I recently found myself scrolling through my social media feed and saw an advertisement for a beautiful 5-year journal. A 5-year journal is specifically designed to record experiences, events, feelings and thoughts from each day across a period of 5 years. If you open up to a particular day, you can see what you’ve held onto for the past 5 years on that very day. I love the concept, but was horrified to hear myself saying three words aloud as I scrolled by it:

It’s too late.

At first, I was confused. What did I mean by it’s too late? Too late for what? For a new notebook? Never! But as I sat with my words for a minute, I was horrified to realize that wasn’t what I meant at all. I knew it wasn’t too late for a new notebook, but I did think it was too late for a 5-year journal.

Why?

Well, because my children aren’t little anymore. THAT is when I should have started this. When they were little. When they were growing so fast. When there was something new to celebrate every day. THOSE were the years I should have been documenting the little things. 

One of my biggest regrets is not chronicling more of the early days of my family: the big moments and especially, the small ones. The things I said I’d never forget, but definitely do not remember. 

It’s too late. 

I’m not going to lie….that made me sad. And depressed. I might have even shed a few tears at the thought that the most precious years of my family’s life are gone and I didn’t record them as much as I would have liked. And I sat with all of that for a bit, my social feed completely forgotten.  

Instead, I remembered something Tanya Dalton said on a podcast episode about turning regret into resilience. She said that for everything we feel regret over, there’s an action we can take to make sure we don’t continue to regret it in the future. We just need to name the action and then get moving. 

So obviously, the best way to stop regretting not documenting my family as we grew was to actually start documenting my growing family now. Because they are still here. And we are still growing. And that is not something to be taken for granted. 

So, I did it. I instantly purchased that 5-year journal I saw while I was scrolling to turn my regret into resilience, my sadness into optimism. It’s from Chronicle Books, is bright and colorful and is small and compact. Here’s what it looks like:

I’ve been writing in it each day and I’ve learned a thing or two in the process:

  • Choose a consistent time to add your entry to the journal. Many recommend journaling at night to reflect on the day, but this did not work for me. Instead, I start off the morning thinking about a positive memory I want to hold onto from the day before. 
  • Keep your journal visible as a reminder to write in it. If my journal wasn’t visible, then I forgot to add my entry. But when it was on the counter or front and center on my desk, I would dutifully write. 
  • Keep writing utensils close by. This was important for me. I kept a pile of colorful markers right next to my notebook so there was no excuse not to write in it. Everything was right there where I needed it. I just needed to show up to the page. 
  • Stay positive. For better or worse, I tend to remember and perseverate over what went wrong rather than what went well. But when I look back over the past 5 years of my life, I want to celebrate the good moments, not wallow in the not-so-good. And the best part? My mindset for seeking the good started changing over time. It got much easier. 
  • Give yourself grace. If I forgot an entry, I would look over my calendar and try to remember a moment to capture. But if I couldn’t, I gave myself grace. Things happen. Capturing most of my memories is better than capturing none. 

If I’m honest, there are still days I regret not getting started sooner, but I rest happy knowing my future self won’t have even more regret to live with. Like they say, the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now. That’s why I think you should start a 5-year journal, too. If you like the looks of mine, start there. If you want to window shop a bit, here a few I’ve favorited for my next purchase:

5-Year Journal from Natural Life

The Five Year Journal by Peter Pauper Press

The Happiness Project One-Sentence Journal: A Five-Year Record Diary by Gretchen Rubin

Daily Moments: One Sentence a Day Five Year Memory Journal by Papeterie Bleu

One last thing: You don’t need a special 5-year journal to start capturing your daily memories to savor later. Any notebook with 365 pages will do. And if you’re a bit intimidated by the thought of keeping the journal for 5 years, then start with one. Buy a yearly calendar and start capturing a memory a day there instead. 

It’s not too late. 

It’s not too late for me OR for you. Might you keep a 5-year journal now? Or, do you already have your own? Share your experiences with the 5-year journal in the comments below!