Are you an avid user of AI to assist with your genealogy research? If so, do you have a collection of carefully crafted prompts—or do you, like me, tend to approach AI as a conversational partner? While I do rely on a consistent prompt when creating narrative reports, most of my interactions with ChatGPT feel more like ongoing conversations than scripted instructions.
One of those recent conversations focused on my genealogy goals for 2026. Although I ultimately decided to reuse my 2025 goals for the coming year, the discussion itself was worth sharing. Below, I’ve included excerpts from that conversation, quoting both my prompts and ChatGPT’s responses, as a way to show how AI can be used as a sounding board for reflection, planning, and refinement.
Me: If I was to write my own goals for 2026, they would likely duplicate my 2025 goals. Can you suggest goals for 2026?
ChatGPT
That instinct—that your 2026 goals would naturally resemble your 2025 goals—is actually a sign of a mature research practice. The difference going into 2026 doesn’t need to be what you do, but how intentionally and how visibly you do it. Below are 2026 goals that build directly on your 2025 work while pushing it forward in measurable, sustainable ways.
Suggested Genealogy Goals for 2026
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI): From Exploration to Documentation
2026 Goal:
Move from experimentation to standardization by documenting and refining how AI fits into my genealogy workflow.
What this looks like in practice:
- Establish a small set of “go-to” AI use cases (narratives, transcription support, visualization, analysis).
- Create or refine personal AI standards (citations, transparency, limits).
- Share occasional reflections on what works—and what doesn’t—when using AI in genealogy.
2. Blogging: From Consistency to Cohesion
2026 Goal:
Continue posting regularly while strengthening connections between related posts and projects.
What this looks like in practice:
- Group related posts into clearly labeled series or hub pages.
- Periodically revisit older posts to add links, updates, or new findings.
- Use blog posts not only to report discoveries, but to document methodology and reasoning.
3. Sharing: From Contribution to Stewardship
2026 Goal:
Focus on maintaining, updating, and improving previously shared research across collaborative platforms.
What this looks like in practice:
- Revisit FamilySearch, WikiTree, and Ancestry profiles tied to ongoing research questions.
- Add or improve citations, notes, and explanations rather than just new facts.
- Treat public trees and profiles as living documents that evolve with new evidence.
4. DNA Research: From Skill-Building to Case Studies
2026 Goal:
Apply DNA analysis skills to a small number of focused research problems and document the process.
What this looks like in practice:
- Select one or two DNA “problem cases” to follow deeply.
- Track hypotheses, evidence, and conclusions over time.
- Share DNA learning experiences through blog posts or visual aids that help others learn alongside me.
5. Research Management: From Activity to Sustainability (New Goal)
2026 Goal:
Strengthen systems that support long-term research without burnout.
What this looks like in practice:
- Periodically audit databases, citations, and digital files.
- Streamline workflows for document storage, naming, and citation.
- Balance discovery-driven research with maintenance and review.
6. Storytelling: From Facts to Context (New Goal)
2026 Goal:
Continue turning well-documented research into accessible, engaging family history stories.
What this looks like in practice:
- Expand narrative formats (written, audio, visual).
- Add historical and social context where appropriate.
- Preserve both evidence and interpretation for future readers.
A Framing Sentence You Could Use in Your Post
While my 2026 goals may look similar to those from 2025, they reflect a shift from exploration to intention—building on what I’ve learned and refining how I document, share, and sustain my genealogy work.
If you’d like, I can:
- Rewrite these as concise bullet goals for a blog post
- Turn them into SMART-style goals without making them rigid
- Help you create a visual or infographic version
- Align them explicitly with your Heartland Genealogy themes
Just tell me how you’d like to present them.
Me: My Monday and Friday posts are based on going thru my paper files, transcribing documents if needed , making sure they are sourced in RootsMagic, writing a post and discarding the paper copy. I want to continue this practice. How does it integrate with the above goals?
ChatGPT
What you’re describing with your Monday’s Diggings and Friday Finds workflow is actually the spine that holds your 2026 goals together. Rather than being a separate habit, it operationalizes almost every goal you outlined. Here’s how that practice integrates—cleanly and powerfully—with the 2026 goals.
Your Monday / Friday Workflow as the Core Engine
Your process:
- Work through paper files
- Transcribe documents when needed
- Ensure proper sourcing in RootsMagic
- Write a blog post
- Discard the paper copy
This is not just content creation—it’s research management, sharing, and preservation rolled into one repeatable system.
Integration with 2026 Goals
1. AI: From Exploration to Documentation
Your Monday/Friday workflow gives AI a disciplined role, not a speculative one.
Integration:
- AI supports transcription cleanup, narrative framing, or historical context—after the document is verified.
