How to start
WHAT? Let’s make a reservation right away that we are not talking about an electronic personal diary (blog), but about a paper one. So, stop for a moment and think: what made you want to keep a personal diary? In adolescence, this often happens spontaneously, without thinking about “who needs it” and “where to start.” If you are already a little older, then think about it. For some, a personal diary is an understanding and trusting interlocutor. For some, it’s a memorable notebook about one of the life periods. But for some, it’s an opportunity to reflect on their life, look at mistakes and change for the better. You may be guided by some other goal. But once we’ve decided, let’s begin!
Dear friends! Especially for you, we have prepared a large archive of the most necessary materials for creating a Personal Diary (PD). All drawings and pictures are divided into the most popular topics and can be downloaded absolutely free of charge by all visitors to our site. Popular materials: |
WHERE? Any paper surface can become a personal diary: just sheets of paper on which you hastily write down your thoughts, and only then punch holes with a hole punch and fasten them with ribbon; or a notebook with rings, for which you can buy replaceable blocks, and multi-colored ones; or an ordinary general notebook, which you can later decorate to your liking or not decorate at all; a thick diary or a homemade one... You can also make it special and one of a kind. In general, think about where you would be most comfortable leaving your notes?
WHEN? Many people ask: when to keep a diary if there is not enough time even for more necessary activities? I can give you this advice. Just find the most suitable mode for working with your diary. There is still free time, even if it is little. There is no need to turn journal entries into a mandatory task, no need to impose any obligations. Let you have an easy relationship with your diary: when I want, then I write. Because otherwise you can become exhausted and begin to feel irritated about this matter. Yes, some people have something to write down every day, while others may not pick up a diary for several months. And that's no problem.
In the end, it won’t take much time to write down a quote you like from a book you read, but this is also part of your life.
How to properly keep a personal diary
The concept of “right” or “wrong” in this matter is simply unacceptable! Because journaling is a creative act. So relax. You are alone with yourself, so you don’t have to try to look better, neater, more beautiful... You can even forget about spelling! Made a mistake in the text? It doesn’t matter, this is also part of today, exactly this minute.
From the very beginning you must decide on one more thing important point. A personal diary is a thing that can suddenly become accessible to someone else besides you. For example, your children. Would you like it? I am talking about this in connection with personal experience. In the end, I had to burn my personal diary, which I kept in high school, because I decided that THIS should not fall into the wrong hands, and especially not into the hands of my children. Now I keep a diary, which I do not hide from either my husband or my daughter. You say: “Then this is no longer a personal diary.” Why? I write down events there, my thoughts and experiences, joys and sorrows. It just so happens that there is nothing secret about it.
Making a personal diary
depends on your personal needs, capabilities and amount of free time. I already said above that this whole process is a creative act, so on its pages you can do what you like and want.
So, personal diary: what to write besides some events? Ideas:
- describe today's incident,
- express your emotions in writing or drawing
- stick a ticket from the cinema where you went with your loved one
- paint your fears in bright colors
— enclose someone’s important letter or note (for such things you can paste an envelope)
- make a sketch of a dress you like that you saw in a store
- paste your favorite photo
- write yourself compliments
- write down your favorite aphorism or joke
- Did you get a lucky ticket on public transport? And it belongs in the diary!
- paste a magazine clipping with good recipe(so you don't get lost)
- write the words of your favorite song
— draw your dream or design it as a collage of magazine clippings
- insert a dried flower, picked during a walk in the forest
- write down the titles of books read and short reviews of them
- if you are in a bad mood, simply paint over the diary sheet with a black marker (this is also a release and release from negativity)
There can be many options! That is, the diary can contain whatever you personally want!
Now about external design. How to decorate?
If you decide that your diary should contain not only text, but also some decorations (which still takes more time), then journals with bright pictures, colored paper, remnants of beautiful packaging, ribbons and lace, decorative tape with a pattern, photographs, colored pencils, gel pens, markers, liners, etc. And then - let your imagination run wild!
The cover can also be transformed in your hands. You can sew a cover from fabric and lace that can be removed (if you get tired) and then put on again. Or, using paper, colored cardboard and pictures, turn an ordinary notebook or diary into a beautiful personal diary.
