When I first heard about Journaling, the one thing that came to mind was a diary and that every day in that dairy will begin with the words “Dear Diary” and then your thoughts. That, to me, was going to be an arduous process to maintain, and of course, when I tried, there it happened, I failed. And I failed because it did not quite make sense to me much. I knew it worked for other people, but it was not going to work for me, so I had to think of different ways to make this newly then fond habit work, but so far, the try was in vain.
I love to write, and I love doing it on paper with a pen or pencil. I am the kind of person who would prefer writing the old fashion way than using a computer or a phone’s note app. So the idea of having a journal is embodied in my mind as something that I know would genuinely work for me. I just had to find still a way that would work best for me. And that’s a lesson too. You always need to figure out what works for you. If it works for person A or Person Z, it doesn’t always mean it will work for you, but to see results, for starters, you figure that part first out. What works for me? I can not stress this enough, folks.
Moving on
Research: here’s the thing, there is no better time than the time we are living in at the moment, you can not merely get stuck at a time when you can find almost anything on this thing called the internet. You want a recipe to something BOOM there it is, and you want to learn how to paint a clown BOOM there’s a tutorial video about it already, you get the point? People are sharing their knowledge on specific topics every day out there, and they are pretty generous about it too. I think it’s a beautiful thing, and it has made the research life that I am into a lot easier than it could have said years ago.
There are so many different ways one could journal than just the “Dear diary” that I was exposed too before. Again the internet and reading books are how I get informed about almost everything nowadays, as I mentioned.
I came across Austin Kleon stressing about how he can not do dear dairy, too, and that what he does is just a summary of his day. That, to me, seemed fair and something that I can get into, so I started with that. I got a small pocket size journal-like book and begun jotting down my day and its highlights. It was so breezy and effortless, and I enjoyed it. The beginning, of course, was a bit hard, still, and again I do stress this, consistency, and being intentional are some of the ways one makes a habit stick do not forget that! So I missed a few days, but also once you’re starting a new habit, do not be hard on yourself, if you miss a day here and there or fall behind a bit, don’t overstress or complicate it, just begin again alright start over, keep going. Don’t stop
In 2019 I decided to take this to the next level, after doing my research on what’s there for Journaling, I decided on what I thought would take me through the next year because this is a habit I wanted to keep.
Guided journals, these are the kinds that ask you some questions, and you get to answer those questions as part of your journal experience. They make this easy it’s like a guided meditation. For example, the one I got was Mel Robbin’s 5-second Journal that has a guided page with a few questions and another page that is simply left to do whatever speaks to you, a summary of your day, plans, list of tasks, etc.
When starting to Journal and you have never done this before, I recommend getting the guided journals as a start. They make it a bit easier and get you into the habit with that form of help. And as you progress, you then can research more on what else is out there and how better it meets your needs.
My journaling system consists of 4 journals, the Daily Moleskin Journal, and what I love about this is that it’s dated. So each day, I write down a summary of my day and take it from there. It states the month and which day it is, and that’s been working for me pretty much.
I also have a pocket-size Hobonichi, the English version. There are two versions one in English and another in Japanese. I adore the Japanese culture, but I don’t speak or understand the language, yet so having the English version of this pocket, Jornal, the A6 as they call it, made more sense to me. But I use this mainly for random thoughts and ideas that I might land on during the day. I try to carry it with me most of the times
The other Journal I have is the Five Minute Journal and it’s a gratitude one asks you questions about what you’re thankful for, what would have made today better, or what would make today better. It makes you think positively about the good than the bad, and I like that. And then lastly, I have the productivity Planner hence the name. It’s listing down the tasks you want to get done that day. A view of the week, tasks you completed, what you did not complete, etc
These all keep me focused on different things, and they have been a considerable help overall, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you want to start Journaling, start small and take it easy, explore what’s out there until you find something that works for you. I’ll be now and then sharing tips on this, and do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or if you want to share your journaling method and what you use and how it works for you!
I usually share playlists with my blogs and this week’s playlist is hand in hand with the kind of music I’d listen too while Journaling or in a chill atmosphere. Find it here.
Thanks for reading!
