Someday, your memory will begin to fade.  

I have noticed this depressing trend in myself lately.  In fact, if my memory gets any worse, I will soon be able to plan my own surprise parties.  I am not happy about this.

This morning, while posting the “word of the day,” I opened a file.  I was looking for a definition.  After opening the file, I stared at it blankly.  

I could not remember why I opened the file.  

My children can remember everything.  They remember every movie they watch, and every song they hear.  For years, I was able to do the same.  Lately, I have noticed, it is getting tougher.  

All of this leads me to the tip of the week.  

You should start a blog.  

When you write something down, you have an easier time remembering what you were thinking.  You will remember what you were learning.  

Best of all, most blogs now come with built in search engines. The search engine becomes your personal memory assistant. Use the search engine, or even Google, to find things you have written.  You may forget what you have written, but Google will not forget.  

I am now in the habit of blogging every day.  I typically post three to four articles a day.  Since I don’t work on Sundays, I am posting 315 days a year.  Three articles a day times 315 days a year equals 945 articles a year.  

There is no way I will be able to remember all I have written.  In ten years, there will be almost 10,000 posts.  The only way to track my thoughts will be via a search engine.

You should start a blog.  Choose a topic that you love, and start writing.  Fill your blog with your thoughts.  Take notes on your blog.  Whenever you read something interesting, copy and paste it into your blog.  Add your own notes.  Add hyperlinks to the articles, videos, or posts you are reading.

I was afraid to start blogging.  I was afraid to start a “tip of the week.”  In the end, it did not matter.  I should not have been afraid.  I should not have hesitated.  

I decided to start posting every weekday, because my memory was fading.  I wanted to leave a trail.  I wanted to be able to track my thoughts over time.  

Without a search engine, I was going to lose my thoughts.  

You are eventually going to lose your thoughts, too.  Keep them.  Start a blog.  Do it for yourself.  Do it for your family.  Do it for your kids.  Do it so that later, you can re-discover your best ideas.

Start here: https://wordpress.com/

Or, start here: https://www.blogger.com/home

Happy Saturday!

Dwane