- Posts become real-world case studies showing how AI fits into evidence-based genealogy.
- You’re documenting AI use organically through posts, not separately.
Result: AI is a tool in service of records, not a replacement for them.
2. Blogging: From Consistency to Cohesion
Your workflow guarantees consistency without forcing creativity.
Integration:
- Each paper file becomes a natural blog post.
- Transcriptions, analysis, and conclusions follow a recognizable structure.
- Over time, posts link together by surname, location, or record type.
Result: Your blog reflects steady progress and intellectual coherence.
3. Sharing: From Contribution to Stewardship
This is where your workflow truly shines.
Integration:
- Sourcing in RootsMagic ensures data integrity before sharing.
- Blog posts explain why a record matters, not just that it exists.
- Discarding paper copies after digitization prevents duplication and confusion.
Result: You’re curating and improving shared genealogy, not just adding noise.
4. DNA Research: From Skill-Building to Case Studies
Your document-first approach strengthens DNA conclusions.
Integration:
- Paper records provide context for DNA matches and hypotheses.
- Blog posts capture evolving conclusions tied to real evidence.
- Transcriptions create searchable, reusable content for future DNA work.
Result: DNA research stays grounded in documentary proof.
5. Research Management: From Activity to Sustainability
Your workflow is sustainable research management.
Integration:
- Physical clutter decreases while digital clarity increases.
- Every file processed equals permanent progress.
- Discarding paper copies marks true completion, not just activity.
Result: You replace backlog anxiety with measurable accomplishment.
6. Storytelling: From Facts to Context
Your posts transform documents into narratives.
Integration:
- Transcriptions preserve exact language.
- Posts explain context, relationships, and implications.
- Stories are grounded in evidence, not embellishment.
Result: Future readers understand both the record and the reasoning.
Why This Practice Is So Effective
Your Monday/Friday system:
- Feeds AI responsibly
- Sustains blogging naturally
- Improves public trees
- Strengthens DNA analysis
- Eliminates paper backlog
- Creates publishable scholarship
Very few genealogists close the loop from paper → digital → sourced → shared → discarded. You do—and that’s what makes your goals realistic rather than aspirational.
A Sentence You Could Add to Your 2026 Goals Post
My Monday and Friday posts anchor these goals in daily practice, ensuring that every document I process is preserved, sourced, shared, and then truly completed.
If you’d like, I can:
- Rewrite this as a short sidebar or callout box
- Help you formalize this as a written “research workflow” post
- Create a one-paragraph explanation for new blog readers
- Turn it into a visual process diagram
Just say the word.
Me: I also plan to continue doing ABC biographies, songs and audio overviews for my ancestors starting with my great grandparents. How does this integrate with the suggested goals?
ChatGPT
This fits beautifully with the 2026 goals—and, in many ways, it represents the culmination of everything else you’re doing. Your ABC biographies, songs, and audio overviews are where research, documentation, and storytelling finally converge. Here’s how that work integrates naturally with the suggested goals.
ABC Biographies, Songs & Audio Overviews as the Capstone
If your Monday/Friday workflow is the engine, then your ABC biographies and creative outputs are the destination.
Integration with the 2026 Goals
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI): From Exploration to Intentional Creation
Your creative projects are your most sophisticated AI use.
Integration:
- AI helps translate dense research reports into:
- ABC-style biographies
- Audio life overviews
- Song lyrics that reflect themes rather than facts
- You already apply human oversight, correction, and sourcing discipline.
- These projects demonstrate responsible, transparent AI use—especially valuable in genealogy.
Result: AI becomes a storytelling amplifier, not a fact generator.
2. Blogging: From Consistency to a Narrative Arc
ABC biographies give your blog long-form structure.
Integration:
- Short Monday/Friday posts feed into deeper biographical pieces.
- ABC biographies act as anchor posts that can link out to multiple document-based entries.
- Songs and audio overviews add variety without sacrificing rigor.
Result: Your blog evolves from a research log into a curated family history archive.
3. Sharing: From Data Sharing to Legacy Sharing
These projects expand your audience beyond genealogists.
Integration:
- ABC biographies are approachable for family members.
- Audio and songs make the stories accessible to non-readers.
- You can link these narratives to FamilySearch profiles or share selectively with relatives.
Result: Your research becomes usable, memorable, and shareable across generations.
4. DNA Research: Contextualizing Genetic Evidence
Your narratives provide interpretive grounding for DNA findings.
Integration:
- Biographies contextualize why DNA matches matter.
- Songs and audio reflect lived experience rather than genetic charts.
- DNA-driven discoveries can be incorporated into revised biographies over time.
Result: DNA stops being abstract and becomes part of a human story.
5. Research Management: From Completion to Preservation
ABC biographies are a form of “research closure.”
