Journal Jam Fall 2022 Day 9

[lunabee34]

Day 9 Question:

How do you use your journal/planner?

Do you use your journal for productivity, reflection, as a record, or as a mix of these?

If you use your journal for productivity, describe your productivity system.

If you use your journal for reflection or as a record, do you revisit older entries? If so, do you review them on a consistent basis or just when the mood strikes?

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

Comments

[fufaraw]

I always used my journal as a diary--where I went, who I saw, what I managed to accomplish, the process in that, obstacles or smooth sailing. I also used it to vent, whine, complain. After about a decade of journal keeping I went back and started to reread from the beginning--and realized I had patterns, and I kept repeating those patterns, as if I was expecting circumstances and other people to change. So that was useful and helped me deal with my own expectations and intentions.

When I was figuring out my sexual identity I explored--intellectually, mostly, bdsm, D/s, and did extensive reading and then wrote about my impressions, my thoughts as I processed new knowledge, new (to me) ways of being, until through process of elimination I came to a conclusion. I used a separate diary for only this, and still keep it to add a thought, or information, or explore a theory.

I haven't written in my journal for ten years, since my son died. I've been writing fiction, which I couldn't do when I was pouring my emotions into my journal. I may pick it up again later. I meant to add to an earlier post that I really want to burn more than ten years of private journals. There's nothing in them of use to me or anyone else, and I'd really not have someone expecting juicy details and find me whining about the same things over and over--embarrassing! DH has a very effective shredder--but I really like the idea of burning and *over*. A friend suggested shredding them and then, since we live on a bay, taking the shreds down to the water and releasing them, in small batches. They'll dissolve in the water and go back to elements. And that does appeal. Any opinions on that?

[lunabee34]

I think the paper would dissolve but maybe not as quickly as you imagine, and maybe some marine life would eat it before it could and it wouldn't be good for them. You can compost shredded paper, so maybe that's an option if the returning to the elements part really appeals to you. IDK I personally think it would be more cathartic to burn it.

I'm sorry for your loss.