What Should I Do With My Journals In the Future?

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What will happen to my journals after I'm gone? How should I prepare them to be handed down to family members or historians? Have you made plans for your diaries and journals? Join the discussion in the comments section!

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[Nisie]

I would leave them; otherwise, authenticity is lost. If you have a few sensitive pages that would truly devastate someone if they read it create art to cover them.

[longdaysjournal]

I would love to come across these as a find in my local Goodwill!

[OldWhistler]

I would definitely go with A…leave them as they are. My reasoning on this is…1/ when anyone else sees them you’re going to be gone so it won’t concern you then, 2/. they are the honest you, the honest thoughts from your mind at that time. 3/. The most I would do to alter would be to date the sensitive parts, so anyone reading them in years to come would know maybe something happened around that time that you had to “talk out” in your journal. 4/. I would imagine it will be family that starts to look through them, so it won’t matter if you called someone down the road some choice names, or got annoyed with a friend. And finally 5/. If it’s really going to worry you, just rip out any pages that are too sensitive 😀

[lesliewells-igdl]

Both the US and the UK have programs called The Great Diary Project that people can send their journals to and they preserve them. I plan to do that.

[lynnclemons]

I have also thought about this.I in the past have thrown journals in the recycling tote:(Afraid someone would be hurt if they saw what i wrote especially when I was really hurt by them.I have also written things about the abuse I went through, and would be mortified if anyone else read that...I regret recycling the ones I did recycle, but now I have more that I am wondering about??I don't think there really is a right or wrong.Maybe store them in safe totes while really considering your options.I wouldn't rewrite the good stuff though...I would leave them as they are as they're the story of you❤

[mkstarrr]

I'm in my 70's and a journal keeper for over 45 years. I have a LOT of notebooks. About 1 1/2 years ago I ran out of room to store them, and I didn't want to have to move them when I move. I didn't know what to do, so I thought first I'll reread them -all of them, from first to last. I knew before I finished the 3rd one that there is no way I want to leave them to an unknown future...there is a lot of ranting and admitting things I'm not proud of. I don't want to be remembered for that. And much was repetitious and boring. So I decided to rewrite them. I'm currently on journal 24 of 47 (these are only words with a few diagrams and drawings in a full letter sized pages) so it's more work than I anticipated, but it's also fascinating. I'm reading them for the first time as I rewrite them. The perspective of time has been a terrific benefit. I will guess I'm saving about 1/3 of each. I am able to cut out any drawings and glue them into the new journals.
I gave this a lot of thought. I destroyed my first teen journals many many years ago. I regret that. But I also realize that at least 2/3rds of those entries were silly and worthless. I regret losing that other 1/3, which would be fun to read now.
I was horrified when I saw someone on Youtube buy old journals on ebay and read them online. Who knows how many hands the diaries went through before they got to ebay, but I wouldn't want mine on there. My kids might want to read the parts when they were little, but probably not the rest. And there are even things that might embarrass them. So even if I would leave the journals for them...what would they do after they read them? Do I think others will understand that I only felt that way at the time I wrote them and not be hurt or angry? I just don't know. I'm not willing to take that chance.
I wrote them for myself because they helped me. They are not significant history, and I'm not related to someone famous, so they won't be published. Even if I'm the only one who ever reads them again in the future, they will be much more enjoyable in the edited version. They are my journals and I get to choose what to do with them. I've heard many people say they will destroy them before they die, as if they are sure they will get that opportunity. I know not everyone else agrees with what I'm doing, but I'm very happy that I'm able to do this.

[robbiegarcia-gt]

I have recopied many of my journals and I find it very relaxing. I have also thrown away many of my journals. Sometimes, I throw them away to start a new chapter in my life. Honestly, there are things I don't want to remember, things written in the heat of anger, bad times that I have no need to relive. My dad was a journaler and to be honest, since he passed I have only looked through one of his journals, I find it too hard. It was just about a month ago that I threw away all of my journals and started new ones, I decided I was not going to go back and look at them and they were taking up space and I needed a fresh start. Something you might consider is putting all current events and random information in one journal and all your personal feelings in another, that way if you decide to toss them, you aren't tossing all the information you researched. I have OCD so covering the pages with artwork would not work for me, it would drive me crazy. lol. In the end, we journal for ourselves and whatever we decide to do will be the right thing for us.

