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

[illariy]

I begin an entry in red ink with the date and the weekday. E.g. "2011-03-16 Mittwoch". (I'm German.) If I'm somewhere noteworthy, i.e. other than my usual desk, I add the location. Then I write the main part of the entry in black ink. I used to note the time but don't often do that unless a day has more than one entry. When I'm travelling, I find the location much more important and often add weather and more details on my surroundings.

[destinyislands]

My starts off Month name date year day, then I go down to the next line and write what day of the season it is, then skip down to the next line and write the lunar phase. It looks something like this:

December 22, 2011 Tuesday
2nd Day of Winter
Waning Crescent

then I'd skip down and number the entry and give it a title.

I have no idea why I started doing it that way. x-x Its actually a more simplified version of what I used to do, which included listing time and location too.

[listenwithopeneyes]

I usually just do the day and month, as the full journal is labeled for that particular year. Outside of that, I don't put anything specific.

[filhotedelua]

I put the date after the end of the entry, mostly only with the simples day/month/year. If there's a astrological or astronomical event, I used to put it to.

[syntaxofthings]

I've noticed that I have a penpal who adds a ton of stuff to her date - what she's listening to, watching, eating, etc. I tend to date my journals the same: Weekday, # Month 2011. Because different things happen on different days of the week, that's almost more important than the date. At least in remembering what is going on, it is.

[pashupati]

In my diary, it was a bit like that:
Day numberDay Month numberYear (ie, Wednesday 31 March 2011)
hours:minutes (07:11)
Once I'd written for a certain time, I'd write again the hours and minutes.
Now, in my "todo today" lists, I just write the Day numberDay Month numberYear and the time when I wake up.
destinyislands' way is really poetic.

[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.