Why keep a personal diary
Keeping a personal diary often helps you understand yourself personally. There you can throw out your anger, fear, jealousy and any negative emotions in general. And the best thing is that, having poured out your emotions in one place, you will no longer feel the need to do it in another. This, you know, is like a break so that you can re-read the notes later and try to see your emotions with different eyes. Perhaps you will realize that you were wrong and the diary helped to avoid a real conflict...
My 12-year-old daughter also keeps a diary, talks about outbursts of bad emotions in it, and draws conclusions and rules from this. Somehow she drew her fears and there really is a result: she is no longer afraid of spiders as panicky as before.
Re-read your notes from time to time. Then you will see that over time your feelings, thoughts, attitudes towards people and events, and indeed your perception of life in general have changed. You will be able to better evaluate your shortcomings and strengths, your weaknesses and strengths.
So we can safely say that keeping a personal diary is necessary to evaluate your journey through life!
The most useful tips and rules for keeping a personal diary. The video is a must watch :)
WATCH THE VIDEO
What associations arise in your head when you hear the word “diary”?
I’m sure it’s either something to do with school, or with romantic girls furtively writing poems in a notebook under their pillow. Meanwhile, keeping a personal diary can be useful not only for schoolchildren and writers, but also for you. Moreover, it can really . Below you will find six reasons why you should start journaling your life daily.
In our digital times, when the tools for recording information are undergoing a real revolution, the forms of keeping a diary can be very different and largely depend on your preferences. Some may want to record video or audio clips for this, others will prefer to use one of the many special programs or, others will remain faithful to a good paper diary and pen.
No matter what tools you use, the main thing is strict adherence to two principles that have remained unchanged since the days of candles and goose feathers. Firstly, the diary must be personal, that is, inaccessible to a wide circle of people, and secondly, you must be extremely honest with yourself, otherwise it all loses all meaning.
So how can you benefit from journaling?
How do you really feel?
A journal can help you recognize and articulate your feelings that are usually hidden deep inside. Modern life often has such a pace that a person rushes like a horse at a race, ignoring his emotions and sensations. As a result, we have constant stress and mental breakdowns. You will now have legitimate time for self-reflection, giving you a deeper and more realistic view of yourself, your life and your work.
Point of view
We are bombarded with a barrage of information from all sides, which contains dozens of very different opinions on various topics. The only trouble is that these are all other people's opinions. What do you personally think? Do you have time to articulate your views on the important topics of the day?
Let off some steam
Sometimes there really are difficult days. You are frustrated, embarrassed, defeated, angry, confused. It may even be that you cannot talk to someone close to you about it. Keeping everything inside will drive you crazy. Get your emotions out on paper. Then read it and smile.
Life is a great thing!
We read and hear many fascinating stories about different people. Why not write a best-selling book called The Story of My Life? Imagine that your diary will be published after... well, sometime later, and try to fill it with such events that future readers cannot tear themselves away. This is a great way to make your life more interesting and deep.
Hello my Name Is…
Yes, do you really know who you are? Are you sure of your desires and goals? Get to know your real self. Many people are so intertwined with job and family obligations that for them submitting an annual report and buying a fur coat for their wife can overshadow their actual dreams. It's time to sit down and think (and be sure to write down) about your actual aspirations. And a lot, a lot, carefully, but strictly, cross out from your life.
Message
Imagine that you were rummaging through the attic and found your father's personal diary. You drop everything and, unable to tear yourself away, flip through page after page until the evening. Here he is meeting your mother... here is your birth... now he is worried about work... complaining about his health... Can you imagine?
So why are you depriving your children of these sensations? They need to know about you and what you really were like.
Do you keep a diary?
Keeping your own diary has many advantages. We hear about this often. Our friends and acquaintances recommend that we keep a diary. The Internet is replete with articles about the benefits of self-analysis and keeping personal diaries. In feature films, the diaries of the main characters flash every now and then - and the desire to do something similar ignites in us.
For some, this can be the key to self-discipline, an opportunity to let off steam and get to know yourself better. Some may be interested in creating their own life story and leaving it as a legacy for their descendants.