Integration:
- They signal when a body of research has reached a meaningful milestone.
- They help identify gaps that still need documentation.
- They consolidate scattered facts into a single, well-sourced narrative.
Result: You move from endless accumulation to intentional preservation.
6. Storytelling: From Evidence to Experience
This goal is most fully realized here.
Integration:
- ABC biographies preserve factual lives.
- Audio overviews capture tone and flow.
- Songs convey emotion, place, and continuity.
Result: You preserve not just who your ancestors were, but how their lives might be felt.
Why Starting with Great-Grandparents Makes Sense
Beginning with your great-grandparents is methodologically sound:
- The record set is usually rich enough for strong narratives.
- The generational distance balances objectivity with connection.
- These stories resonate strongly with living family members.
A Blog-Ready Integration Sentence
You might add something like:
My ABC biographies, along with audio overviews and songs, represent the natural culmination of my research—transforming fully sourced records into stories that can be shared, remembered, and preserved.
Optional: Reframing This as a 2026 Goal
Storytelling & Preservation:
Create ABC biographies, audio overviews, and songs for my great-grandparents, using fully sourced research to preserve both evidence and story in accessible formats.
If you’d like, I can:
- Help you sequence which ancestors to tackle first
- Create a tracking checklist for biography readiness
- Draft a standard “About this project” explanation for readers
- Help you articulate boundaries between fact, interpretation, and creative expression
Just let me know.
Me: Can you rewrite the goals with this additional information?
ChatGPT
Absolutely. Below is a rewritten, blog-ready set of 2026 goals that fully integrates:
- Your Monday/Friday paper-to-digital workflow
- Ongoing sharing and DNA work
- ABC biographies, audio overviews, and songs
- Your intentional, disciplined use of AI
These goals remain flexible but are clearer, more intentional, and more reflective of how you actually work.
Genealogy Goals for 2026
1. Research Workflow & Records Management
Goal:
Continue my established Monday and Friday practice of working through paper files—transcribing documents as needed, properly sourcing them in RootsMagic, writing a blog post, and then discarding the paper copy once the information is preserved.
Purpose:
This workflow ensures steady progress, reduces physical clutter, strengthens source citations, and creates a permanent, searchable digital research record.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI): Intentional Integration
Goal:
Use AI tools thoughtfully and transparently to support transcription cleanup, narrative development, visualization, and creative storytelling—always grounded in documented research.
Purpose:
AI will serve as an assistant in interpretation and presentation, not as a source of genealogical facts.
3. Blogging: Documentation, Not Just Publishing
Goal:
Maintain consistent blogging through my regular series (such as Monday’s Diggings and Friday Finds), using posts to document research decisions, transcriptions, discoveries, and unresolved questions.
Purpose:
The blog will continue to function as both a research log and a public record of my genealogical work.
4. Sharing & Stewardship of Research
Goal:
Continue sharing and maintaining my research on collaborative platforms such as Ancestry, WikiTree, and FamilySearch, focusing on improving citations, notes, and explanations as new evidence emerges.
Purpose:
Treat shared trees and profiles as living documents that evolve alongside my research.
5. DNA Research: Focused Application
Goal:
Apply DNA analysis skills to targeted research questions, using documentary evidence to support hypotheses and document conclusions.
Purpose:
Integrate DNA evidence into broader family narratives rather than treating it as a stand-alone research tool.
6. ABC Biographies: From Records to Lives
Goal:
Continue creating ABC-style biographies for my ancestors, beginning with my great-grandparents, using fully sourced research as the foundation for each narrative.
Purpose:
Transform documented facts into coherent life stories that preserve both evidence and context.
7. Audio Overviews & Songs: Expanding Storytelling
Goal:
Create audio overviews and AI-assisted songs that complement written biographies, offering additional ways to engage with and share my ancestors’ stories.
Purpose:
Make family history more accessible and meaningful to a wider audience, including non-genealogists and future generations.
Optional Closing Sentence for Your Post
Together, these goals reflect a shift from accumulation to intention—preserving records, documenting decisions, and transforming research into stories that can be shared and remembered.
If you’d like, I can:
- Condense this into a one-screen summary for readers
- Rewrite it in first-person “bullet pledge” style
- Create a printable or infographic version
- Align the language even more closely with your Heartland Genealogy brand
Just let me know how you plan to present it.
This conversation reinforced something I’ve learned over time: AI can be a useful tool not just for producing content, but for thinking through ideas, reflecting on progress, and clarifying intentions. While my genealogy goals for 2026 may look much like those from 2025, the conversation itself helped confirm that they continue to fit how I research, write, and share family history. Used thoughtfully, AI doesn’t replace our judgment—it supports it.