Whether your busy seasons last a literal season (hello, holidays!) or stretch into months or years, you can still document your life, even when it feels like there’s no time. Documenting your life doesn’t mean journaling pages every day or creating a scrapbook every year. It’s about keeping it simple, noticing the moments that matter to you, and capturing them with intention.

In this post, I’ll show you a few easy ways to make documenting a natural part of your everyday life, without adding stress, perfectionism, or hours of extra work. You’ll learn how to choose a system that works for you, build mini habits that stick, and capture the moments you want to remember without worrying about the final result.

01. Choose a Simple System

Documenting your life without feeling “behind” starts with a simple system. All you need is one simple tool that fits your lifestyle, like:

• An app like Notion, Google Docs, or Notes
• A journal or notebook
• Your phone’s voice memo app
• A folder or box for mementos, like ticket stubs and greeting cards

Choose one that you already reach for in your everyday life, and remember: you can always switch if it’s not working. Documenting your life is all about what works for you.

What you don’t need? The newest camera, a craft closet full of scrapbooking supplies, or a stack of leather-bound journals and fancy pens. At this point, all you need is a home for the memories you collect.

Once you’ve chosen where those memories will live, you’re ready to start building habits that make documenting your life feel like second nature.

02. Create Mini Memory-Keeping Habits

The key to documenting your life without feeling behind is to create mini memory-keeping habits. These are small, sustainable ways to capture moments as they happen, without worrying about the final result.

Here are some examples:

• Recording a 1-2 minute voice memo at the end of the day or week
• Jotting down a few notes about what happened today or this week (in list form, stream of consciousness, whatever works for you!)
• Take a couple of photos per day and organize them into folders on your phone daily or weekly

To make your habit stick, especially during busy seasons of life, try habit stacking. Pair your new documenting routine with something you already do daily. For example, jot down 1-3 things that happened today right after you set your alarm for the next morning, or record a quick voice memo while your coffee brews.

Here’s how I approach documenting when I need to keep it really simple. For me, the holidays are the perfect example of a busy, memory-filled season when I know I won’t have time to scrapbook or keep up with Essie’s baby book. My only goal during that time is to capture what’s happening in small ways. I can decide what to do with it all later.

Finally, set a reflection date. I block off an afternoon in mid-January to look through everything I saved during the holidays and decide what I want to create with it, if anything at all. Actually put it in your calendar; life always feels “busy,” so you have to dedicate time to follow up.

Even when life feels too full to pause, these mini memory-keeping habits help you stay present but capture the moments that matter.

03. Capture and Reflect

Now that you’ve set up your system and built your mini habits, it’s time to just live and document as you go. Capture life in real time with quick photos, short notes, voice memos, or a few mementos here and there. Don’t overthink or try to organize everything perfectly while you’re in the moment. Just document!

Then, revisit everything you’ve collected. Remember that reflection date you set earlier? That’s your time to look back at what you’ve captured, not to create something perfect, but to notice and appreciate what you documented.

You might turn your memories into a photo book, print a few favorites for a gallery wall, or simply scroll through them or share with friends and family. Whatever feels right is enough!

If you need some ideas for what to do with everything you’ve documented, grab my free download, the Quick Start Guide to Documenting Your Life, for ideas and prompts to get started.

Wrap-Up

I hope this post has given you some solid ideas for documenting your life, even when life feels so busy you barely remember what you ate for breakfast. Remember, all it takes is:

• Choosing a simple home for your memories
• Building mini habits that make documenting a natural part of your routine
• Capturing life as it happens and setting aside time to reflect

Even just a couple of sentences or photos per day or week will add up to a meaningful document of your life without much effort. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Your notes, photos, or mementos are for you to look back on and enjoy. It’s not about perfect scrapbooks or overflowing journals. It’s about noticing and capturing life, one moment at a time.

P.S. If you want extra guidance or prompts to get started, download the Quick Start Guide to Documenting Your Life here! It includes a 7-day challenge to help you start and keep going!