Almost everyone kept diaries as children. True, I can’t say that the boys also had secret notebooks, but almost every girl had her own notebook or notebook with a treasured lock and the inscription “Personal!” All secrets and all experiences were recorded there: tears about unrequited love, joy from a fleeting glance and constant complaints about absolute misunderstanding on the part of parents. The children grew up and gradually transferred their habits of describing their lives and their thoughts from paper to the World Wide Web with only one difference - we wrote diaries exclusively for ourselves, in order to later re-read and remember those feelings, understand and find the reasons for the present in the past, but online diaries are intended for general reading.
Writing just for yourself has become uninteresting, because you want to see a response, to feel that your thoughts coincide with the thoughts of tens, hundreds, and maybe thousands of people. It’s nice, and writing just into the void, without receiving a positive response, becomes uninteresting. But in fact, keeping private diaries just for yourself can greatly help you when making important decisions. Many people remember either only the good or only the bad, and this is a rather one-sided point of view, which makes it difficult to objectively (as far as possible for a person) assess the situation.
The creators of the electronic version of the Day One diary shared their thoughts on why you should keep such closed diaries, and how to do it correctly.
There have already been several publications on Lifehacker on the topic of keeping personal diaries, no matter whether it is paper or digital - “Why you should keep your personal diary (not a blog)”, “6 reasons to start a personal diary” and “Grid Diary - a beautiful iPhone application , which helps you keep a personal diary.” And if you are really interested in this topic, I recommend reading these articles.
Now let's move directly to the advice from the creators of Day One.
As mentioned above, the main problem in keeping such closed diaries is the question “What should I write down there?!”
Secret Thoughts
Recording very personal, innermost, one might even say intimate thoughts is the basis of keeping such a diary. When you write down all your experiences, be it anger, joy, sadness, disappointment, love, passion, you realize all this again more deeply when you write down your feelings on paper. And then, re-reading all this in a few days, months or years, you can rethink all those emotions again and understand why you made this or that decision, you can see how you have evolved and developed as a person.
How to start keeping a diary: step-by-step instructions
Have you been thinking for a long time that it’s time to start a diary, but don’t know where to start? I'll give you a simple hint in what sequence to act.
| Steps | Description |
| Step 1. State the purpose of keeping a diary. | If you decide in advance the purpose for which you intend to keep a personal diary, it will be much easier for you to understand what you need for this. |
| Step 2. Choose a diary format. | Once you have a goal, you can decide on the form in which you will keep records. This may be handwritten or electronic. The electronic option involves not only creating a blog, but, for example, a special application for keeping records on a tablet, which will be available exclusively to you. |
| Step 3. Get everything you need and start recording. | If you want to write in electronic format, you will need to download and install the required application. If you choose the handwritten version, buy a notebook or diary. It can be of any shape, format and thickness - as long as it is convenient and pleasant for you to fill it out again and again. |
They say that it is much better to write in diaries before going to bed. During this period, thoughts are in their place, and there is nowhere to rush. You can calmly think about everything that happened and gradually put it on paper.
How to keep and design a personal diary:
Goals
If you post your list of goals for the year on your personal blog or social media, why not do the same in your personal diary? These don't have to be very important and long-term goals. You can also write down smaller, ongoing goals that you would like to achieve. You can write accompanying comments to them, and then look through them and note for yourself what was achieved from what was planned, what accompanied all this, and, if something did not work out, why exactly did it happen one way or another? This is a good way to understand where you've been, what level you're at now, and where you're going to go.
Cute personal diary for girls
Every girl has a moment in her life when she wants to express everything that is secret in her soul. That’s when modern ideas for a personal diary for girls will come in handy:
- The option using office paper is a simple and quick way to create a diary for a girl. The design here is made based on personal preferences, the sheets are connected with a catchy ribbon, tying it with a large bow. The cover is decorated with an inscription or an original drawing. To ensure that the diary is durable and can be stored for a long time, it is recommended to laminate the title and back pages;
- Transformation of a ready-made notebook - for this you purchase a ready-made notebook. Ready-made magazine clippings are glued onto the pages, bright bookmarks are made to record important information, the pages are colored depending on the mood;
- A cute diary design in origami style - you can glue an original bow or a heart made of ribbons, decorated with rhinestones or beads on the cover; you can stick envelopes for notes, emoticons, postcards on important sheets of paper, and make bookmarks of various shapes.
