When it comes to having good things to say about the year of our Lord 2020, most of us are likely to come up short. After all, this year began with the eruption of a long-dormant volcano, and it’s ending with a holiday season with a beleaguered populace entering over 300 days in community quarantine. Because of a virus that’s gripped the world and brought it to its knees. Yeah. That’s 2020. 

But what we often forget is that we’re living in some pretty historic times—the last time a pandemic of such proportions seized the world was in 1918, when the Spanish influenza infected 500 million people…and killed around 50 million of them. This is the type of thing people who live to tell the tale tell their grandchildren about. So, now might be a good time to start a quarantine journal.

Do you remember how you felt during the day of September 9, 2015? That’s a totally random day, BTW. Nothing extraordinary happened then (at least, not to our knowledge). That’s because humans forget easily. You may think you’ll *always* remember how 2020 made you feel, but someday, this time in our lives is going to be (hopefully) a distant, not-so-fond memory. So to provide yourself with a time capsule, here are a few tips for keeping a quarantine journal:

1. Write down the habits that have kept you busy.

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［１２:４０］ — Selamat siang!! gimana nih sekolah online hari ini? lebih santai dan bisa lakuin hal-hal lain gak? Disini aku ada journal spread tentang hal yang aku lakuin selama #dirumahaja. Oh ya, sticker2 ini aku nemu di @pickadayplanner, lucu banget kan? di @pickadayplanner pilihan desain stickernya itu banyak banget loh~ pencinta sticker wajib banget nih ngepoin @pickadayplanner 🥰🥰

A post shared by t a r [semi-hiatus] (@tarstudies) on Sep 30, 2020 at 10:39pm PDT

You must have picked up a new hobby (or five) this quarantine—with all this time spent at home, we all had to broaden our horizons. Remind Future You of all the things you did to keep yourself entertained (or wind down from the post-WFH shift exhaustion) with a nifty and colorful list.

2. Doodle reminders to keep your mental health in check.

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［１８:１０］ — Selamat malam! inget kan ya kalo besok hari Senin? haha, semangat semuanya^^ ini aku post spreadku waktu itu aku share di igstory. Ini buku jurnal hitamnya @write.scape, aku juga pake pentel keluaran terbaru yang aku dapet dari @write.scape, dan karin markers juga bisa beli di @write.scape. seru juga ya ternyata ngejurnal di kertas hitam><

A post shared by t a r [semi-hiatus] (@tarstudies) on Oct 25, 2020 at 4:10am PDT

The person you’ll be spending not only the rest of quarantine, but also the rest of your life with, is yourself. That’s why you should be your own best friend and cheerleader. Jot down your favorite inspirational quotes as a reminder that this, too, shall pass.

3. Fill it up with photos.

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Journal entries in quarantine, spending our days off baking, eating, sharpening knives and moving (whenever not eating). How does your #quarantinejournal look like? Tag us, we’d love to get ideas on what to do!

A post shared by STICKERRIFIC (@stickerrific) on Oct 31, 2020 at 10:05pm PDT

Treat your quarantine journal like a storybook for Future You to wistfully flip through…and all storybooks need photos. Whether it’s a silly pic of your cat or your proudest homemade meal from April, document this time as best you can!

4. Be accountable to yourself.

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Update: I’ve been really hard on myself these past few weeks that I forgot to ask myself how I’m really feeling. The months are going to get busier and by listing down these goals I *sincerely* hope to give myself a bit of time to REALLY focus on myself, take charge of my week even if they feel so robotic lately, and believe that some days are just not okay. Like today, yesterday, and last weekend. Maybe tomorrow will be better. 🤞🏼 What are your goals for the last quarter of the year? 📔 (also yes it’s 10pm I’m still working lol) PS 🌱 washi coming soon 😊 #2020CreativeJournalingChallenge #creativejournaling #journalsbyabc #goalsjournal

A post shared by Abbey ☆ artist & author (@abbeysy) on Sep 29, 2020 at 7:03am PDT

Allow us to preface this with a gentle affirmation: it’s OK if you didn’t meet any of your 2020 goals. This year threw the whole Earth in for a loop, after all. But if you’re determined to hit at least some of your targets this year, you can use a quarantine journal to take account of your progress (it may be nearing mid-November, but it’s not too late!). 

Journaling may sound silly, and you may not have picked up some good ol’ pen and paper in a while. But going back to this simple ritual might just be what you need to get through the rest of this truly crazy year. And, 10 years from now, you’ll have a piece of history in your hands. Your story, at least.