I have been bad. I have avoided this for five years. Now I need to do five years worth of journal organization in one morning! Since the cameras are live I can’t back down. In fact, I can barely stop for a snack.
“Maybe this was a bad idea” I think to myself after 3 hours of non-stop talking and organizing. All I have eaten is half a brownie. Not that many people are even watching the live broadcast. “What is the point of organizing all my journals anyways!”
Why Journal Organization Matters
- First of all, there is the pleasure. If you are the kind of person that likes journaling you probably also get a weird pleasure from organization-even when it hurts. You know who you are. There is that warm tingly feeling when you look at a tidy shelf full of chronologically stacked journals. Everything in its place. It’s worth it. Despite the fact that you cried and bit your nails in the process. You might even be the kind of person that organizes as you go. Regardless it is a victory against the forces of chaos.
- Next, there is the practicality. My journals used to look fine on the shelf but I could never find anything when I needed it. Now that they are organized I can easily reference them and put them back. Writing a series of numbers on the front cover made a much easier system.
- Last of all, think about your legacy. I am only half joking. Someday, someone (besides you) is going to have to deal with all of your journals. If you are a serious journaler that could be a herculean task. This poor future individual deserves some pity, no matter how fascinating your journals are. Therefore, you should get your journals into some kind of organizational system.
If you read this far about journal organization then you probably would be interested in systems for indexing your journal! If you actually watched me organizing my journals live for 5 hours then you might enjoy watching me index one of my journals here.
