Capturing Your Thoughts In a Journal

When you think of a journal, you probably think of privacy; a place where you can chronicle secret thoughts and desires that you’d never share with anyone. While it’s better for the sake of everyone’s feelings to keep that kind of journal under lock and key, think of all the other events you can journal about and share with everyone, too.

Take for example your big trip to Europe. While photographs and video tell a pretty good story, a travel journal adds to the experience. Describing the cool emptiness of the Notre Dame or the way the fragrance of baking bread followed you down narrow alleys convey a much richer experience of Paris than even the best photograph ever could.

Journals are also a great way to capture memories when technology isn’t readily available. For those of you who like to explore the furthest corners of the planet, you may find Internet cafes or WiFi access hard to come by. Copying down your thoughts, observations and feelings about your experiences while you’re in the moment is the best way to relive the trip later.

Translating your journal into digital form is easy. And no, you don’t have to copy the text by hand! Most home printers now also have a scan function. You can scan those handwritten pages into images (JPEGs) or PDFs and add them to your online albums.

The next time you’re in a different place, whether it’s Africa, Asia, or just a reflective state of mind, don’t think twice about journaling about it. Capturing those thoughts will be very revealing to you and others years down the road.