[lauriesotro]

I have just started journaling the past fews years. But one thing I have written in the front page of each of my journals is that they are ONLY for my son and my daughter. No one else is to have possession of them, ever! Not even my in-law children. Sure I know they will see and read them but they are not to consider them theirs. I also have a separate journal written to my son and one to my daughter. And a separate journal written to each of my grandchildren. For yours may I suggest making art over anything that you think would be hurtful. Create something beautiful out of those words. 😊 And then KEEP them! While you are alive they hold tremendous value for YOU. But once you have passed, the value or beauty will be with the beholder. You can’t control that.

[gintzudai]

Please don't be afraid to be your authentic self and leave your journals "as is."😊 I've been reading a book called *The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper* by Roland Allen, where he tracks the history of notebooks from their earliest beginnings. These little packets of paper are invaluable snapshots of the amazing people who owned them - and yes, people like DaVinci and Isaac Newton kept notebooks, but so did a Greek ship-slave who taught himself "Italian" and who discovered a surprising aptitude for mathematics during his lifetime! And the more personal a notebook was, the more it was cherished by the historians who read them. Each of us is unique, with our own unique stories to tell. Your notebooks, with all those little personal quirks, and gorgeous artwork, could be just what humanity needs a hundred, or a thousand years from now.❤

[kimhine]

When my granddaughter was three, she asked “what are all these books?” I told her they are my journals, she took one out and asked me “what does this bit say?” And so l read her that page, I had stuck in ticket stubs and a photo, and she was surprised that Grandma looked differently. She said “Oh these are the stories of Grandma!” Then she asked me “Grandma when you die who will keep all your books?” I knew both my daughters wouldn’t and i told her that, and said “Oh your Mum will probably throw them all away!” And she said “Can I have them? Tell Mum they are mine!” And so l did! And Scarlett comes into my bedroom and randomly chooses a “Book of Grandma” and reads it. She is 11 now and we are getting ready to pack up the family home to sell, and she said “Grandma! Don’t forget all those books are mine!” My Son has offered to store them safely away from small children until we decide where to settle and then my husband has promised to build me shelves to store them. I will give up anything else but never my journals. I have warned all my children, “you can red anything you like but remember these are my thoughts and feelings and you may not like what you read!” I want my children to know I am not perfect I am human, i had crappy days and i had angry days I am imperfect but i always loved them perfectly. My journal lives on my bedside tables, my husband has full access he won’t even pick it up, in case something falls out, and all of my children are constantly giving me stuff “here Mum a spare one for your journal!” A photo, a business card, a napkin, a flower to press. I started journalling my earliest thoughts when i turned 30 and haven’t stopped! 28 years and counting.

[sherrycohen]

I regret having tossed out my old journals.

[themisterchristie]

A - If people can't figure out that you may have been frustrated or upset when you wrote it, too bad for them, especially if you're no longer around.

[tortagialla]

Definitely a topic I’m interested in! My morning pages are trashed because it’s random writing that is not meant to be kept. Other stuff is in a different journal… this is why I don’t like mixing all things into one place if I know I don’t want to keep that journal.

[carmennooner]

I'm 76 and just started journaling this year. So, honestly, it will be a short read!

[earthskye]

I think it's a great idea to create artwork over what you don't want others to see. As for me, in the past, I've disposed of many of my journals. A lot of them were full of angst and ranting --not something I wanted to carry with me for the rest of my life. I was surprised at how good I felt once I tossed them. It was like a weight off my shoulders, a new beginning, leaving the past behind, etc. I have never once regretted it. HOWEVER, that is not for everyone. It's certainly more complicated when your journals are full of artwork! But for me, I don't see my family sitting around a fire reading my journals when I'm gone, lol --and I don't want them to feel bad about tossing them. I'd rather do it. I currently have two years of journals in archive and at the end of this year, I will go through and clean out at least some of them.

[mjroywriter]

Have you thought about maybe publishing your pages like Susan Branch? Just a thought but I would buy it 😂😉

[yesimthatlisa]

I've considered what would happen with my journals after I'm gone, I plan to shred the pages before that point. But the reality is that once I've passed I won't know what happened with my journals, so I wouldn't care.

[karenwood]

I say leave most as is and artwork over what you really don’t want seen.

[jameygreen]

I think I would do a mixture of B and C. Look and see if there are any you could tear out and repurpose in a new journal/paint over ect. And rewrite the important ones you can't in a brand new journal. And keep the burn book separate lol.

[teachloveinspire]

Do not destroy them....these are all beautiful and will have meaning in the future no matter how trivial you might think it is! Absolutely NOT d. Leave as is to your family.