Diaries, Journals, Logs - do you keep them, and why and how?

[Pointby2]

I kept a journal from ages 13 to about 22. I used it to write my biography and then threw it away. I keep what I call a timeline in an Excel spreadsheet. It seems to me something everyone would want to do. For each year it list significant events. Each column has births, deaths, significant events, vacations taken, place of residence, employer, what car or motorcycle I owned, health notes and financial milestones.

I fleshed this all out when I wrote my biography, the one no one will probably even read, but that I enjoyed writing after I retired.

For all our recent vacations, I write those up individually so I can relive the events.

As far as the car notes, I'm a car guy, so I always would wonder what year I owned that E36 M3 or Ford Econoline. This just keeps my basic records.

We also moved a lot and changed jobs and it's nice to have that information organized. But that's just me...

 

[ItsAllGood]

I keep a hiking journal. Notes of specific trails taken (my favorite local mountain has dozens of trails that interconnect). I note the weather, trail conditions, distance, time, # of people/dogs encountered, any unusual animal sightings, interesting things to look at, ways to modify in the future. I also note how my dog and I did - stamina, knee aches, etc. I use it as reference when planning an outing, taking into consideration current weather and how challenging a hike I'm interested in that day.

 

[mountainsoft]

I've never kept a traditional diary or journal. I tried once or twice when I was younger, but lost interest after a couple days.

However, I keep logs of numerous things. I track weight, blood pressure, doctor appointments, and many other events in my calendar program. I keep a log of our vehicle repairs, gas usage/mileage, etc. in my vehicle program.

We also take lots of photos and/or video to document the projects we do, as well as scanning most receipts. So if I need to know when we last painted the house, when I built that table, or which stain I used, it's easy to look up. We took photos of all of our walls before insulating/sheetrocking so we had a record of where all the wires, pipes, etc. are in the walls. Very useful when making repairs or additions. I only wish we had taken more.

I download copies of all bank records, statements, pay stubs, doctor after visit summaries, etc. I will probably never need 95% of it, but every now and then we need to look back for one reason or another and I'm very glad I have the records. I purge the less useful records (cable bill, phone bill, etc.) after several years.

I also keep all of the research and plans I do for our vacations. Where we stayed, how we got there, etc. There have been a few times I've looked back when we are revisiting an area, or just to remember when we last visited a place.

So, I don't have a record of feelings or that sort of thing, but I'm a big believer in documenting almost everything that happens in our lives. It has been very useful more times than I can count.

 

[Souschef]

I just kept a journal of our trips, Our day to day life is too mundane to write down.

 

[Lsbcal]

I decided to start a journal after reading this thread. It is done in Excel with a strong password. I intend to only write a small amount over a year.

My first entry was about a dream and what I think triggered it.

 

[More Cowbell]

Diaries, Journals, Logs - do you keep them, and why and how? (2)

Unable to reply to this old yet timeless thread, so started a new one. (Mods: Feel free to append this to original thread.)

The original post was:
Diaries, Journals, Logs - do you keep them, and why and how?
Started by Pellice, 06-14-2022

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/diaries-journals-logs-do-you-keep-them-and-why-and-how-114341.html

I have been using the new iPhone Journal app since Jan 2024 (available since iOS 17.2.) I had not kept a journal or diary before, or rather I started several but did not sustain the practice. So I figured, why not? New software, new year, and RE coming up sooner rather than later.

Some thoughts:

- Like the security options to access (FaceID or passcode.)

- Like ease of integrating photos, video and audio.

- Like Notification option. Hopefully it will help me stay on track!

- Don't like that it's only available on iPhone. I would prefer updating it on my iPad with bigger screen real estate and text, and with a bluetooth keyboard.

- Don't like that I had to disable default setting "Discoverable by Others." No thanks!

- The linearity of lookup is simplistic.

 

[More Cowbell]

Here’s the original post:

I mentioned something about this in the Hobbies thread, then did a quick search of ER and couldn't find much at all. That surprised me. Maybe photography has taken over that function.

