A Record of Your Life. We all have a story to tell and can be done quite simply.

June 5, 2025

Learn how to create a history of your life that your descendants will cherish. Your story matters more than you think.

Create a history of your life. We all have a story to tell and whilst you may not think so, this will be of great interest to your descendants either now or in the future. It’s easier than you think to do so.

I do wish I knew more about my background. My parents were always willing to discuss their past, but it was never recorded, and memories can fade.

I did persuade my father to write his story which he would do in long hand and then I would transcribe to the computer. Unfortunately, he was unable to complete the project. That was just as he got to the outbreak of the Second World War and his participation and that of his siblings would have been fascinating not just to me but also to my descendants.

I was married in France where my parents had bought and converted an old farmhouse. My father wrote a piece about the wedding and everything involved in the preparation which still brings me joy when I read it today some 40 years later.

These days modern technology makes the whole process of assembling a personal history so much easier. Imagine you were sitting down with a ghost writer to tell your story. He’d ask a whole load of questions and that would be the basis for your story. There are various programmes that do this for you by recording your memories and those of others to create a book illustrated with photographs.

You could research your ancestors and create a family history.

If you want to embark on this project, this is what you should consider.

1. Define Your Purpose

Ask yourself:

• Who is this for? (You, kids, spouse, public?)
• What do you want to preserve? (Photos, thoughts, work, values?)
• What tone? (Chronicle, personal journal, legacy letter, archive?)

2. Gather Your Digital Footprint

Start pulling together key pieces of your life:

Photos & Videos

• From your phone, cloud (iCloud, Google Photos), Facebook, Instagram.
• Tag or organize by year/event/person.

Writings

• Blog posts, journals, important emails, essays.
• Even texts or DMs worth saving.

Audio

• Voice notes, interviews, recordings of conversations or thoughts.

Creative Work

• Art, music, design, stories, websites, code, business projects.

Social Media Highlights

• Screenshots or exports of milestone posts or threads.
• Facebook lets you download your full history.

Documents

• Life milestones: resumes, awards, report cards, travel records, etc.

3. Organise It

Structure your digital history to make it useful and easy to navigate:

Options:

• Chronological: Year-by-year folders.
• Thematic: “Family,” “Work,” “Friendships,” “Lessons Learned.”
• Story format: A life story with chapters and commentary.

Use tools like:

• Google Drive or Dropbox (with folder hierarchy).
• Evernote or Notion (for narrative, searchable archives).
• A private website or blog (can be for family only).

4. Store It Securely

• Keep backups (cloud + external drive).
• Encrypt sensitive parts (journals, financials).
• Leave access instructions in your digital estate plan. Read our post about the importance of creating a digital estate plan.

5. Add Personal Context

Raw files are not enough. Make it meaningful by adding:

• Captions: What’s in this photo? What mattered about this?
• Reflections: What did you learn? What would you tell someone reading this 20 years from now?
• Voice notes or video clips: Speak directly to your loved ones or future descendants.

6. Make It Shareable or Pass It On

Decide how to share:

• A book or PDF (“My Digital Memoir”)
• A USB drive or cloud folder for family
• A time-released email vault (services like FutureMe)
• Private website with password-protected access

Optional Tools

• Google Takeout: Download your entire Google data (email, photos, etc.)
• Facebook Download Your Info
• Storyworth: Email-based life story prompts (good for older relatives) or Remento
• Obsidian: Personal knowledge bases

It’s certainly worth exploring Storyworth or Remento where you can voice thoughts (they transcribe to text) invite others to participate, load photos and then create a book. You pay an annual subscription, and everything is downloadable for you to keep. It’s easy to use and removes a lot of the hassle associated with writing a book.