The end of the month is here, and that means it's time to reflect on the month and all the wonderful memories you've made. One of the biggest tricks we play on ourselves is thinking we will remember everything. We don't need to write it down, right? But does that even work for the grocery store? Of course not! Memories are important, so don't let yourself fall into that trap. At the end of each month, take a few minutes to document your memories.

Roundups. Recaps. Reviews. You can call them whatever you like, but the general idea is the same. Just take some time to write down what has happened recently, add some pictures, and call it good! That’s what I do at the end of each month, and I plan to keep going strong with this practice as long as possible.

You can do weekly or monthly recaps - it’s totally up to you. I like to ensure I don’t go any longer than a month without recording these details, or it just gets too hard to remember. I’ve been doing monthly roundups since January 2006. It’s my most useful memory-keeping tool!

Roundup Prompts:

• What did you watch? Shows, movies, plays, theater, performances, etc.

• What did you listen to? Music, podcasts, audiobooks,

• What did you read? Books, Kindle, online, etc.

• What did you learn? Life lessons, classes, new skills and ideas, etc.

• What did you celebrate? Holidays, celebrations, special occasions, big events, accomplishments, etc.

• What was newsworthy? Individual and/or family updates. Adding headlines and tidbits from the news can add interesting context to your pages.

• Other ideas - Share joys, challenges, travels, adventures, health, goals, hobbies, play, weather, favorite finds, foods you ate, memes & humor

Gather Memories:

• Review calendars, social media posts, journal entries, etc.

• Try searching your camera roll by month and year. Pro tip- make sure all your photos are uploaded and backed up to at least two places so you don’t have to worry about losing them.

• Gather any memorabilia from the month, such as ticket stubs, invitations, programs, etc. Scan or photograph them if desired, and then upload them with your photos for the month.

Complete Your Roundup:

• Make a list of your answers to the prompts and add photos.

• Create a scrapbook page, a bullet journal, or a planner spread. Write them as a journal entry and include some photos. Share a social media post or blog entry. Just find a routine that works for you.

• If you share your roundup in any form on Instagram, use the hashtag #roundupyourmemories if you want to share with others.

• The more roundups you do, the more you will appreciate this simple way to document your everyday life!

If you need some inspiration and ideas on how to do a roundup, be sure to check out my video tutorial:

Enjoy working on your roundup!