In recent years there’s been “Genealogy Do-Over” hype*. However, I
don’t like to do things anew, especially not when it’s “just” a hobby that
we’re talking about. I’m not stating that I never review older research, on the
contrary, I do some “Do-Over” once in a while, but only when there’s an
inducement to do so.
With currently some 5588 possible ancestors, I just can't review all of them. Thus, I try to do some “Smart Do-Over” only when I have a reason to do so.
When a new source has become digitally available for an area where some of my ancestors are living, I go through that source, and add new insights into my ancestors’ data. When I revisit an ancestor in this way, I could find a reason for additional research - a “Do-Over”.
For example, the genealogy software** I use, has an option to add sources, which I use. When I notice that the current source is not a primary source, I may try to find the primary source, when it’s digitally available.
When thus adding information, I may notice some inconsistency, or wonder why none of the sons has the same name as the father's father, I can do some addition research to improve (or disprove) my data.
My genealogy software also has some functionality to check for improbable dates, like a woman giving birth at an unlikely old age, or a child that's older than its parent. Finds like that can also trigger some “Do-Over” research.
That's enough “Do-Over” for me!
* Websites like "Genealogy Do-Over - The 12 steps" by Thomas MacEntee (who started the ‘hype’ with a book),
a "Genealogy Do-Over Index" by Kathleen, "The Genealogy Do-Over - Are you ready to hit the restart button?" by Carol Kostakos Petranek, and "The Magic of a Genealogy Do-Over" by Paul Hoesl.
** I use Dutch-language genealogy software program Aldfaer.