It doesn't matter how, where or . It is enough to have the desire to do it. However, this desire most often disappears as soon as we start. It happens that a person can sit for hours on the first page - and still will not understand what he could write about. How to overcome this barrier of indecision? What needs to be done to make thoughts come to mind on their own? How to start keeping a personal diary so that it really helps you change internally and see the reasons for your successes and failures?
How to start keeping a personal diary if you are not a writer?
Creating a diary for a person who has never done anything like this is not an easy task. Yes, you can buy a beautiful notebook, take a fountain pen, turn on the lamp and... not know what to do next. Keeping a personal diary requires some effort on the part of the owner. Getting started is always more difficult than continuing. But, if you have already realized the benefits of writing down your thoughts, a few recommendations will help you get started.
5 steps to the ability to keep a diary correctly
Don't think about how you should.
Many people do not know how to properly keep a personal diary. Some people associate it with “girly activities.” Some people doubt their writing abilities or don’t think they have anything to write about in their life. Some people think that a diary must certainly become some kind of grandiose project that does not allow for grammatical errors, sloppy pages and sloppy design. This is fundamentally wrong. It doesn’t matter at all in what form your thoughts will be presented and where to keep your diary - only the content will have value. Therefore, it is not at all necessary to buy special folios or fountain pens - just take an ordinary notebook from the supermarket. And who said that there should be no corrections in the diary? If you suddenly change your mind while finishing a paragraph, feel free to cross it out. Your right!
Start small.
The first entries for a personal diary are always difficult. It seems that there is nothing to write about, since nothing particularly significant happened during the day. And in this case, how can you start keeping a personal diary given your boring life? Just think that in ten years even the most insignificant memories will acquire unprecedented value for you. Wouldn't you like to experience the emotions of a day 10 years ago? So let your future self do it. Let there be no more than four or five lines in the first entry - it doesn’t matter. Over time, you will become involved in the process, and thoughts will come to your mind. Don't stress - just describe what you did today, who you met and what you had for lunch. If you're really low on ideas, answer these questions in writing:
– What made me happy today?
– What was the best/worst moment in the last twenty-four hours?
– Who was the first person I met when I left the house?
– What am I going to do tomorrow?
– What would I like to change about today?Reflect, ask yourself questions and look for answers to them. Conduct a written interview on a topic that interests you. - not ashamed. Moreover, you do it in writing.
The law of the first word and the rule of twenty-one days.
How to start keeping a diary? Many psychologists recommend using these tricks to force yourself to do something regularly. If you find it difficult to concentrate and make the first entry, write just a few words. This can serve as a guide to the flow of your thoughts, giving them a certain direction. Just explain what you wrote. In order to develop the habit of creating at least a line every day, make an effort and practice it continuously. Write early in the morning or before bed. Make it a ritual, an obligatory part of the day. After such a “marathon”, you will no longer be able to fall asleep without writing anything.
Stimulate your imagination with art.
Having trouble with words? Draw! It doesn't matter if it doesn't turn out very nice. Invest a little patience - and your personal picture will serve as an incentive to create another entry. In addition, it is worth keeping a personal diary with illustrations, if only because it will be much more interesting to read later. Separately, it is worth noting the general benefits of drawing - it relieves stress and helps you focus on an important thought.
Set aside a specific time and quiet place for your journaling.
This should be a quiet corner where you will not be disturbed by friends, family or extraneous noise. When creating your next entry, you should be immersed in yourself and focused on memories. This will be easier to do if you describe the chronicle at the same time. It seems incredible, but our body itself adapts to its usual daily routine. So, if exactly at nine in the evening for fifteen to twenty minutes you sit down in your quiet corner and focus on the events that have passed during the day, it will become easier and easier to do this every day.
Regularly chronicling our lives can be of great benefit to each of us. However, getting started can be quite difficult. It is not easy to train yourself to regularly write entries in your personal diary, but it is quite possible if you follow the recommendations mentioned above. Each of us is capable of this. If you decide to start a personal diary now, then in ten or twenty years you will say to yourself “thank you very much.”
Journaling is a great way to analyze your thoughts and emotions. It will also help you remember your life experiences. If you're ready to get started, decide what type of journal you want to keep. Then express your thoughts, impressions and ideas in journal entries. To maintain this habit, challenge yourself to take notes every day.
