"What do YOU Journal About?!" Ideas thread!

[Jillie]

I have noticed a lot of people want to start journaling, but don't know where to start/what to write about!
I thought it would be nice to have a thread of "starter ideas" so everyone could compare notes and try new things.  So please post pages from your journals, and maybe do a little explanation!


I'll start...

First off, I'm a "list" person.  I've found I'm more motivated to add to lists every day than to start over each time with a blank page and write a traditional "journal entry" for the day.  So you'll notice most of my pages have a list format, and there are notes for multiple dates on each one.


Here's the cover of my journal.  It is a Large Plain Notebook from Moleskine, I love their papers and the fact that the notebooks stay open when you lay them on a table instead of folding inwards.  I decoupaged the cover with tissue paper at my weekly crafting circle!




First I have "What Did I Learn Today?" It's a page where each day gets a small box, with a few notes in it to jog my memory.  I try to do this every day, but sometimes I forget.  I try not to pressure myself.

To make the nice even boxes, I stick Post-it notes to the page then paint over them.  When you pull off the post-its you will have blank squares where they were.

Sometimes I do four boxes per page...




And sometimes six...



You could of course do more if you have a biggger notebook or smaller post-its. 
Whenever I fill up a page, I start a new one at whatever point I am in the book.


Next there is the "Media/Happenstance" page.  I basically fill this out like a calendar, writing in what I did that day, plus all the books/movies/tv/magazines I was exposed to.





When I read/hear a quote that I like, it gets its own page.  That's because I think it belongs in its own context, not mashed in with other stuff going on in my life.





Look at your surroundings!  I like to observe things in nature, and then create something based on them.  Since I'm an architecture student, it's often buildings, furniture, or other man-made things.  For this page, I looked at an oak tree and tried to come up with window designs inspired by it.





This is one I like to call "The Directory of Beautiful Things".   Whenever I see something that strikes me as inspiring, I try to write down some notes about it.





I also like taking notes on interesting books I am reading:





And write short essays on things I am thinking about.





You might notice a weird set of numbers on the bottom of each page... it's a really great way to keep track of things throughout the journal!

For example, here's the numbers from the first "What I Learned" page:


The NUMBER IN THE BOX is the page number.
the NUMBER ON THE LEFT is the previous page on which I wrote about this idea.
The NUMBER ON THE RIGHT is the next page on which I write about this idea.

So, since the left number and the boxed number are both 13, I know that this is the first page of "What I Learned Today".  And since the right number is 19, I know that the next "What I Learned Today" page is!

[kateh]

i have always wanted to commit to journaling everyday, but my problem was that I was overwhelmed by the idea of a blank page waiting to be filled randomly each day--this journaling method is right up my alley! thanks so much for posting this...I really think I can work with this and I just know that journaling will be good for my soul!

[poo head]

Wow. Like so many others I desperately want to journal. I've found my problem is it seeming more like an itinerary that I never want to look at again. That, or I don't feel like anything important happened that day. Anyway, thank you so much for starting this thread! I hope other people will share their ideas too. I feel obligated to contribute something, but I have nothing.   

[Jillie]

Yay!!  I am so glad I could help someone!

What I like about this is it is flexible... I can always either add to the lists OR start with a blank page if I want to.  I tried to keep a "traditional" journal for years and finally decided to stop forcing myself into something and just do what comes naturally to me.

I also try not to stress out about writing EVERY day.  If I'm too tired to write, too busy, or even if I just don't have anything to say that day... I don't feel guilty about skipping a day or two.  I'll just write the next day, when something comes to mind.

Please post some pages once you get started, I'd love to see your variations on the idea!  And good luck!


PooHead:  Maybe you could try to aim for writing once a week, or every few days.  When I first started my journal I didn't feel like doing it very often, but after I got some practice I noticed I started writing a lot more.

[poo head]

Yeah, I think I'll try to write at least once a week to begin with. I love the idea of what I learned today, media section, and book notes section [although I'll actually have to pick up a book again to fill that part]. It's so much easier for me to answer questions than to just write. Maybe I'll do a search for some other journal prompts to work with.

Oh I forgot a few questions I meant to ask you. I was wondering if you do the painting and page labeling all at once before you start to journal, or more as you go. Also I tried to understand your numbering system, but I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I think I understand the left number and the boxed number, but the right number is what confuses me. How do you know when the next time you will want to write about a specific topic? Or do you go back and write it in after the fact?

[Jillie]

Usually to start with, I make one "what I learned" page and one media page.  Then I fill in pages with other lists, notes, essays, drawings, etc. as the days go by.  When I fill up one of the "list" pages I start a new one on whatever page happens to be the first one blank.

For the numbering system, I just go back and fill it in after I start the new page.  I may be smart but I'm definitely not psychic 
I like to think of the numbers as "go back" and "go forward" hyperlinks for a website, only in the real world. 


Edit:  I found a HUGE list of journaling prompts!  They're meant for schoolteachers, so some of them are a bit silly, but many of them are good for people of all ages.
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/prompts.html
Enjoy!

[estaki]

Wow. Like so many others I desperately want to journal. I've found my problem is it seeming more like an itinerary that I never want to look at again. That, or I don't feel like anything important happened that day. Anyway, thank you so much for starting this thread! I hope other people will share their ideas too. I feel obligated to contribute something, but I have nothing.   

ooohhh this is completely off topic but poohead I absolutely adore your nickname - I am chuckling to myself as I write - poohead or bozo brain are actually the terms of endearment my BF and I use for each other....yeh don't ask  Anyway sorry for hijacking the thread. Journalling is a grand idea and I may well start it up again.

[poo head]

Thanks for clearing up the numbering system.  Although I was kinda hoping you really were psychic. I think I also might save a few pages in the back of the journal as a bit of an index. Although I probably shouldn't make things too complicated like I usually do. That's the main reason I never finish anything.

estaki: Trying not to further the illegal chatter. Poo head is also a term of endearment between my hubby and me. If you think bozo brain is bad, try slipping w/ banana butt crunch in public. 

[estaki]

estaki: Trying not to further the illegal chatter. Poo head is also a term of endearment between my hubby and me. If you think bozo brain is bad, try slipping w/ banana butt crunch in public. 

ooooohhhh I loves it 


BTW Jillie cute journal you've got there

[kianee]

Jillie, this is a really beautiful journal - I'm completely in love with it

I usually use notebooks to remind myself of things, or jot down addresses, plans, random things I've seen in the streets. I also paste stuff in them: candy wrappers or flyers of shows I like the artwork of. All my calendars and notebooks tend to burst with loose paper. But I'm a sloppy journaler anyway, yours looks so cared for, it makes my notebooks jealous