Over the years I have used a variety of methods for documenting my life experiences, lessons, and feelings. I’ve used traditional journals, as depicted in the image of this post. At other times I use a calendar to write a short blurb about each day. I’ve had themed journals, such as a gratitude journal, which only includes entries about things I’ve grateful for. At times I’ve used a spiritual journal, to keep track of the thoughts, feelings, and learnings that come my way as I study the scriptures.

As I’ve used different types of journals I’ve found they provide a unique way to look at your life and experiences. Different journalling methodologies will help you discover more about yourself by virtue of the angle or purpose of each journal. They help your mind focus on a specific aspect of life thus opening your field of vision to that aspect of life.

In 2014 I started new type of journal that I had never used before. When I first started using it I had no idea that it would turn into one of my favorite forms of journaling. It may be unconventional. Its format is very different from other journaling options I’ve used. But it provides a detailed way to keep track of information and a delightful way to visualize experiences. This is journaling with Excel (or any other spreadsheet option).

Why I Chose Excel?

First a little background into my brain. I have worked in the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) industry, on both local and global levels, for over a decade. That line of work deals a lot with spreadsheets, data points, and analytics. We are constantly looking for what is working well, what is falling short, and identifying how we can get things that are not performing well to improve. We perform annual audits, quarterly audits, monthly audits and sometimes weekly to daily audits. Being able to find trends, identify causes, and gather insights is vital for a successful career in SEO.

Back to journaling. In 2014 I set a goal to hike 50,000 vertical ft. I had always enjoyed hiking but had never tracked my hikes in any way. I had signed up for the AllTrails app, but like other social media platforms I found myself too prone to becoming addicted to it and subsequently deleted my account. I wanted a way to keep track of all my hiking efforts without the method being used dominating the purpose. AllTrails was too easy for me to start comparing myself to other hikers, seeking badges, or achieving that “Pro” status.

Frustrated, after looking at a variety of other hiking apps and platforms and finding them all to be a bit too “Social” for me, I opened a spreadsheet in Excel and set about making a document to track my information.

My First Year Excel Journaling

A blank Excel file sat open on my desktop, a void field of white cells stretching into eternity on the column to row axes. “What do I want to track?” I asked myself. I should include the date of each hike and of course the name of the hike. I typed “Date” into Column A cell one and “Name” into Column B cell one.

As my goal for the year was around how much vertical feet I hiked I added “Prominence” in the third cell in row 1.

At this time I was thinking, “Wow, this is really basic.” Then it struck me, Excel can do a lot more than just add up some numbers and spit out a sum. I started adding additional data points that would help me know how far I hiked, the amount of time spent on trails, the types of hikes encountered, where hikes were located, the highest elevation attained on hikes, and who I hiked with.

By the end of 2014 I opened Excel and added in my final hike of the year, which had been on a snowy day in December along a vacant section the Great Western Trail. When I finished entering my data I scrolled to the top of my document where I saw all the totals for the year. I felt a rush of accomplishment as I read the information in each cell:

• I had been on 45 hikes.

• Hiking milage for the year was 152.64.

• On average the length of my hikes were 3.39 miles. My longest hike had been a 13 miler.

• Total time spent hiking was 99.20 hours, or the equivalent of over 4 full days.

• I had hiked with 45 different people of which 84% went on more than one hike with me.

• The highest elevation achieved was 13,064 ft.

• I hiked in 2 states and 1 different country.

• The month with the most hikes in it had been August, with 8 Hikes.

• 29 or 64% of the hikes were first time hikes, meaning it was the first time I had ever been on that trail.

• And for the metric I had originally set out to find, when all was hiked and done, I had finished the year with 50,201 vertical feet hiked. GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!

I had enjoyed the process of filling out my Excel spreadsheet after each hike and seeing the stats build up over the year. I was excited to see what the next year would bring. To start 2015 I set my hiking goal at 75,000 vertical feet.

My Second Year Excel Journaling

In 2015 I added one new metric, although it was just a slight addition from a previous data point. In 2014 I had kept track of the highest elevation attained on each trail. For example, when I hiked Bell Canyon I went up to the elevation 6,360ft before turning around. On another hike I went up to find a legend plane crash and got up to 11,033ft where I found the crash site. At the end of the year the spreadsheet spit out the highest elevation I had reached that year. I still wanted that, but I wanted to highlight my personal record for elevation.

