Journal Jam Fall 2022 Day 2

[annofowlshire]

Day 2 Question:

Do you keep your old journals/planners, or do you get rid of them? If you keep them, how do you store them, and do you have a longterm plan for them? If you get rid of them, do you throw them away? Burn them? Something else?

(If you answer elsewhere, drop us a link in the comments.)

Comments

[el_staplador]

My personal journals are all in boxes in the loft. I've found it very useful to be able to look back through them and see where my mind was at a particular time. I use a Filofax for planning, and tend to ditch the previous year's pages a few weeks into January.

My father died earlier this year and we've been sorting out generations' worth of personal ephemera. The rule we're using when deciding whether or not to keep something is: does this tell me about the person it belonged to? If not, it can go. Engagement diaries tend to be in the 'not' pile; personal journals, not so much. But all this is also making me more mindful of what I do and don't hang onto.

[thistleingrey]

Hey, I hear you.

One of my parents is in care, and when I cleaned out the apartment (because they wouldn't be living alone without help, ever again), it was poignant to skim a datebook that showed evidence of trying to hold onto memory and basic observation. Every few months, a notation of me (the only child) and a few other names. "Does this tell me about the person it belonged to" sounds like a great rule of thumb--I have one or two more rounds of culling to do, so it's useful, thank you.

[lunabee34]

I'm sorry for your loss.

I also find it useful (and entertaining) to reread my journals. I have a terrible memory, so they help me hang on to the small moments I would otherwise forget.