Journal entry dating system

[sidheblessed]

Lately I've been noticing how differently people date the entries in their journals. Some use a very simplistic system, such as my husband who just writes something like 16/03/11. I prefer to write out the full date, for example Wednesday, 16 March 2011. I've noticed some people include the full date, time and location, even the weather. I've definitely noticed the inclusion of the location more often in older published journals I've read.

So, what do you do? I guess I'm really asking what information you begin each journal entry with - just the numerical date, the full date or even more detail?

Thanks for indulging my tedious questioning.

Comments

[arliss]

I just found this comm, and just found this entry, so I'll answer as a sort of self-introduction.

I have different journals for different reasons. My primary journal, my "journey," my "conversations with myself" journal, I make entries once or twice a week, sometimes less, sometimes I'll skip a month or two. Most of the entries are pages long, working out a problem, ranting to myself, spiraling around a subject till I can get to the meat of it and pull back some layers. In that journal I write out the words: day, month, date, year. If I'm somewhere other than home, I'll note that.

In my day-to-day where I went, what I did journal, I do day, abbreviated and, in numerals, month, date, year, and time, because I often make several short entries per day. For subsequent entries on the same day I just note the time, and place if relevant.

In my sketchbooks, just the date and the place where the entry was made.

And in the notebooks I use for specific subjects, or working out a scene I'm writing, or doing timelines for a story, I note date and time, and place if relevant.

ETA: The reason I often add a location is an aid to memory. If I failed to note a thought or can't remember where I'd intended to take a conversation on the page, sitting and remembering where I was when I wrote it sometimes helps recall the lost fragment. It can help recall mood and atmosphere, too, if that's desirable.

For me it is. Journaling is a way of living deeper, and recall is a great part of that.