How You Can Use Pinterest to Plan and Create Memories (Oh, and Organize Your Life!)

You’ve been using Pinterest to save recipes, collect decorating ideas, find party themes, and get laundry and cleaning advice; but, did you ever think of using it as an electronic scrapbook or journal?

Just like you, I started using this platform to find and keep recipes. Then, when we were planning a trip to Europe (my first ever), I used Pinterest to get ideas about things to see in different cities.  So much advice is available, and you get photos with that advice! It really made planning fun and relatively easy.

I started agenda planning about 6 months ahead of our trip, and that was just the right amount of time to gather ideas and to secure tickets to shows and exhibits, research off-the-beaten path markets, museums, pubs, and restaurants.

Recipes, travel, gardening … You can really plan and organize a lot with Pinterest. Don’t get overwhelmed, though. Just tackle a bit of this platform at a time and you’ll be fine.

London Pinterest Board
A board created for visiting London

 

Using Pinterest to Save Memories

Pinning plans may not  seem innovative to you. After all, that is what Pinterest is all about.

It was what I did on Pinterest after the daily excursions that I think you may find interesting: I made a section for each day in a particular city, and pinned pictures of what we did that day. Instead of being a just a planning board, it became a memory board!

Pinterest London Board divided into sections by Day
The London Board is divided into sections based on what we did each day.

My daughter said to me, “Mom, I’ve never seen anyone use Pinterest like that before; that’s a good idea.”

It didn’t start out intentionally, on my part. I was just updating my boards to include things that we did that were impromptu, so that I would remember for future visits. Also, when I get caught up in the activity or excitement of the day, I forget to take pictures; or the ones I take are hurried and blurry, and often have one of my fingers in them!

Pinterest solves the photography problem head on. Here is a resource where millions of people have posted photos of virtually everything under (and including) the sun. Just search for your topic, and you will come up with scores of pins.  Often, the photos will be better than the ones you take yourself.

If you do have a photo that you like, you can upload your own photo to your board, and add commentary.

Screen for uploading your own photo
Screen for uploading your own photo

You can also edit the text on any pin that you find, by tapping on the pencil icon. So, for example, if I wanted to say something about our delicious food at a particular pub we visited, I could search for a pin of the pub, pin it to my “London” board in the Day 1 section, and edit the text on the pin to include a story about what we ate.

Edit the text of a pin to record your memories.
Edit the text of a pin to record your memories.

 

To divide your board’s sections, just click on your board, then the (+) icon to add a section.

Click on "Add Section" to add a section
Click on “Add Section” to, well …

Voila, you now have an electronic memory book to reminisce over as you sip your morning coffee and plan your next trip.

 

Using Pinterest to Document a Remodel

Collecting pins for decorating ideas
Collecting pins for decorating ideas

You’ve collected hundreds of pins of dining room decor. You’ve made your final decisions about floors, walls, light fixtures, and furniture. You have gathered the materials you need for the remodel and are ready to begin.

Before and after pictures of the dining room remodel, plus collected ideas
Before and after pictures of the dining room remodel, plus collected ideas

Why not create a board specifically for this remodel? Pin photos of the products you choose, and upload pictures of the room before remodeling begins; then, take pictures during and after the remodel, uploading, commenting, and pinning them to your board.

The almost finished dining room
The almost finished dining room

This is a great way to compare your vision with the project as it plays out. It’s also an easy way to look back on what did and didn’t work, as you plan your future projects.

Gift Ideas and Secret Boards

Using Pinterest to pin gifts you’d like, or gift ideas for others, may not be a new concept. But, are you taking full advantage of the online platform? Because people can see your boards, and your friends and family may be followers, you might not want them to see the gifts you are considering.

You can make a board secret before or after creating the board.
You can make a board secret before or after creating the board.

Thank you, Pinterest, for coming up with the secret board feature, that allows only the owner to see the locked board.

Conversely, you may want your husband or kids to pin items they would like to receive as gifts. Pinterest also developed a sharing feature.

Add or delete collaborators any time.
Add or delete collaborators any time.

You can authorize collaborators to pin to your board (as long as they have opened a Pinterest account). Then, when you are out shopping and need ideas or reminders, you can look at the boards right from your phone – no need to hunt for lists, or hound your family to make them on the spot. Because, you know, thinking is hard work.

Make A Digital Organizer

How about making an organizer for a holiday or big event? For example, you could create a board called something like, “Christmas Organizer: Four Weeks of _ _ _ _.” (The missing word is “love,” of course!)

Next, decide how you want to organize your organizer. Pinterest has added a “section” tool to organize your board. You can divide your holiday organizer into topics, weeks, etc. (Just be careful – if you later delete the section, you’ll delete the pins. To save pins, go to the pencil icon and choose a new section or “no section.”)

 

Use Pinterest to organize your holiday to-do list.
Use Pinterest to organize your holiday to-do list.

Already have a holiday board that isn’t organized? No problem. Create new sections for your board, then click on the pins you want to put in those sections, edit (pencil icon) to move the pin to your new section.

Find pins for activities, projects, decorating, and cooking that you are planning, or have accomplished.

If you are really ambitious, you can even break down the pins in day-by-day plans. No more forgetting about that annual luminary walk, or the Reese Cup cookies that you were planning to make.

You can work on creating your dieting organizer in January.

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Author: A. JoAnn

Here is where I share the beauty I find in everyday life; and the humor, too!

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