12 Ways To Help You Record Your Life This Year

(This was originally posted on the regular TIMC, but I thought I would post it on here as well for anyone who doesn’t read both blogs.)

This year, I thought I would help you all start the new year off by sharing a compilation of ways to help you document your new year!  





 I know lots of people who say they will record what goes on later (honey, are you reading this?) but I know that time dims memories.  How many times have you read something that you wrote down just a few months or years earlier, and you smile because you totally forgot?  Well, I hope this year, you will make a resolution to do better at recording your life!

You can use these ideas for personal or family history.  These are not my ideas (except one), so I’ve included the links for you to click on if you wish to see more!  These are not in any specific order, just in the order I found them.  Ready?  Here we go!

#1:  Perpetual Journal.  You just write the day on top of the card, and every year you write a bit about what you did that day, then start over the next year on the same cards.  I found this here on the Design Sponge blog. 
I’m going to do this with my family starting in a few days, and I’m so excited for the years to come…and what fun it will be to see what we did that same day on the previous year(s).   I didn’t cut my cards in half, and I want to make or find a fun little container for it still.  (I will have to post it on here when I get it all done.) A fun ready option would be to buy those index cards that are already bound together.  There won’t be 365 cards, but you could have 3 or 4 sets.  Another idea I had was to buy the 4x6 index cards and put them in the 6 spot page protectors, but that would require a little extra work in taking out and putting in, but it would also protect from dirty hands and make for easier viewing.

#2:  A Journal Jar.  One of our Team Members, Robin, made a whole jar where you pull out one question a day and write the answer. 
This is great for someone who has a bit more time and wants to record things from the past.  Robin has even typed up 366 questions (go here) that you can get via email for just $5, and print them out.  Write or type up your answers!

#3:  The One Line A Day—A Five Year Memory Book.   If you are short on time and want something all in one place that is easily portable, this looks like a wonderful option! 
The days are already there, and you just write a bit a day!  The journal is $16.95 + shipping.  Check it out here.


#4:  Project Life. I’m sure most of you have heard about Becky Higgins’ amazing brain child, Project Life.  If you haven’t, basically you take a picture each day and do a bit of journaling.  I’ve done this for 3 years now, and I love that it really showcases the regular things you do each and every day…basically, life! Becky says, “Take a picture on each of the 365 days this year. Some pictures will illustrate bigger moments and some shots will be routine stuff in your life. It all adds up to paint the full picture of your life right now.”  (Don’t know what you would take a picture of everyday?  Check out Becky’s list here.)
There is the physical version, the digital goodies to make a digital version, or you can even do it through a photo book.  Check out the details here!

#5:  3-A-Day.  This one is actually my own idea…I have written in my journal faithfully for almost everyday since I was 10, but I went through a period of time when life was “boring” (aka, I had 4 kids and stayed at home all day long feeding said children and changing diapers) and I felt I didn’t have much to write about, nor the time.  So, I decided I would just jot down 3 things that happened that day, and they had to be positive, even if it was a positive spin on something bad that happened.  Now, I don’t feel like I have to do this everyday, so if I have a day where I want to write, I can!  I found a few pages from my journal that doesn’t give away too much, and this is what it looks like.


#6:  Peaks, Pits, Praises & Prayers.  It’s similar to what I do…this is where you write something good that happened, something bad, a praise to God, and a prayer that you have about something in your life or for someone else. 
This is something that you wouldn’t have to do on an everyday basis, but it would be fun to do on a weekly or monthly basis if that is more keen to your style and time available.  You can see how Deana did it here.


#7:  Year in Review Jar.  (This is an idea from Pinterest without a good link…sigh…this is why Pinterest etiquette is GOOD!)  This one had a picture, and I’m posting it on here, though I don’t know who to give the credit to.  (If you know, please let me know and I will put it on here!)
For this one, you have an empty jar and when something happens you want to remember, write it down.  Then at the end of the year, go through and read them all!  I thought this one would be fun to do as a family!  You could write down things kids say, good news, bad news, funny things that anyone does, etc.

#8:  365 Things I’m Grateful For Journal.  Simple and easy…just write down one thing that you are grateful for everyday!  I’ve seen these all over Pinterest, and I’m sure you have too!  They range from super scrapbook-y types to a simple store-bought journal.  I did find one journal by Monika Wright that I really loved here.  Plus you can link through to her store and buy your own journal just for this. 

