Downsizing my journals and managing it all now

[sixtieslass]

Hi all, I am new here. Over the years I have built up a collection of hard backed journals, storage has become an issue, also privacy. I have scanned them onto my laptop but still have the hard copies which I am thinking of shredding. However, I do still like keeping a written journal but don't want it to become a problem again. I have decided to do my main journalling (anything too private or long winded) on the computer but keep a notebook for other entries.

I am now wondering how to manage this. I don't want to use hardbacked heavy books again that take some storage and are a bind to carry around if I need to. I am thinking of just using a notepad (like the reporters or steno pad type or exercise book).

How would it work keeping both a digital and written journal, does anyone else do this? What methods do you use?

[Gardenarian]

Hi sixtieslass and welcome!

The topic of keeping journals, whether or not, seems to be a recurring topic! I got rid of all my old journals. I keep a month-at-a-glance style calendar that I make important notes on (dd had flu, first rain of season,) and I keep those. I also put significant emails into a journal file (part of my email program.)

Other journalling (general griping or pondering) I do on paper and and usually discard - I go through and if there is something I want to keep I phyically cut and paste it into another binder. There has been very little that I actually wanted to keep.

I use scrap paper from work, (printed on one side) punch holes in it and put it in a binder. I usually carry a few sheets in my backpack so I have something to write on when I get a chance. I do like legal pads but really want to re-use paper as much as I can. I don't journal on a computer. I write quite a bit (almost halfway through a novel! yay!) and do that on computer, but somehow I turn to pen and paper for journalling.