During one winter in my early 30s, I lost my job and became fixated on making lists. The perfect moment to frantically jot down exhaustive bulleted lists of all your tasks is precisely when you don’t actually have anything to do. The list itself turned into the main activity. Back then, my life had little natural structure, so I invented tasks to give it form—and I jotted them down using colorful gel pens. In the course of this compulsive record-keeping endeavor, I started compiling lists of every film I viewed, book I read, and—most crucially for our discussion—every recipe I prepared and restaurant meal I consumed. Emily Johnson. Start your own recipe journal. What began as a means to create order evolved into a delightful, calming ritual. Specifically, to my fellow home cooks, I recommend maintaining a recipe diary. Documenting the dishes I prepare at home has improved my cooking skills in several intriguing ways. Seeing what I’d eaten written down and compiled into a catalog naturally sparked new ideas for meals and flavor pairings.