Steps
Part 1
Start keeping a diary- For a budget-friendly option, look in the school supplies department for a spiral-bound or thick notebook.
- If you want a fashion journal, visit a bookstore or the stationery department at your local mall.
- For example, you can create a new document every month. And the folder can store files under the headings “January 2020”, “February 2020”, “March 2020” and so on.
- Any text editor will do. For example, Word, Pages or Notepad.
- If you have chosen Google Drive, open access to your diary from all your gadgets. Thanks to this, you can take notes from your computer, tablet or phone.
- If you don't mind expressing your thoughts publicly, try blogging.
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Decide what kind of diary you would like to keep. Make it your assistant by setting a goal. Think about why you want to keep a journal and how it might benefit you. Then choose the type of diary. Here are some common options:
- Personal diary to write about everyday life, your thoughts and feelings about what is happening to you;
- gratitude journal to record the things you are grateful for every day;
- therapy diary to work through problems or find support for recovery;
- travel diary, to document the places you visit, your travel activities, and your experiences;
- creative diary, where you can add images, sometimes along with text. Draw, paint and/or make collages.
Advice: There's nothing wrong with being creative and experimenting with your journal. For example, you could include a mix of personal notes, gratitude lists, and creative works.
Choose a topic to write about. It's so sad to look at a blank page without any ideas! Luckily, it's easy to find inspiration to write in your journal. Write down the first thing that comes to your mind. If your mind is completely blank, use one of the following ideas to get started:
- Describe what is happening in your life. For example, you could write about a party you attended or a conversation you had.
- Reflect on the memory. For example, write about a wonderful day you spent with your grandparents, or a time when you lost a friend you still miss.
- Explore your emotions or feelings. If you are going through a difficult time, write about how sad you are and how you hope to change it.
- Write down your dreams. Let's say you dreamed that you were flying. You can describe the plot of the dream, your feelings during the flight, and also reflect on what this dream could mean.
- List what you are grateful for. For example, you could include your cat, your family, your singing voice, and your group of friends.
- Explore what scares you. For example, you can write about your fear of closed spaces.
- Use writing prompts that you can find online. Try prompts such as: “explain what your favorite movie means to you,” “describe your reaction if you see a ghost,” “write about your dream vacation.”
Part 2
Make an entry-
Write the date and location at the top of the page. Chances are you'll go back and re-read some old posts in the future, and having the date and location will help you understand them. Place the month, day and year at the top corner of the page. And below them indicate your location.
- For example: “March 10, 2020, in a coffee shop.”
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If desired, start with an address (for example, “Dear Diary” or “Dear Me”). This is not necessary, but it may help you set the rhythm of your writing. If you will use the address, write it in the upper left corner on the first line of the entry.
- For example: “Dear Diary.”
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Use the first person pronoun (“I”) throughout your journaling. You may be in the habit of avoiding the pronoun “I” because it is frowned upon in academic writing. However, you can do whatever you want in your journal and in your writing. Use "I" to talk about yourself in your journal.
- For example: “I finally visited this new coffee shop today.”
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Write in free form without editing your entries. When journaling, write down thoughts as they arise. Don't worry about making sense of the story, using the right sentences, or making mistakes. Focus on what you need to say and don't re-read what you've already written. Keep writing until you feel like you've spoken.
- For example, don't stop and re-read what you've already written. It doesn't matter if you made a mistake or got lost in the narrative. Your journal entry should have no meaning to anyone but you.
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Get creative with the format if you wish. Journaling is a great opportunity to get creative. Experiment with your recordings to try it out. various ways self-expression. Here are some ideas:
- write a poem;
- draw pictures along with text;
- make a list of thoughts instead of describing them;
- turn a memory into a story;
- write down the lyrics to songs that are meaningful to you now;
- Glue in or include mementos of the day, such as a movie or bus ticket, flyer, or receipt.
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Ignore grammar and spelling rules when journaling. There is no need to worry about grammatical or punctuation errors here. In fact, it's even okay to ignore punctuation completely! Likewise, don't stop to check your spelling. Allow yourself to write freely without worrying about spelling rules.
