It is important to define what it is that genealogists are trying to accomplish. Not so much in data content but in their technique, for it is the technique that will define the success or failure of their other genealogical objectives. It is the technique that will make your research, effective, efficient, and economical. All the data in the world cannot be brought out to particular and specific information if you do not know how and where to look for it.

You may think it obvious of the goals but many beginning genealogists enter the activity without a full understanding of what is required for effective and efficient research, both in terms of data extraction and technique. If you seem to be spending more time searching than extracting information, possibly you have not yet uncovered the goals and/or principles for effective genealogical research.

The researcher needs to isolate specifically what he or she wants to accomplish, not only in terms of overall goals of the project but also for each search undertaking he or she does. Therefore, let me state a couple of prime goals simply and generally:

As a Researcher, you want to locate information on subjects (family members or otherwise) for the purpose of trailing bloodlines, both ancestry and descendancy. In addition, you want to use the whole family research approach for effective resource evaluation and data extraction;
You want to continue throughout the entire project to evaluate evidence found on your search and extractions, both in terms of the proving or disproving pedigree relationships;
You want to document your search results (both positive and negative) according to the standards for proper genealogical documentation for the benefit of yourself and others. Refer to Elizabeth Shown Mills publication titled "Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian" for documentation standards in this field.
Lastly, you need to be ready and willing to evaluate all types of documents and archives for effective management of your research phase of the project.