Rant: My project notebook hit 500 pages and I'm not sure if that's good or bad

I was cleaning my garage in Portland and found my old project notebook from when I bought this house. I flipped through it and counted the pages. Over the last four years, I've filled exactly 500 pages with sketches, material lists, and notes on every fix from a leaky faucet to building a deck. Part of me feels proud because it shows how much I've learned and done myself, saving a ton of money. The other part feels a bit overwhelmed, like it's a record of constant problems and work. It's not just a notebook, it's the story of this place. I'm curious, does keeping detailed notes like this make a project feel more manageable, or does it just remind you of the endless to-do list? What's your system?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_miller251mo ago

My buddy found his old notes and it saved him a huge headache last month.

lucasjackson22d ago

Wait, did he actually file them in a way he could find later? I learned that lesson the hard way. Spend 20 minutes setting up a simple folder system. Tag stuff with keywords. Future you won't remember what "that blue thing" means.

karen_roberts41mo ago

Whoa, 500 pages is a whole archive! That's not just a to-do list, it's proof you can fix anything now. Future you will be so grateful when something breaks again and the answer is already in your book.