- For example, perhaps you decide to write in a stream of consciousness manner. In other words, write down all your thoughts as they come to mind, without worrying about whether they are complete sentences.
Advice: There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep your journal neat and edited. The main thing is to finish writing first, and then come back and make changes.
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Include interesting sensory details to bring your recordings to life. Sensory details awaken the 5 senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Adding these details will make your notes more interesting and help you remember the event more clearly. Look for opportunities to include these details when describing events or memories from your life.
- For example, let's say you went to the beach. You can include details such as: “The wind was cool when it touched my face,” “I tasted the salt on my tongue,” “I smelled the seaweed that had washed ashore,” “A gray mist hung over the ocean, but I could still see the boat in the distance,” “The crash of the waves lulled me into an afternoon sleep.”
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Don't worry about the length of your posts. Of course, you can set a goal to make notes of a certain length. However, allow yourself to write as briefly or as extensively as possible. Several offers every day are better than full page, written from time to time. Write down what comes to mind, but allow yourself to stop if you feel like you have nothing more to say.
- For example, some days you can just jot down short lists. On other days, you can write several pages. Allow yourself to be flexible.
Part 3
Get into the habit of journaling-
Set a goal Write in your diary every day, even if it’s very short. The best way form a habit - do it every day. This can be very difficult at first, so there will likely be days when you forget about your journal. Challenge yourself to write every day, whether it's a short list or a long entry. Over time, this will become a habit.
- If some day is very busy, just write down 3 things that happened. For example: “1) I worked a lot today; 2) I visited a new Italian restaurant - it was delicious; 3) I had a nice walk after dinner.”
- It's okay if the entries are different from each other every day.
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Find a convenient time to write so that you can make it part of your daily routine. Chances are, you already have a lot on your plate, and finding time to journal can be difficult. To stick with your habit, choose a time when journaling fits naturally into your schedule. Then try taking notes during these moments. Here are some ideas:
- Keep a journal while you drink your morning coffee;
- take notes on the way to or from work if you are not driving;
- write during lunch;
- journal while you cook dinner;
- write while watching TV in the evening;
- take notes right before bed.
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Carry your journal with you wherever you can. You may find it easier to stick to your habit if you always have your journal with you. This way you can pull it out and record whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Carry a notebook in your bag or use a text editor that allows you to journal from your phone or tablet.
- For example, you can take notes while in line at the doctor's office or while waiting for someone who is running late.
- If you are driving electronic diary, you can try this option: print the entries in the form email on your phone and send a letter to yourself. Then copy and paste the entry into the created diary.
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Review past records when the time comes. One of the great things about journaling is how therapeutic it is. However, it works best if you re-read old posts and reflect on them. Choose a time when you feel ready to deal with past issues and how they still affect you.
- For example, let's say you had a hard time recovering from a layoff. Once you have found new job, you can look back at your old posts to realize that your worries were in vain. This may help you remain more positive and resilient when you face rejection again.
- Be careful with your diary if you are worried that someone might read it. Hide it or use a password if you keep it electronically.
Choose a notebook if you want to write by hand. When you think about journaling, you probably think of a notebook and pen. You can use any notebook that you like and enjoy writing in. Get a plain notebook if you want to decorate it, or a pretty one if you want something more stylish.
Advice: Journaling in a notebook is a great option if you want to personalize it with drawings, stickers, and collages. You can even put memorabilia in there, like theater tickets!
Select text editor, if you prefer to keep a diary on your computer. This may make it easier for you to take notes. Use your preferred text editor to journal. Create new document at set intervals, such as every month or year. Then save all entries in one folder.
There is a moment in a person’s life when he is psychologically left alone with himself. And what to do when your head is about to explode from thoughts, and there is an empty state of depression inside. It would be necessary to talk to someone, but the spiritual contradictions are so personal that it is impossible to tell them even to the closest person. And in this case, a personal diary comes to the rescue, which will accept any of your expressions of conclusions. But not everyone decides to immediately create a repository of personal thoughts. But the most important thing is that many simply do not know how to start keeping a personal diary. This article will talk about the first steps towards the emergence of a diary and the possibilities of maintaining it.
