Electronic journalling

sixtiesgal_2

Hi, does anyone here use an electronic journal, by that I don't mean an online one, just a computer diary? I am considering doing this after years of using paper as I think it will be more private but I don't know if I could take to it the same. Plus I wouldn't know what to do with all my old paper journals.

Angel_Jenny

I tend to use my blog as a sort of journal - just my random thoughts and photographs.

I couldn't still to paper journalling as I get bored (no pretty colours and pictures like on a blog) and I hand write letters to pen pals so didn't manage to stick to extra writing time.

I would be scared of having a diary just on the computer in case of a virus or crash.

sixtiesgal_2

Hi, I’m new here. I’m just in a quandry, and have been forsome time, its mainly about my journals, I have about ten years worth of themin a locked tin (hard backed books). I am reluctant to get rid of them . However, I am trying to declutter and keep thingssimple. I have put all my CDs on my hard drive. Most of my reading is now on myKindle, I just have the books I can’t get on Kindle and coffee table type bookswith pictures and there are not many of them. I just have an issue with the journals. I have always preferred to writein my journals rather than keep them on the computer, however they now seem tobe weighing me down, I also worry about privacy, even though I live alone Istill worry that my boyfriend might come across them or what if they are seenafter I am gone (someone will have to go through my stuff). I have had the ideaof scanning them and then getting rid of the originals but I feel it would besuch a huge task and someone at work who is very technical tells me all thatscanning would take up a lot of hard drive space. I am thinking of journalingon my laptop from now on and keeping it all digital but don’t know if I’d likethat as much as handwriting a journal. I have now started using my mobile phoneas a diary and am using my paper diary less and less for appointments butjournaling is different somehow.

Does anyone have any ideas on this? Is scanning the bestidea, or just keep the journals locked away and hope they are never found? Whatabout future journaling? Any thoughts welcome.

Eliza_2

Unless they are likely to be of use to you (like you plan to write a book) or to someone else I'd just get rid of them.

I keep old diaries (not journals) for a couple of years then throw them out. However I don't have any great reason to look back, neither does my own past interest me, but yours might have greater value to you or someone else. Do you ever go back and read them? Perhaps apply the 2 year rule that I use when decluttering - if you haven't touched them in that time it's time to get rid.

My ex used to keep a journal for years, wrote reams every evening, we threw them out at some point and he's never missed them.

Well done on the decluttering though, that's my plan for this afternoon too, now that the sun has gone in.

lucy_lemon

I am similar to you in that I also have journals hanging around! I've been writing in them since I was about 8, and have a lot. I decided not to get rid of them (especially as the earlier ones are hilarious!) but I keep them in a storage chest I only look in about twice a year. They don't take up too much space (there are other books in there too) and I'm pretty confident my boyfriend wouldn't read my current one. I'm going to be sticking to handwriting my journal, mainly because I like the freedom to use different inks, stick things in, etc. I tend to think that if anything happens to me and my family/boyfriend read them, I probably will be be past caring!

rosieben

is there anyone in your family who is doing family history? I would love to have a journal that my grandparents/parents/aunts or uncles had written, just to learn more about the small everyday things in their lives; is there even just one of your journals that has nothing too personal/controversial in it?

If you really worry about other people seeing them, its probably best to destroy them and put your mind at ease

sixtiesgal_2

Hi, thanks for your replies. I do look back on my journals sometimes, though not often but I like to know that they are there. I once threw out some old journals years ago and regretted it.

I am doing my family history as it happens but even so my journals aren't anything I would want my family to read. I do worry about privacy as I would hate for anyone to be hurt by anything I have said about them in a moment of anger.

But I love to write when it comes to journalling. Anything else I can do digitally and use the computer or my phone but journalling seems to mean more when its handwritten in books somehow.

PixieDust

I had some journals like that. No way would I have wanted my children, mother or hubby to read them if I should have happened to pop my cloggs unexpectedly.

After much ponderation on the matter I decided up buy a new, lovely journal. Then I went through the old ones from start to finish and copied out everything that I wanted to remember...positive things that people said about me, funny things the children said, lovely days out, holidays, nice things that happened. All the rest got burned because all of the rest....the angst, anger, unhappiness, tears and frustration...I didn't need any of that. It's gone and it didn't do me any good to have it all sitting up there like a malevolent pixie waiting to be released.

And much of it was self-indulgent twaddle anyway....pointless.

Nowadays I use my time more effectively and I no longer journal in that way. I keep my "Happy Book" going and recall happy things, present and past, that are good and positive to remember. No more twaddling or anger, there are better ways to deal with it that don't leave a trace that has to be dealt with later on

rosieben

PixieDust wrote: »

...Nowadays I use my time more effectively and I no longer journal in that way. I keep my "Happy Book" going and recall happy things, present and past, that are good and positive to remember. No more twaddling or anger, there are better ways to deal with it that don't leave a trace that has to be dealt with later on

Brilliant idea, and you can leave it for your grandchildren. My son bought me the Dear Mum, from you to me journal last year, this year he bought me (on behalf of dgs) Dear Grandma. Its taking me a long time to do them because I want them to be mostly positive; writing them has actually helped me to remember a lot more of the good things that have happened in my life

Pink.

Hi sixtiesgal,

As you have received some good advice and your thread has dropped down the board I've added it to your previous one on journals to keep the replies together.

Pink