What is that pile of papers on your table? Ah, I see: certificates, notes, copies of wills, census pages, photographs, quite a miscellany!
Have you ever thought of getting them organised? Parish Chest can help you to do that.
If you keep all of your certificates in acid free wallets, it will help to prevent you from ordering duplicates. That is so easily done if you do not remember which ones you have and which ones that you do not. All together in a binder for each family will certainly help you to follow your ancestral lines without confusion creeping in!
At the front of each binder you could set up a family tree chart. This could be created by yourself or, once you have the details from your research, you could have one made professionally. Enter as much information as you want: births, baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. There is space enough for all of these events and you can have as many generations as you want!
I see that all your notes are on scraps of paper. If you use some of our pre-printed forms, it will ensure that you record everything that you find out and do not risk forgetting anything. The census worksheets are available in the different formats for each census and there are also family record sheets to make sure that you capture each ancestor.
There is nothing worse than getting to a Records Office or Archives laden down with a pile of files and binders. Well, to prevent that from happening, there are Family History Diaries available, broken down into sections so that you can follow your leads in a logical manner. We all know how small or difficult to read some of those records are as well. A magnifying bookmark could be the answer.
Don't forget - you can also keep your family history research on your computer. There is a selection of genealogy software for you to choose from that meets the needs of the seasoned researcher as well as those who are just starting out on their ancestral journey.
Have a good look round at what is available to help you record all your precious genealogical research, and that pile of unruly papers will soon disappear!