Notebooks in pink tones, filled with bright clippings from local magazines, with scented pages, and selfies of famous actors are suitable for girls. This is the country of young girlish dreams and daydreams, he is protected and not left unattended. Wicker bookmarks, bows and original ribbons, envelopes with nice trinkets - everything here is so meaningful and unique.
Impressions from books read, films watched and music listened to
Books and films influence our desires and actions much more than we think. Writing down mini-reviews of books you've read and movies you've watched is a good way to rethink the information you've received and highlight the most important points for yourself. This applies not only to educational books, but also to fiction, which sometimes influences us much more strongly than another book about smart people.
Such cataloging is useful not only for this. You can recommend something new and interesting to your friends, or, after reviewing the notes, decide whether to watch this movie or re-read the book again.
Talk to other people.
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To understand a situation with a person that won’t let go, psychologists advise writing him a letter. Of course, there is no need to send it, since it is written rather for the author himself. You need to contact the person directly. You can write him anything you want, the more colorful the emotions in the letter, the better. This will help you internally resolve the situation that is bothering you and improve your relationship with a person in real life.
Little joyful moments of life
“Dear Diary, today was an incredible day!” - where else to write this if not in a personal journal? In fact, it is from such moments, joyful and not so joyful, that our lives are made up, and if it seems to you that such records do not carry any meaning, then over time it is precisely such records that will be of the greatest value to you. They will remind us how good we were with someone and why we spent so much time together back then. They will remind us of who we were and who we are, and why things happened the way they did. And they will warn us against making the wrong decision on emotions, when the blood is pounding in our temples, our fists are clenching and we want only one thing - to destroy everything and tell everyone to hell, and then pick up the pieces of our lives.
Diary design options
It is advisable to approach the issue of external design of the diary with all seriousness. You can decorate the pages with original drawings. In addition to external beauty, distinguish the internal content of the diary:
Quotes and innermost thoughts; Plans and “wants” for the future; Important dates; Current days; Sweet memories; Photos.
You can then add content at your own discretion. There can be any sections, the main thing is that they satisfy personal needs. On separate pages you can put cute envelopes for photos and storing ready-made notes. You can come up with a single diary or make several copies dedicated to a specific topic:
Everyday life of my family; My baby; My career; Personal thoughts.
Places you've visited
Let these be short notes from a traveler who notes his first impressions of a new place. You can add geotags and photos there, and then these posts will remind you of why traveling is so great, and why you should return (or never visit) this city again.
You can write whatever you want in your personal diary, so it’s more difficult to decide what to write there, but what entries to refrain from. Don't turn it into a junk dump and write down how many new friends you have made on social networks. These should be things that are truly dear to your heart and that help you live meaningfully without missing a beat. And you can leave social networks for the landfill, which are already filled with incomprehensible garbage like numerous selfies, photos of lunches and strange statuses from one phrase 
Did you have a personal diary? If so, do you still keep it and what did you write down there?
Draw more
Previously, the diary was used more for notes, but now visual memory gives us its fruits. Even if you are not an artist, then still try to sketch what you see, because it is precisely such drawings that will warm your heart later.
Important Quotes
Very often, someone's insightful words can reach our hearts and inspire us. This could be a quote from a book, a song, or a word from a loved one. Designate a page in your diary where you can write them down. When you need motivation and positive emotions, you can open it and revive your favorite words in your memory.
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Fashion ideas
Use bright stickers.
Images
Paste into your diary all the new items in the beauty and fashion industry that interest you and make notes on what you would like from these trends.
Flowers
Don't stop at photos and pictures, you can even put labels of your favorite treats in the diary, glue dried flower buds, and use any fabric to decorate your pages.
