Recording

Do you know what you were doing, say, 10-years ago on this date?  I do.  I know everything I've done since the age of 12 - pretty much precisely.  I know because I've kept a diary.  My thoughts, hopes, fears, experiences, everything about me.  I laugh sometimes when, in the movies or TV someone brings out a dusty old book and says, "this was my grandfathers diary".  Obviously scripted by someone who has no clue that the diary of a life would requires volumes of books.

Regularly, I'll review my entries and there have been many times when I have said to myself, "that really was a good idea – why not go work on that tomorrow?" Or, "darn, I forgot to do XXX – better take care of that right now." Or, "YYY said BBB about me. What am I going to do about that?" It's useful to also review what's been happening over the past few weeks as well as periodically see what was going on a year ago or even 5-years ago. It kind of keeps you on track and centered, both short term and long term.

When I first started I used half-sized hard cover booklets with lined pages.  These were available in stationary stores for a few dollars each.  They lasted from two to 6 months depending on the intensity of my writing.  I've got boxes of these, carefully cataloged and stored in the garage. 

A few years back I went 100% digital.  I now record my thoughts in MP3 files.  If I write something I'll scan or photograph it so there is a permanent record.  The good pictures I take are similarly stored.  I'll even scan interesting news articles if I feel they have relevance to my thinking at the time.  Everything is stored on flash memory,  backed up by DVD (good for 50 years, I am told).

The recorders are inexpensive and simple to operate.  It's interesting to listen to your own words as well as the emotion you put into these words.  

Consider encrypting your entries - there is a lot of personal information in there that you probably wouldn't want anyone else knowing about if you should lose it.

Be diligent about making your entries or recordings.  Do it several times a week at least.
 

So, as you live your life, make sure you keep a record of it.  Written or digital - it's a valuable history.  It's YOUR history!