in my endeavors. My brain just cannot wrap itself around concepts that I cannot fully understand. How does Evernote search our tags to find the note that I wrote? How does Excel expand the boxes as I type my notes into them? I know how pen and paper work. I know how my brain works. And I am used to it.
So what if I can't work with technology the way Thomas can? At the beginning it was made clear that we would evolve as genealogists by the time we were done with this challenge. Maybe me evolving is accepting my limitations and that certain things will never work for me the way I would like them to. Maybe it is knowing that it is ok to do things the old-fashioned way. And just maybe, by the end of this challenge I will have figured out how not to beat myself up over my disabilities and I might just learn a lesson or two about myself that I can carry over into my everyday lifestyle.
whoa, there Nellie! You want to use Excel like Thomas? No one can do that. Step back and approach again, slowly. Maybe search for the concepts behind spreadsheets so you know what they're about. They're different animals than charts, tables, and word documents. Take one, just one, of the spreadsheet worksheets that Thomas gave us and put some information in it, filling in the blanks. And you know how when kids play games, they just try stuff out and crash and burn and then do it all over again? I hate that way of learning. when SuperMario jumps in the air and throws a fireball, all I can think of is How would anyone know to do that? spreadsheets are a bit like that. But there are lots of ways to learn to use them. Try some YouTube videos. or if you like printed manuals for step by step, do a google search for some. You are not learning disabled for needing to understand the structure of something before you can "get it". Personally, I think that's just smart learning. Keep asking for help when you need it. And if you really like pencil and paper best, go for it. There's something satisfying about filling up a sheet of paper with your own writing.
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