Simple Pleasures Stay in the Moment

Keeping a journal only take a few minutes each day, and it can be very rewarding and don't forget to write...

you may have kept a diary as a child or teenager, but have you ever considered starting one up again to express your emotions, document important milestones and serve as a reminder in years to come?

Well, the good news is it's never too late to begin keeping a journal. Start by buying yourself a new notebook and have it either sitting by your bed so you're reminded to use it, or somewhere more secretive. You must be a diligent journal keeper, so set a time for writing in your notebook and stick to it.

Here are some easy ways to make your journal keeping more interesting:

For the time-poor, try jotting down just one sentence for each entry. It's amazing how fun it is to read and how much it actually does help you remember the past.

A cheat's way to fill up your diary is to go through all your sent emails and print out the messages you sent to friends that summarise what's happening in your life.

Print out all your photos and make a pictorial diary of your year. With digital photography, often you store your pictures on the computer then forget about them. But scrap-booking puts them on show, plus adding captions makes it fun.

Everyday life isn't the only thing you can document. To record certain experiences, you may want to keep journals with a special theme. These could be pregnancy, fitness or travel journals.

Tip:
When you write in your diary, finish each entry with a happy sentiment by writing down three good things that happened that day. They could be as simple as a cuddle from your children or a compliment from a work colleague.