I occasionally kept them over the years, but didn't hit my stride until retirement. The ones from my youth and young adulthood were sparse and filled with misery, self-doubt, and self-admonitions and self-improvement efforts. As I was reorganizing after retirement, I came across a couple and ended up throwing them out. I'm not that person anymore and don't need to read any of that again. When I started birding, I kept a few records describing sightings and locations in handwritten booklets that I can't seem to find now. Then I migrated online to the old Sidekick (remember that??) and kept some records which were lost to either computer crashes or obsolescence of software. (sad, as I would like to have read them).

Once I retired, I got better and better at keeping a diary, and have now managed daily entries for more than 2 years. Mine is a diary, not a journal, more a record of daily activities than deep thoughts or summaries of current events. I find if I don't do it the days escape me and run together, and I wonder "where did the time go." With a diary, I can pretty easily recall things.

With the decline of steady correspondence, I wonder how historians of the future will piece together the daily experiences of individuals. One reason I dislike texting for more than immediate needs is that it provides no record and no context. I wonder whether historians would be more interested in musings about current events or crises, or whether they'd really love to know about how we spent our time!

What about you? Do you keep any kind of daily record? If so, what kind? Is it paper or online? Why do you keep it? I use MS OneNote because of the superior formatting and indexing capabilities. Each year is a new file with 12 tabs by month and notes arranged in daily order with subject headings composed of a few keywords about what was most memorable for that day. I made a template that makes it easy to record a brief mention of weather and whether I did my exercise or a bird trip that day. Sounds more complicated than it is! I'd actually like to put more effort (e.g. upload a photo or two) than I do, but haven't found the time yet. Have any of you found superior journaling applications?

I thought about making this a poll, but believe there are probably too few doing this to make it worthwhile.

 

[FIREd]

I kept a handwritten journal for many years, early into my early retirement. I used to write daily in it but at some point life got too busy to be able to keep up and I lost the habit. I still have those handwritten journals and I like to read them again every once in a while. Every time I do it’s like a vivid walk down memory lane.

I started keeping a journal again a couple of years ago, electronically this time, though I’m not as disciplined as I once was. I use an app called Diarly, which synchs between my iPhone, iPad, and computer.

I mostly journal about my day (the things I’ve done) but I also use my journal as a sounding board when I am dealing with a complex situation.

 

[Alan]

Threads merged as requested.

 

[Jimonlimon]

This thread is on-point for me. I’m 3 months into retirement. The first 2-1/2 were pretty simple as we were mostly traveling. Now I’m trying to figure it out- fitting into my wife’s world and being productive around the house but also hitting some goals of exercising, learning new skills, and building/rebuilding friendships.

When every day is Saturday, what day is it today? I think I accomplished something yesterday but what was it. How do I build and progress on a to-do list?

I realize the need for an appointment calendar and diary is even more important now than ever. At work my staff, bosses, and project managers helped to organize and manage my time. Now it’s all on me.

 

[DrRoy]

We will usually keep a journal when on a long trip to help remember details that do not show up in the photos (which we take a lot of). We then usually make a coffee table book of the photos and print the journal at the end.

 

[marko]

Started a journal when I first learned that I'd soon be REd. Just a set of Google docs which I start fresh when one set gets a bit long. It is just my private thoughts about what I'm feeling that particular day.

Now almost 20 years long, I sometimes go back to my early entries and either relive those feelings and fears or more likely see how much I've grown and learned.

In a way it's become my own personal therapist because I can unload my feelings in a safe place. I also enjoy just writing and this gives me an outlet.

 

[misanman]

Started a journal during covid initially to help with contact tracing. Have continued it and found it somewhat useful when the questions arise like "When did we ...?" or "Who came to the ...?" or "How long has it been since ...?" My father had a journal back in the 1920's and while a lot of the entries are mundane, it really gives some insight into how things were and what he did as a young man and I really value that.