#9:  A “Currently” Journal.  I thought this was a really fun idea, and I’m totally doing this one this next year!  You have a random list of things or topics and record once a month what you are currently doing/wanting/liking at that time.  Then you compile it at the end of the year and have a cute little album of your life!  It doesn’t have to be scrapbooked…it could just be written or typed up. 
Check out Paula Gilarde’s blog here to see this in more detail. 


#10:  25-Day Photo Challenge.  This is a wonderful alternative or addition to Project Life.  Photographer Katie Evans came up with this wonderful list of ways you can document your life right now in just 25 photos.  You could do them all in one day or one week if you don’t want to do just one a day.  This looks so fun, plus it can help you improve your photography skills!


#11:  Fast Fact Friday.  Of course I couldn’t make this list and not include what we do here on this blog!  The 2nd and 4th Fridays of every month (minus December) we have what is called “Fast Fact Friday”.  It’s just 5 questions that you can answer as quickly or as in-depth as you would like.  If you do every F.F.F. this year, you will have approximately 130 facts and/or stories recorded about you and your life by the end of the year! 




#12:  This Is Me Challenges.  Yes, the whole point of this blog is to help you record about you…because sometimes we forget to do that.  The weeks that there aren’t Fast Fact Fridays, there will be a challenge question to help get your mind going about something that you can record about.  Plus, there are always ideas from Team Members and sometimes there are freebies to help you out!  We hope you’ll join us in writing your story!


Well, there you have it!  Which idea(s) are you going to do this year to get your history written?  I’d also love to hear about any other ideas that you may have, so feel free to leave a comment/link about something that you do that others may benefit from!

Happy New Year, and remember to have fun recording your life!

Overcoming Roadblocks to Writing Your Story

*This was an article posted a couple weeks ago on the regular This Is Me Challenge.  I decided to put it on here too for those who don't read that blog.*

Recording your personal history is something that a lot of people find intimidating.  There are many roadblocks to getting it done, I hear the excuses quite often. “I don’t know what to write.  I don’t have time to do it right now.  I don’t know how to do it, and no one even cares if I do it or not”.  But I’m here to tell you today that every single one of those roadblocks is actually very easy to overcome!  

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First roadblock:  “I don’t know what to write.”  

Finding things to write about is intimidating.  Do you record the main events of life or little things?  How much in detail do I need to go?   I have found that it really takes a little bit of both the big stuff and the small stuff.  I recommend starting big and then going small—write a basic timeline of your life, record the dates of important events, then start filling in with smaller events and every day things.  There are also journaling prompts in books and all over the internet (like the This is Me Challenge!).   

Second roadblock: “I don’t have time to do it right now.”   

This is one excuse I hear a lot from people, but really, it’s a matter of priorities.  Instead of watching TV, take a half an hour to record something from your past or something that happened that day.  (Or you can even do it while watching TV if you are a good multi-tasker.)  If you don’t even have time to watch TV, you can still record just one little thing in 5 minutes if you commit to just doing it.  Make time!  Often we think that we need to do some elaborate writing that will take hours to edit and perfect.  I personally think that even making a small list on a sticky note and putting it in a notebook with others like it is just as great of a way as writing a whole diatribe!  At least it's something.  And don’t forget that you can record your personal history along with your family!  Get the whole family involved.  Set aside time each week to all work on it--hello Family Home Evening idea!  Doing this together will not only bring you closer to one another, but will create the time needed to accomplish your goal!

Third roadblock: “I don’t know how to do it.”   

Like I already mentioned, I like to focus on the fact that how you do it, is not as important as just doing it.  Here is a list of many different ways I’ve thought of to record your history.

-Use the computer and a word processing program.  You can make one file folder (mine is labeled “Personal History”), and save each topic individually in your folder, or you can make one long document with all your history.  You can add pictures when you want to as well using this method.

-Start your own personal history blog (that you can make private or public, depending on who you want to see it), and write your history.  Blogs are great because you can not only write, but you can post a video, add pictures or even scrapbook layouts.

-Make a scrapbook layout (digital or traditional) about a specific topic about you. 

-Write it in a journal—an age-old solution, but still a good one!  Plus, those who someday read it, will get to see your handwriting and mistakes you made—making you more real!

-Take (or find) pictures from your past that make you smile.  Put them together in a photo album.  You can save one of the slots to hand write about the pictures on that page on a 4x6 piece of paper (acid free to keep from destroying the picture on the other side of it), or you can make a 4x6 answer on your computer in a photo editing program, and print it off with your other pictures!