In 2014 I had reach 13,064ft when I summited Wheeler Peak in Nevada (not to be confused with Wheeler Peak in New Mexico). 2015 was the perfect year to add this new feature because in March I reached an elevation of 13,776ft as I crossed over “Dead Woman’s Pass” along the Inca Trail. This personal elevation record was broken later that year in September when I reached the summit of the tallest peak in the lower 48 United States, Mt. Whitney at an elevation of 14,508ft.

My spreadsheet highlights these personal records so I can easily keep track of where and when these records were made.

When 2015 came to a close, I was able to calculate differences between 2014 and 2015. This ended up filling me we a stronger desire to making hiking a more foundational aspect of who I was. I saw growth and improvement as a hiker. I also had documentation of many wonderful memories and experiences with friends. My basic stats were:

• 63 hikes (40% up from 2014)

• 274.52 miles (80% up from 2014)

• Average Hike Distance was 4.36 (28% up from 2014)

• 162.17 hours hiked (63% up from 2014)

• 75,470 vertical ft hiked. Goal Accomplished! (50% up from 2014)

Excel Journaling then to Now

I am now on my eighth year tracking & journaling my hikes in Excel. With each passing year I get more data and increased opportunity to pull out more statistics and insights about my hiking experiences. At the same time I have found it helps me be more appreciative of the time I get to explore hiking trails. It helps me realize how many people I get to go hiking with and cherish those relationships all the more. It has helped me mentally comprehend the spectrum of my hiking. I find I remember my hikes better, the statistics about the trails and things to look for or watch out for on them.

An added bonus with using Excel for journaling is that with multiple years of data you can create graphs and charts to visualize the information. For example, in my own spreadsheet I can pull out which months I hike the most in vs. which months typically generate the most vertical climbed. Another example is, what hikes are repeated the most or graph the number of summits on specific mountains. There are a myriad of other fun visualizations you can produce for your specific data set.

Consistency adding to my spreadsheet has led to an increased desire for hiking, which has assisted in creating a variety of additional goals such as:

• Summiting the highest points in each state

• Summiting the 7 Peaks of Utah County (this one has been accomplished)

• Hike the equivalent of 250 vertical miles or 1,320,000ft. Why that goal? Because for some reason Vertical Ft intrigues me the most. 250 vertical miles up, is the equivalent of hiking up to the International Space Station. Today I am 29% of the way to completion! Just a bit more to do!

• Hike the equivalent of 3,522 miles or the distance from the boarder at Tijuanna, Mexico to Madawaska Maine. I do not intend to actually hike diagonally across the country, but I like the idea of hiking the same amount of mileage. I am 46.7% done with this goal.

• Hike in all 50 United States. I am 20% done, having now hiked in 10 different states since starting to track my hikes.

Spreadsheet Journaling Is Worth It

Whether traditional journaling in a book or some other method, such as through Excel, I have found the more effort you put into it the more you get out of it.

As I have enhanced the layout and look of my Excel Journal and added functions to pull out and compare data points it has inspired me to apply this same methodology to other areas of my life. I now have an Excel journal for the books I read and the travels I go on. The nice thing about these Excel Journals is they take very little time to update and maintain. Once you know the data you want to include, you just need to find the easiest way to collect that data and manually put it in or upload it into your spreadsheet. For my own Excel journals it take 2 minutes to update them after a hike or when I finish a book. My vacations spreadsheet takes about 10 minutes to update after a vacation.

Keep in mind that adding little here and a little there, when done consistently goes a long way. In time you will have volumes of information that will create a feeling of accomplishment in yourself. Your journals will allow you to look back on your ups and downs, good times, hard times, blessings, and vast experiences across your life. You will also have a very special gift to provide to your posterity.

Who knows, maybe my Excel journal will inspire my own children to get outside and enjoy the wonders of nature and perhaps even encourage them to walk where Dad walked, see what Dad saw, and maybe even set their own goals and see if they can break my records!

Of course if the “Social Dilemma” isn’t a concern for you there are plenty of apps out there that can help track this information for you. The important thing is just start recording it!

Have you used a spreadsheet or other digital method to journal? If so, what do you use and what do you track?