Good morning everyone. Today my guest blogger has an interesting new spin on diary-keeping. Enjoy!
I wonder if you’ve ever tried to keep a diary. Perhaps you have or maybe you still do. If you can make it a habit it’s a great source of reflections on your life and what happened in it at a particular time. Many years ago I did keep a diary for a couple of years and then more recently did it for just one year. It’s hard to keep it going though. Perhaps you’ve done a holiday diary for say a week or 2 weeks. Again I’ve done that where you not only write but stick in the pages all sorts of bits like tickets or leaflets about the things you did or visited. However I wonder if you’ve ever thought of maybe recording just one event for the day, one thing which stood out. There is a radio prog here in the UK on national radio in which people are invited to write/text/email in with their day summaries but it can only be 3 words. Yes that’s right only 3 words. Now of course it’s well nigh impossible to write a summary of your day in three words so people pick one thing which for them made the day special or different or just one thing they want to remember for that particular day. It might even be an opinion on something in the news.
Here are just 3 examples of the many which are read out. You can see the kinds of things people send in, for each day. These were sent in to the programmes from last week. Each one is from a different person and they read them out at various times during the 2 hour prog:
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Mon – 1. No snow here 2. Single yet again 3. Panic bought chocolate
Tue – 1. Freezing fingers off 2. Ready for bed 3. Scandinavia is laughing
Wed – 1. Four large cookies 2. Still in pyjamas 3. Cruciate ligament snapped
Thu – 1. Hernia op success 2. Good riddance snow 3. Regretting yesterday’s curry
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I think you get the idea.
Here are my recent 3-word days:
Mon 21.1.13 – Off work today
Tue 22.1.13 – Thirteen hour shift
Wed 23.1.13 – Slept in late
Thu 24.1.13 – Saw Les Miserables
Fri 25.1.13 – Changed bed linen
Sat 26.1.13 – Helen Shapiro concert
Sun 27.1.13 – Snow almost gone
Mon 28.1.13 – Projector fault investigated
Also I have some from a couple of years ago:
Wed 10.11.10 Contact Buchter News
Thu 11.11.10 Windy night Blackpool
Thu 18.11.10 Hospital, needle, arm
Mon 22.11.10 Donation, anonymity, accepted
Tue 23.11.10 Happy faces Luderitz
Wed 24.11.10 Cheques in post
Why don’t you give it a try? You might be surprised as you look back on those brief words for each day. It’s much easier & quicker than the full diary thing and keeps just a thought for the day for you to remember. It can be a challenge but I think you might enjoy doing it so have a go and see how you get on. Then why don’t you do a reply sending your 3-word summary for the day you are reading this or maybe do it for a week and send the whole seven days in a reply next week – (that would still only be 21 words).
Posted by Alex Jones on January 30, 2013 at 13:05
I keep a daily business journal. I like the 3 word idea.
Posted by lazylauramaisey on January 31, 2013 at 14:51
Yeh, it’s so quick and easy. And provides good fun when looking back and working out what each thing meant!
Posted by kindredspirit23 on February 2, 2013 at 18:32
Very interesting idea (3 words)
Posted by lazylauramaisey on February 2, 2013 at 18:35
Good one, Scott (3 words too!)
Posted by rambler5319 on February 2, 2013 at 19:23
Yes it is. (3 words). Wonder if you’d like to give it a go for the next week and see what you have in 7 days time? And then let me know.