-Make a video.  You can do this by either taking pictures and adding music to it (like a slide show), or by using your video camera and record yourself talking about you.

-Make an audio file of you talking about your history.  You could do it in the car on the way to work, while getting ready for the day, in one of your favorite locations, or while you're sitting in bed. 

-Write a poem about an aspect of your life.  Some people are very talented in this area!

-Make a digital photo collage or album through an online site.  Add to it regularly.

-Focus on one topic and make a list of things about you concerning that topic.

-Create a table in a word processing program.  Choose one topic and fill it in with what you did in the past, what you are doing in the present, and what you hope to do in the future.

-Publish a photo book through an online site, with old pictures and stories about them.   This is great because you can make multiple books in one easy click of a button!

-Draw some things about you.  For example you can draw your favorite foods.  (This would be especially fun for younger children to do!)

-Do it together as a family!  Set aside a specific day every week to get together.  Think of a topic and everyone can record about themselves in one of the ways above.

-Interview your parents, grandparents, or other close family members or friends, and have them tell you stories about them.  This would be so cool for you and your family to have when they pass away!

Fourth roadblock: “No one even cares.” 

This is so untrue!  Everyone has a story.  EVERYONE!  Record what makes you, YOU!  There is only one you, and you are loved by so many people.  You possess unique talents, habits, and quirks that no one else has.  You think and feel differently.  You say and do things that no one else would do.  Share those things that make you unique! 

It would be a tragedy to not leave anything behind for your friends and family to remember the real you by.  Help your family remember who you really are now, and who you were in your younger years by recording your history before it’s too late.  With a little bit of determination, time, and thought you can overcome those roadblocks and record your story before you know it!  Your posterity will be very grateful if you've recorded some things about you--and your testimony! 

The Reason For Me

In the last challenge, I mentioned that I’d share a few ideas with you about this latest challenge of writing your testimony of Christ.  Today I’m going to share two things with you that I’ve done in the past.  (In the next post I’ll share some things that I’ve done recently just for this challenge!)

Now, before I share these, I want to stress to you that HOW you record the challenges is not as important as just doing it.  Remember, I am a scrapbooker, so that’s what I like to do.  If you are not a fan of scrapping, or just don’t have time, don’t forget that you can complete this (and all other challenges) in much more simple ways.  Even typing it up, or just writing it in your journal is great!  Do an audio recording.  If you have more time, you can write a poem or do a video recording.  Put together a slideshow of artwork and narrate your testimony.  Write a post about it on your blog.  Any way you choose, just get it down somewhere, somehow!   

The first thing I wanted to share is a scrapbook layout I made in 2007.  Originally I had intended to make the page about decorating for Christmas, but I felt that I needed to focus on the WHY we were decorating.  It’s not a normal “this is my testimony” page, but it shows some of my feelings for Christ. 

The second thing I wanted to share, is a page from my testimony scrapbook.  This is my basic testimony of why I believe that Christ is my Redeemer.

 

Now, if you haven’t had a chance to record your testimony about Christ, I challenge you to do it today! 

Feast Upon The Words of Christ…

I came across this video on “Mormon Messages”, and it goes so well with this week’s and last week’s challenges, as well as “The Book of Mormon Forum” going on over here for the month of October.  

I know I have taken the scriptures for granted.  This video reminds me that so many people have sacrificed so much to give them to us!  


It's amazing how God has been planning for the restoration of the Gospel for this long.  Just think about it, if these men hadn't desired to get the Bible into commoner's hands, Joseph Smith wouldn't have had it, or read James 1:5, which led him to believe that God would answer his prayer!  

I am so grateful for all the righteous men and women who throughout the years have sacrificed their time and their lives to give us all a chance to have the truth in our hands.



Now I encourage you to go check out some more posts from others all about the Book of Mormon!

Bonus Challenge #1--O Remember, Remember

I loved this message when I first heard it a few years ago at General Conference! Since then, I have worked at remembering to record the blessings I've been given each day!

A lot of times we often go through the motions of life, not really taking time to reflect on how we are blessed, which are often so little that we won't notice them unless we really ponder on it.
I challenge you to do this, even if it's just one thing a day. I promise that as you do, your "sight" for all that God has blessed you with will improve each day!

Oh How Lovely

A couple years ago when I was teaching RS, I had to teach about the martyrdom of Joseph Smith.  I found this video and showed it at the end of my lesson, then had the sisters write their testimonies about Joseph Smith.  I thought it would be fun to share it here, for inspiration on August's challenge!