Keeping a diary - is it old fashioned?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Whilst grabbing a coffee before yet another hospital appointment last week, I noticed that the numbers of people who, from their phone conversations, type of clothing and handbags/cases, appeared to be extremely successful medical professionals, all seemed to have Fil-o-faxes or Bullet Journals.

I know that I definitely remember writing things down more than typing them. And where there's the two of us involved, whiteboard pens on the kitchen tiles and freezer work very well for communicating joint plans/bookings.

Citygirl1

monnagran wrote: »

I keep a diary, always a page-a-day one and spiral bound so that it lays flat. I write everything in it, what I have done, what has happened and how I feel about it. It is so interesting to read back to what you were doing and how you felt some years ago. It can be helpful too.

I have always felt that physically writing stuff down gets it out of your head and on to paper and that helps to sort out your mind.

I'm not sure that I want my nearest and dearest to read it when I shuffle off this mortal coil. I dont mind complete strangers reading it because I couldnt care less what they think of me, but I would quite like not to shock my loved ones.

The world would be a poorer place if people like Samuel Pepys and Nella Last had not kept up their daily commentary on life as they saw it.

Do you use this same diary for your appointments or do you use a separate diary to carry around?

moneyistooshorttomention

Citygirl1 wrote: »

I am with you here. I have a small diary that I carry around for appointments and a personal journal. There is a story here but I'll try to keep it short. I did have lots of journals in the past and got paranoid about them being seen so I got rid of them, regretted it afterwards so I started again last year. I am still writing in the same notebook, don't write as much these days, about once a month, maybe I am still paranoid about what I write but then again its something I need to do. It is a place where you can voice your true feelings and opinions. I also keep my small appointment diaries to look back on as they give a great snapshot of daily life.

I think the way to look at it personally re how to feel about writing in personal journals is just how much more difficult it must have been for people a few hundred years back in this country for instance. I often think "Suppose I'd been a Catholic and Protestants were 'flavour of the month' or vice-versa". Fortunately we've gone beyond that in the 20th/21st century - but there are still perfectly normal/nowt-wrong-with-them opinions that arent "the thing" in this current year and/or the area of the country one is living in and you know for a fact there is nothing "wrong" with those opinions - but there will be negative reaction from some if one says them.

So sometimes I'll think "They've said x and made out its a fact" - so I'm perfectly entitled to say "No - its y" back at them to show that it isnt a fact at all and just their personal opinion. Just to make it plain "each to their own".

Other times - one just gets so fed-up with doing that - and can write in a journal what is deemed unacceptable (by some!) in this century or this country or this part of the country etc etc ....but you know there is nothing wrong with it...

Wistful_2

Everyone seems to live on Facebook and YouTube these days and their lives are recorded there. But what happens to all that electronic stuff? Probably gets forgotten about, lost or deleted. A hardcopy diary may live longer.

elsien

Citygirl1 wrote: »

A bullet journal is one notebook where you keep everything, your diary, journal, ideas, lists etc, you write out your own calendars which is something that puts me off as I like mine ready made for me. I think it will be interesting to have everything in one place but I don't know if it would work for me. A colleague at work has one and she swears by it though.

Aside from writing your own calendar I can't see much difference between this and the different sections in a Filofax, to be honest.

I have a work diary because I have to log my time throughout the day and it's easier to scribble down the length of visits as I go along than faff around with my phone.
I have a calendar on the kitchen wall for appointments, social stuff and things I need to see at a glance.
Then I have a weekly planner book which has my do to lists, and things I need to keep a record of as they happen that I might want to check back on.
Electronic systems don't work for me. As someone else said, I'm more likely to remember something if I've physically written it down.
I stopped keeping journal type diaries when I read it back and realised I was talking complete cobblers.

Linda32

I use a wall calender which hangs on a hook on the fridge.

monnagran

Citygirl1 wrote: »

Do you use this same diary for your appointments or do you use a separate diary to carry around?

I have a small diary which, in theory, is always with me so that I can note down appointments, dates and telephone numbers..
In practice it is always in another handbag, a different pocket, at home in a drawer.....so there are all these scraps of paper with odd hieroglyphics scribbled on them that I may or may not be able to decipher later.
This means that I am always in the right place at the wrong time, the right time but the wrong day, the right day but the wrong week and so on.
I'd like to put this down to age and senility, but sadly I've always been like that.

Redlady.....

I started a bullet journal 8 months ago now. I'm retired,kids left home, so couldn't at first think how relevant it could be to me. But......since understanding the concept of it I find it invaluable. It's all about the Index really, so instead of allowing a few pages for appointments, then a few pages for to do lists etc.... you use each page as it comes and number it. So for instance, I do a to do list for week beginning....number the page and enter it in the index on the first page, the next page could be appointments, number page and enter it in the index and so on, making everything easy to refer to, just find the page number.

Not sure I've explained it very well but for me it works as I don't need separate books or bits of paper. Everything goes in the bullet journal......personal info, appointments, to do lists, tech info like internet password....make and number of laptop....ink info......all on the tech page and so easy to refer to.

dandy-candy

I have a wall calendar with everybody's appointments on it, and I have a diary in my drawer for personal reminders and to jot down moans!

LameWolf

monnagran wrote: »

I keep a diary, always a page-a-day one and spiral bound so that it lays flat. I write everything in it, what I have done, what has happened and how I feel about it. It is so interesting to read back to what you were doing and how you felt some years ago. It can be helpful too.

I have always felt that physically writing stuff down gets it out of your head and on to paper and that helps to sort out your mind.

I'm not sure that I want my nearest and dearest to read it when I shuffle off this mortal coil. I dont mind complete strangers reading it because I couldnt care less what they think of me, but I would quite like not to shock my loved ones.

The world would be a poorer place if people like Samuel Pepys and Nella Last had not kept up their daily commentary on life as they saw it.

For years and years I've thought about starting my own "Book of Shadows" but have never gotten around to it; really and truly, I can't think of anything in my life that is worth the bother of writing down in that way.