My Current Journaling System

[tippetariuswrites]

I've been journaling for years, but for a long time I had no system. I'd just keep notebooks around and write in whichever was handy at the moment. Most of these I've recycled, because they were just full of rambling notes I had zero interest in looking at again. I wasn't writing with an eye to preserving my thoughts for later; writing was just a habit that helped me think and clear some of the crap out of my head.

But then a system started evolving out of this habit. Thanks in part to bullet journaling, I'm writing things I often do want to look back on later, things that help me make sense of the past and plan for the future. This has led me to keep different journals for different purposes.

My bullet journal is my "just the facts, ma'am" journal. I rarely write long introspective entries here-- more like quick notes about the day, if that. Partly because I want to easily skim it later (when DID I last get my eye exam/go on that road trip/start noticing those weird symptoms?), and partly because I want to make the book last all year.

My main journal is more like a classic diary. Lately I've been writing in it every morning to reflect on the previous day. What happened yesterday? How do I feel about how I spent my time? What did I learn? What could I have done better? Or sometimes I write down lists of ideas, notes about something I'm reading, notes on a thing I'm researching, etc.

I still have scrap journals, the junk notebooks I keep around whenever I need to brainstorm or just get some sludge out of my head. Maybe I'll throw most of these away too, but they still have their value in the moment.

Comments

[fadedwings]

Does one bullet journal last you a whole year? How long does your regular journal last? Just curious because I go through so many notebooks each year.

[tippetariuswrites]

Yup, so far I've made my Leuchtturm bullet journals last a whole year, though this time just barely.

My regular journal has lasted me four months, and it's about 240 pages (120 sheets). I could actually keep using it, since I've only filled up 209 pages, but I'm too excited to start one for 2021. The new one is an expanded Moleskine journal with 200 sheets/400 pages, so I'm hoping it'll last for 6-8 months or so.

[fadedwings]

Wow, each year I think I use more journals. This year I fit my bullet journaling into 5 Leuchtturms. I'm not sure how many regular journals I went through. Those are in less expensive softcover journals, I think I went through three, maybe?

I'm hoping to cut it down to 4 bullet journals this year - but we'll see what happens :)

[tippetariuswrites]

Oh wow, it sounds like in order to have just one bullet journal for a year, you'd need something closer to 1,000 pages! Which I've considered, but the few that exist cost like several hundred dollars, and the pages probably have no dots or grids. I did briefly consider the Hippo Noto 500 page journal (https://hipponoto.com/), but I don't know when it would ship... and although people are saying positive things about it, one YouTuber said there were quality issues with her copy.

[enemytosleep]

I have always wanted to be able to journal, but every time I start it seems to drop off fairly quickly. I don't know if doing one digitally would help me make it easier? I think it's impressive that you've managed an almost system.

[tippetariuswrites]

I think maybe it became a habit for me because in the beginning, I didn't look at it as journaling. It was just me writing stuff in a notebook whenever I felt like it. Sometimes I'd buy a nice journal and tell myself I'd write in it every day, but then it was like those books became cursed-- I'd feel guilty about neglecting them, which made me avoid them more, which made me scribble in junk notebooks instead.

So yeah, maybe it's good not only to pick the method/medium that's convenient and feels most comfortable, but also to keep it low pressure somehow. The last part is always hard for me, because as soon as I decide I want to do something as a habit, it's hard to keep the self-defeating guilt away when it doesn't stick!

[enemytosleep]

This is good advice, and I will try and make easy habits this year with journaling more on DW.

[tippetariuswrites]

Good luck to us both! I was neglecting my DW journal for a while, but the Snowflake and Sunshine Challenges really do seem to help with getting back into the swing of things again.