 

[Backpacker]

I have kept a journal of backpacking trips for 20 years. Sights, miles, weather, unusual encounters. Fun to look back on but not much in the way of personal feelings etc. Have never considered a daily log, I know I'm not dedicated enough to keep up with one.

 

[steady saver]

I kept journals off and on growing up but 11 years ago I bought a 5 year journal from Levenger. Well actually I bought it 12 years ago and didn't use it b/c I didn't know "how" to use it/ the focus, etc. I laugh at myself now. What I love about this journal is that it gives you 5 ample sized lines to record your day. I can get a lot in those 5 lines. Because of the format, I can make an entry then look a line or two up and say "gosh, last year we went to XX restaurant too!" More importantly, it has helped served as a place saver for events and it's amazing how off I am in remembering what year or month something happened. I love these journals - they are high quality and hold up well. I have given several for gifts. I also keep a more detailed journal of sorts - morning pages ala Julia Cameron. If you're interested in that, check out her book, The Artists Way...

 

[jollystomper]

I do not, but DW has does this pretty faithfully for most of her life. Many, many notebooks . No, I do *not* look at them, in truth I am not really interested since we have pretty good honest communications between the two of us. Plus, I am fairly certain I am not the one who stresses her out .

However, when we were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary years ago, her showing the entries she made about me, from when she first met me through her deciding she was in love with me. What fascinated me was how the little things (in my view) in what I said and how I acted made the most impression on her, and got her more interested in me.

 

[Lsbcal]

I like to do sketch journaling, especially on trips. Takes a lot longer then photos with my iPhone but it is kind of relaxing and I do sit down. This really creates a strong memory as you are looking at the scene for maybe an hour. DW also likes to do this watercolor sketching.

Last summer we were in Europe and below is a sketch I did in the Cluny Museum courtyard in Paris. We just sat and ate some treats and sketched. I'm trying to work at quicker sketches nowadays. This thread reminds me to include some text to record feelings.

https://flic.kr/p/2pGjcMn

 

[FIREd]

I also keep travel journals, where I mix writing, sketching, and watercolor painting. It’s a fun way to record my journeys.

 

[MC Rider]

I like to do sketch journaling, especially on trips. Takes a lot longer then photos with my iPhone but it is kind of relaxing and I do sit down. This really creates a strong memory as you are looking at the scene for maybe an hour. DW also likes to do this watercolor sketching.

Last summer we were in Europe and below is a sketch I did in the Cluny Museum courtyard in Paris. We just sat and ate some treats and sketched. I'm trying to work at quicker sketches nowadays. This thread reminds me to include some text to record feelings.

https://flic.kr/p/2pGjcMn

Nice job.


Any 5 yo could probably do better than me. So, I refrain.

 

[Koolau]

This thread is on-point for me. I’m 3 months into retirement. The first 2-1/2 were pretty simple as we were mostly traveling. Now I’m trying to figure it out- fitting into my wife’s world and being productive around the house but also hitting some goals of exercising, learning new skills, and building/rebuilding friendships.

When every day is Saturday, what day is it today? I think I accomplished something yesterday but what was it. How do I build and progress on a to-do list?

I realize the need for an appointment calendar and diary is even more important now than ever. At work my staff, bosses, and project managers helped to organize and manage my time. Now it’s all on me.

Heh, heh, at least you haven't gotten to the stage where you look at the calendar to answer the question: "Which doctor do I go to today?" (Today, DW had to go to her PCP - I always go with her.) Her PCP was running late so I actually walked a few blocks to get to our dermatologist down the road to avoid being late. DW brought the car just as my appointment was about to start - in past we've always gone together.

I was sitting on the exam table in my tidy whiteys when a nurse ushered DW into the room. I made a "show" of trying to cover myself and said "Who is that lady?" The nurse's reaction was priceless.

Returning you now...

 

[2017ish]

DW has a personal travel blog that is organized around her (and occasionally my) photography. This originated as a way to update friends/family as to what we were doing, and for our future selves. Given that we travel half the year (and spend much of our time at home planning and booking trips), that pretty much serves as our journal.