I have written in my journaling app for 2908 days without a break. Sometimes it's only been a single line saying I didn't really do anything, sometime it's almost been a novel. But there it is - a snapshot from every day of my life since January the 11th 2018.

Why did I start then? Honestly I don't remember. I had gotten married the previous August and felt a little sad that I hadn't documented the run-up to the big day. I was also learning to drive, and I know I wanted to log my progress.

All the big stuff is in there. Failing the driving test, and passing it a month later. Buying my first car. The covid lockdowns. My eldest starting high school. My youngest starting high school. My husband's heart attack. The very happiest of days and the ones where I hit rock bottom.

The small stuff is in there too. A restaurant we liked. When I slept in. Taking the boys to soft play. Or if I just couldn't be arsed to do anything that day.

The app I use was quite basic when I started. Since then I've been able to add photos and goals, and it gives me pretty charts, monthly and annually. It even tells me if one of my activities has had an effect on my mood in the following days. I like statistics, so this quantifies my word salad into something visual and appealing.

I had a little diary when I was a teenager. It was mostly filled with dreams, school worries, friendships, family drama, fantasising about my favourite pop/movie star and other general angst. It's still in the loft somewhere and is a bit cringe to read, but what teenage diary isn't?

I do wish I'd kept a journal for more of my life, especially the period when I had my children. But I'm grateful that I have the last 8 years written down and it's my intention to keep going as long as I can still string a sentence together. That's my 2026 (and beyond) resolution.

I'll finish with a screenshot of this year's overview (so far). Happy to see there's been no crap days!