Maintaining a Portfolio for Days, Months, Years

I'm unsure how long I will be able to maintain an electronic portfolio. I've never been able to keep a journal for very long—I have a collection of half-empty ones—and, in a way, the process for keeping an ePortfolio up-to-date reminds me of keeping a journal. Easy to do when I have lots to say, but hard to do as a well-disciplined habit. However, unlike an ordinary journal, a portfolio is a multimedia endeavor, which makes it intrinsically more interesting. I like being able to add pictures, video, and hyperlinks. If I create content in some other forum or for some other purpose, without necessarily having a portfolio in mind at the time, I can easily connect to the content later. I can also access my portfolio from any mobile device, so I can work on it when the mood hits me.

Maybe instead of thinking of the portfolio as a piece of work to be maintained, it is better to think of it as a repository, a bottomless briefcase to which things can be added over time. As a writer, inevitably, I will be creating written artifacts as I progress through my life and career. It will be up to me to decide whether I want to annotate them as I toss them into my digital repository, or if I'd prefer to go back later to reflect on them, as I am doing for my Master of Arts in Professional Writing. Most likely, I will alternate between the two, sometimes keeping records consistently and other times doing so episodically.

I know it would be easier to reflect and annotate on a regular basis, as I add each item, but I suspect there will be weeks or even months when I lack the time or motivation to do so. To be honest, I must admit I'm more likely to do intermittent updates. I imagine adding content and reflections at the end of any significant writing project or achievement, but that might be only once a month or twice a year. Unfortunately, I run the risk of having my portfolio appear "stale" if there isn't more regular activity. Like a blog, an ePortfolio needs to be updated frequently to attract and maintain interest among readers (or potential employers).

Once upon a time, I found out I had some food allergies, and they were foods I didn't want to give up. I asked the nutritionist how I would be able to stick to the diet. She said, "You'll feel so much better that you won't want to go back to those foods." The rewards would outweigh the sacrifices. I think the argument in favor of the portfolio process is similar: if it is sufficiently rewarding, I will be motivated to invest the time. If not, then I won't. Of course, there's still discipline required. The diet that makes me feel better isn't necessarily the one I always follow.