"Writing something down so that it can be used or seen again in the future." ^*

This is a definition of a “record” in an English dictionary. The first record we keep after being born is perhaps a diary. Were you a good student who wrote a diary without missing a day? It was really tough for me to write a diary every day. I wonder why we had a section in our diaries for recording the weather of the day. I can still remember clearly searching through the newspaper to check the weather for the weeks I missed during the vacation.

Now that we’ve all grown up, are you still keeping a record for something? We must have all maintained some form of record each in our own ways, like writing diaries, keeping a daily work log, or uploading pictures on social media.

You must have heard of a book called “Benefits of Records Retention.” The book is a collection of records on work and daily life, written by marketer Lee Seung-hee. The records include her conversations with people, memos from what she saw on YouTube or books, and even her thoughts and realizations, all of which make the book enjoyable to read, just as if you are taking a peek into your friend’s diary. Here is one of the most memorable excerpts from the book:

“The power of records is never weak. If you compare it to cooking, unless you are not a celebrity chef, everyone uses similar recipes. It’s all about ingredients. The more understanding you have of ingredients, the more competitive advantage you have because you know which ingredients you should use together to get that extraordinary taste. The same goes for content. It feels so rewarding when the records that I’ve kept help boost my ability as a marketer.”

- From Benefits of Records Retention by Lee Seung-hee

The excerpt left me with a strong impression. This led me to create an Instagram account for record keeping, in the summer of 2020. In the beginning, I tried to record things that inspired me as a marketer. I’d follow what was trending and leave reviews on marketing books, and my impression of marketing seminars I attended. I also archived posts I wrote on Brunch, a written content publishing website of Kakao.

After a couple of months had passed, however, I became tired of this. It was like the diary I had been forced to write during the vacation. Recording something itself became stressful. I felt compelled to leave a meaningful record on every single matter. I became concerned about the posts that had become something like a frightful scrapbook of random things. So, I quit uploading posts for some time.

Then suddenly, I changed my mind. I decided to record things that I love personally, instead of as a marketer. I started out with light topics. I recorded my daily moments on Instagram that befit my nickname as a “multipotentialite” for having so many interests. For example, my reflections on a musical I’ve seen multiple times, notes on an art show I coincidentally found and an artwork I liked, a café in my neighborhood that I like to visit every day. It was a delightful experience to look for small things that sparked joy in life, especially at the time I was going through the pandemic blues. It was a self-led activity of leaving pieces of my life, instead of something that I was forced to do.

Realizing the benefits of records retention, I decided to take on the challenge of making one posting a day to continue leaving records.

1P1D is short for one posting a day. It is literally a ritual of making one post every day. I could choose any channel to upload posts, like a blog, Instagram, or Brunch, so I decided to continue to leave my records on Instagram. I thought it wouldn’t be so hard since I had used Instagram in a while.

But in just a week, when about 1/4 of the ritual period had passed, I had writer’s block. I had thought that it would be a simple task since I wasn’t doing any lengthy writing, but it was rather complicated to find new topics in mundane life. I needed a photo or a video since I was using Instagram. It took me a lot of time editing because the post will remain in the feed (I may have chosen the wrong platform to leave records).

Regardless, there was no other way since the ritual had already begun. I took photos scurrying around the neighborhood for the daily record. I photographed fancy stores and products I came across during market surveys. I took a shot of my favorite dish from dinners I had with colleagues and snapped a picture of the rainy scenery on my weekend trip to an old palace. I even took a picture of an interesting cover of a book I had read a long time ago. I also completed an essay I had postponed finishing up and uploaded it on Brunch. All in all, I ended up recording more than I would have normally done.

After all that hard work of writing, some amazing things started to happen. People began leaving comments on my Instagram posts. Some people left supporting messages and their observations on my writings. An account that introduces great restaurants regrammed my photo. Even a famous musical actor who appears in a large-scale musical personally left a comment on my post. Putting together and arranging my thoughts that were only inside my head (although it can be an annoying process) and uploading them on an open space brought about conversations with new people.

So, what happened afterward? I actually gave up uploading diary-like posts. After the ritual period ended, I was not able to upload any more writing on my feed (lol). Nevertheless, I continued taking snaps and videos of my daily life and jotted down my thoughts and inspirations in my iPhone notes. These days, I put these sources together and upload them on Instagram when I have time. Sometimes, I use the Story feature to share my updates in a more light-hearted way.

The ritual maker who accompanied me in the 1P1D ritual was Lee Hyung-ki, famous for being “a marketer who takes photos.” I remember what he said at the declaration meeting.

“Today, I left a record of myself again, and found what I love.”

After having persistently made these records, I discovered more things that I love. So, make a small space of your own and start leaving a record of things you like. You don’t have to do it every day. You don’t need a fancy image. Don’t just let your life flow away, and make sure to leave a record of it, to remember you from the past and to support yourself in the future.