Why you should start keeping a personal diary
Keeping a personal diary requires consistency - it is like a habit that should become part of a person’s daily routine. It’s just that people are all different; for some it’s quite easy to put their thoughts on paper, but for others it’s very difficult due to their character and personal worldview. Despite this, most likely, everyone has tried at least once in their life to write their thoughts on paper, but they just did not try to save them.
Therefore, it’s probably worth listening and, having stepped over all doubts, start keeping a personal diary, which will lead to positive consequences:
- Helps you understand your feelings. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is very difficult to find time to listen to your feelings, and even more difficult to express them to someone else, due to the fact that they are very personal or there is simply no need to burden other people. It is best to write it all down in a diary, because immediately after writing it down, relief will appear and perhaps a problem that previously seemed global will seem so small and insignificant.
- Strengthens psychological and physical health by reducing stress. It is already a proven fact that enduring acute psychological, stressful and emotional events in one’s life leads to the normalization of the general psychophysical state. In addition, the diary will accept everything as it is, will not push or reprimand, and this helps to increase self-esteem.
- Save to long memory valuable events in life. Every day a person learns new information and various events happen to him. Is it possible to remember all the tips and lessons in the hustle and bustle of everyday life? So isn't it the best option will write it all down, and over time re-read it and possibly restore it to your memory desired event or use valuable advice.
- It is safe to keep emotions, even if they are false. This happens when a person blames another, not being sure of his responsibilities. The diary will tolerate this, but then you won’t have to push your pride aside and apologize.
- Helps to find a worthy solution to the current difficult situation. If you try to write down your thoughts on finding a way out of a difficult situation in a diary, i.e. If you put everything on the shelves, then you will definitely find the right way out.
- Will leave a memory for future generations. One has only to imagine how much information about a person his personal diary contains. Would it be unpleasant for descendants, reading it, to learn about their ancestor the story of his turbulent life?
How to start journaling
When you are sure that keeping a diary is a very valuable activity and you really need it, you need to move on to the second step, namely, decide how to start keeping a diary.
There are people in whom the need for writing inclinations suddenly arises. It also happens that a person begins to make entries in a diary just like that, without having any purpose. This is also a natural situation, because it is a personal process.
Next, after the goal, you will have to decide on a tool for the process of maintaining a repository of an archive of thoughts and desires. So, the basis of the diary can be chosen from the huge number of office supplies offered today. An ordinary notebook, a diary in hard or soft cover, an album, special diaries, which are books with printed sheets for ease of entry. There are even locks with a key, which you can always hide without worrying about opening the diary.
For those who find it difficult to write with a regular pen or who do not understand capital text, you can keep a personal diary in electronic form with peace of mind.
How to Make Journaling a Habit
Now I would like to talk about several recommendations for creating the mood for regularly maintaining your personal records. To make journaling a habit, you need to:
- don’t torment yourself with expectations, don’t set limits for yourself on what exactly you want to see in the written presentation, write what is being written about, you don’t have to follow any semantic or grammatical boundaries;
- do not create a schedule and routine for yourself, you should not set yourself rules for taking notes, for example, that you will spend half an hour every day communicating with your diary and how much you will write, just spend five minutes and write a couple of sentences;
- but it’s best to decide on the time and place right away; the most optimal time for expressing feelings and thoughts is the evening, usually before bed, when a large amount of information accumulates during the day, and besides, this time is characterized by freedom to use at your own discretion . As for the place for keeping a personal biographical book, it is best that it be determined, because it will be easier when everything is equipped, the diary is tidied up nearby and there is a pen at hand.
It turns out to start keeping a diary special effort not required. The main thing is to tune in and decide that you need it. It is worth deciding on the form of notes, be it a notebook, notepad or electronic format using computer technology. Write and do not limit yourself in the amount of information and stylistic form of the text, as well as the semantic content of the text and recording format. This is your diary, you can scribble in it, underline and highlight with colored pens, draw flowers and ticks. And in order to avoid difficulties in keeping a diary, and this process becomes your habit, accustom yourself to regularity, set aside at least a couple of minutes a day to communicate with your friend - a personal diary.
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