welcome.
There is no finish line
Re: There is no finish line
posting to follow so I can catch the link to your journal once you post it
welcome.
welcome.
Re: There is no finish line
Thank you, bryan!
I'm not sure what 'posting to follow' means, but it sounds good.
I've definitely decided to start a journal, but I'm struggling with how to structure it. It's all about structure for me. I want to tell a story of the road so far, but in the context of how it relates to ERE and might help others (including plenty of 'never do this' content!). I also want to talk about where we are now and my concerns/plan for the future. I would love to have feedback from this community, because the future is a moving target that sometimes scares me.
What I can't figure out: do I tell the story of the past and segue into the present and then future plans, or do I start with the present to establish that I'm not just using this wonderful forum to write a book? I have so much respect for the people here, and I don't want to abuse the gift of their generous inclusion.
I'm not sure what 'posting to follow' means, but it sounds good.
I've definitely decided to start a journal, but I'm struggling with how to structure it. It's all about structure for me. I want to tell a story of the road so far, but in the context of how it relates to ERE and might help others (including plenty of 'never do this' content!). I also want to talk about where we are now and my concerns/plan for the future. I would love to have feedback from this community, because the future is a moving target that sometimes scares me.
What I can't figure out: do I tell the story of the past and segue into the present and then future plans, or do I start with the present to establish that I'm not just using this wonderful forum to write a book? I have so much respect for the people here, and I don't want to abuse the gift of their generous inclusion.
Re: There is no finish line
A journal is not a story, its the notes to make a story. It requires no structure, just a modicum of attention. It is not supposed to have structure -- that would be its antithesis. Some days you'll have random thoughts about things you'll never do. Write them down anyway. You never know.
Just write down whatever happened and whatever you are thinking about that day. That's it. As Yoda says, "There is no try. Do or do not." This applies doubly to a journal.
Just write down whatever happened and whatever you are thinking about that day. That's it. As Yoda says, "There is no try. Do or do not." This applies doubly to a journal.
Re: There is no finish line
@Dragline,
You did get the OCD accountant part, right? Telling me to be random is like telling me meditate.
Seriously: I will try. I read once that the thing which is hardest to do is the one you most need to do...or something like that.
You did get the OCD accountant part, right? Telling me to be random is like telling me meditate.
Seriously: I will try. I read once that the thing which is hardest to do is the one you most need to do...or something like that.
Re: There is no finish line
Oh dear, yes, the accountant-part...
Personally, in my journal I just started with where I was at that point in time (with a short introduction) and here and there I explained something more about the past, while mostly talking about the present / the last month, etc.
But given that you're an accountant ... You might want to start with a table of contents? This can actually be done on this forum, as you can go back to the first comment (the table of contents) and edit it. So you might want to create a table of contents like your life in chronological order (Early years - high school - young professionals - your 30s - your 40s - your 50s) and then you could add references to where you discuss these parts of your life more. (References as in: "see page 3", or "see 3 Dec 2016", but you can also create links to specific posts).
Unfortunately, you can't "sort" posts - so if you report on your 40s first and only later about your 20s, then that order in your journal is fixed. Although... you do have the option to delete a specific post; and of course you would be free to copy the content of that post to a new post. That could be a way to move the contents of a post forwards in time. But... why would you do that? Ha
It is also perfectly allowed on this forum to have a diary just for whatever occupies your thoughts at that moment, and to build another diary or thread elsewhere that's more structured, or has a specific theme. So that could be another thing to do. Make the diary strictly about the here and now, and create another thread to report about the past.
Personally, in my journal I just started with where I was at that point in time (with a short introduction) and here and there I explained something more about the past, while mostly talking about the present / the last month, etc.
But given that you're an accountant ... You might want to start with a table of contents? This can actually be done on this forum, as you can go back to the first comment (the table of contents) and edit it. So you might want to create a table of contents like your life in chronological order (Early years - high school - young professionals - your 30s - your 40s - your 50s) and then you could add references to where you discuss these parts of your life more. (References as in: "see page 3", or "see 3 Dec 2016", but you can also create links to specific posts).
Unfortunately, you can't "sort" posts - so if you report on your 40s first and only later about your 20s, then that order in your journal is fixed. Although... you do have the option to delete a specific post; and of course you would be free to copy the content of that post to a new post. That could be a way to move the contents of a post forwards in time. But... why would you do that? Ha
It is also perfectly allowed on this forum to have a diary just for whatever occupies your thoughts at that moment, and to build another diary or thread elsewhere that's more structured, or has a specific theme. So that could be another thing to do. Make the diary strictly about the here and now, and create another thread to report about the past.
Re: There is no finish line
Wow, DutchGirl...so many options! To think that I could have a table of contents. It's like Accountant Christmas.
I'm leaning toward the two-journal idea. I probably need to learn to be more spontaneous, but I also want the backstory to understand (for myself also) where I am and why. I truly appreciate your taking the time to educate me on this.
I'm leaning toward the two-journal idea. I probably need to learn to be more spontaneous, but I also want the backstory to understand (for myself also) where I am and why. I truly appreciate your taking the time to educate me on this.
Re: There is no finish line
You're welcome
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suomalainen
- Posts: 988
- Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 12:49 pm
Re: There is no finish line
I like the title - something I need to keep fromt and center. Am looking forward to reading your journal.
Re: There is no finish line
Thank you, soumalainen! My journal has become a potentially confusing mash of flashback and present day, so keep that in mind when reading. My plan to follow a table of contents with appropriate links...not so much. 