iDailyDiary Keeping Notes Organized

 

Maybe you have a research plan, tons of links to sites/records you've saved as you research, or notes about conversations with relatives. It's important to organize and save notes so you can refer to them or research them later. There are tons of tools to help do this...online, old school notebooks and scraps of paper, desktop or portable software....what works for one person may not work for another. Most of us probably use some combination of the various methods. The key is finding what works for you and using it consistently.

I use iDailyDiary by Splinterware. It's a simple to use downloadable software program I use as my notebook. Since I do most of my research from home, I don't have a need for portability (although you can install and run it from USB). There's a free version of iDailyDiary and a Professional Version ($30). The Professional version is a perpetual license, so there are no additional fees. I've had iDailyDiary for years and have never had to pay for any upgrades. The program is updated every so often, and they even have an app now (but it does not currently sync with the software). If you use a tablet for your research, the app would be a great option! 

I don't use the dated diary pages (although if you want to chronicle your research journey it would be a wonderful use of the program), I choose to use the software as a notebook. You can enter data, insert images, save links and files within the pages, easily format data and much more! You can even create separate notebooks for different topics. Take a tour of the many features to see what it may be able to offer you. 

The most important pages I have are links I've found to records I need to research, organized by person. They may be for people in my tree, people I know will end up in my tree, or occasionally a person I haven't quite been able to pinpoint the importance of - but I want to remember in case I run across them again. I also keep a separate page for notes family members provide, or recollections shared with me during conversations (so I can create stories from the information later - always with the permission of the person who shared with me.) The beauty of iDailyDiary is the ability to search the entire diary. Can't remember where you saved something? No problem! Just search the whole diary. It's also easy to add, delete and rearrange pages. iDailyDiary is full featured, simple and straightforward solution to organizing notes and thoughts.

I've learned the hard way, you think you'll remember where you saw something online, but many times, no matter how hard you search, you just can't find it again. Saving all my notes and links means I'll always have them when I'm ready to work on them. I like having them in a separate program so I'm not flipping between tabs in a browser or going back and forth from a to-do list in my desktop genealogy software. To me, keeping notes separate makes sense. If you prefer keeping everything in a single location like shoebox on Ancestry, in the person notes of your tree, or in your desktop software to-do list, that's great! The important part is making sure your notes are organized and accessible in a way you find conducive to your research. 

Since there's a free version of iDailyDiary, why not download it and give it a try? I upgraded to the Professional version because I like to support the software developers who make what I consider to be a truly useful product. Software development is time consuming and for small companies or individual programmers, they aren't making a living by giving away free software. So if you try the software and find it useful, and your financial circumstances allow, please consider purchasing the full featured Professional version of iDailyDiary  to show your support. Even if you don't choose to use it for your genealogy research, you may find it valuable as a journaling tool, or for some other application where organization is key,

Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay