right now memory keeping in 2017

“Right-Now” Memory-Keeping in 2017: Part One

I am determined to keep up with my “right-now” memory-keeping in 2017.  You probably are too!

And you’re probably frustrated about any memory-keeping projects that you didn’t finish last year (or the year before that, or the year before that, ad infinitum). I want to do a weekly scrapbook in 2017, but realistically, there is no way on God’s green earth that I am going to finish a two-page per week 12×12 album that requires extensive journaling.

If you’re thinking the same thing, or looking for help getting started this year, join us below.

right now memory keeping in 2017

“Right-now” memory-keeping is the best way for you to stay ‘in the moment’ and actively connected to the people and things around us.  It takes some work!  Pictures need to be printed and organized, new supplies sorted and used, augmented by favorites from your stash.

How can we set ourselves up for success for “right now” memory-keeping in 2017?

  1. Reflect on why you are memory-keeping.
  2. Make decisions now so that you don’t have to later.
  3. Do as much prep work as possible.
  4. Schedule memory-keeping.

In this post, we will talk and think about 1 & 2. Tomorrow we’ll tackle 3 & 4.

Reflect on the reasons that you do “right now” memory-keeping

Think about the reason that you scrapbook, keep a traveler’s notebook, or art journal.  Why is it important to you?  Thinking about the why will help you narrow down your methods for the coming year, so that you’re not spinning your wheels expending effort on things that just don’t matter to you.
Ask yourself:
  • Why do you choose memory-keeping?
  • What do you love about memory-keeping?
  • What are the things you avoid when it’s time to memory keep?
  • What is your favorite part about memory-keeping?
  • What does “right now” memory-keeping bring you that other methods, such as journaling or blogging or photographing don’t?
In my case, scrapbooking is therapeutic.  I love cutting and pasting and designing layouts.  I hate, hate, hate, extensive prep work each week before I dive in and start adhering my embellishments to my photos.   I really like the joy my daughters express when they look through scrapbooks long after I’ve created them; however, the stress relief I get from scrapbooking far outweighs any other considerations for me (after all, I blog too).  And scrapbooking relieves stress in a way that blogging doesn’t.
Make decisions now so that you don’t have to later.
Now that you know the whys of this year’s memory-keeping, it’s time to focus on the what.  It’s time to determine what your 2017 “right now” memory keeping is actually going to look like.
  • What are you capable of achieving this year?
  • What worked last year?
  • What didn’t work last year?
  • What would you like to do better this year?
  • How much time are you realistically going to devote to memory-keeping each week?
  • Do you have any design team or other obligations that might affect your memory-keeping?
After a bit of reflection, this is what I decided to take into account when making format decisions:
  1. I can’t go digital.  I really like the physical aspect of memory-keeping.
  2. I love bright pages that aren’t washed out.  I don’t have time to do a 2 page spread every week.
  3. I don’t want to buy a ton of new supplies.
  4. I hate mixed rounded corners with square corners.
  5. I have a couple of hours per week max to work on this, and I need to do all of the actually physical scrapbooking in one session because small children have sticky hands that love to touch projects I leave out for any length of time.
I’ll be doing one 12×12 pocket page per week.  All of my week cards are going to look the same.  I’m not going to bother with borders on photos this year.  I don’t care whether my style is easily photographed and shared a lot online.  I’m going to use up the supplies I already have.  And I’m going to do my best to do all of my editing and printing from my phone.
Now that we’ve gotten the planning of 2017 down, tomorrow we’ll tackle setting yourself up for 2017.

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