How I Journal — simple, but effective
“Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.” -Jack London
Journaling has proven to be a critical component in self-reflection, and it also serves as a good record of the past as you move throughout life. I began journaling consistently around a year ago, and while occasionally missing some days (okay, weeks), I’ve come to love the practice, and have found/co-opted a method that works well for me. It’s incredibly simple, and lowers the barrier for entry significantly. I’m sure you’ve seen the Pinterest-worthy bullet journal spreads, and elaborate planners that many folks have made. These are all well and good, and if they work for those individuals, then more power to them! I have neither the creative prowess nor the motivation to keep up with a journal as extensively as they do, so, here’s where this method comes in.
I’ve used a handful of journals in the past, but I’ve found the Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dotted Hard Cover is my favorite. The blank table of contents at the front, the double bookmarks, and the pocket at the back are all nice features. Plus it comes with stickers for the spine/cover, so you can easily locate a specific journal on a shelf.
For writing in the journal, I’ve come to love the Lamy Safari fountain pen. It’s a reasonably-priced fountain pen, the ink flows well, and it just looks cool. I’d recommend using a non-archival ink in it, as those are slow to dry, and if you write quickly like I do, you’re in for some smearing. Of course, you can use whatever you’d like, so long as it makes journaling as enjoyable for you as possible.
I’ve co-opted a fair portion of this method from Nathaniel Drew (video here), but have added/subtracted some tweaks that fit me and my lifestyle a bit better. Though, I may be incorporating more things in as my journey continues. So, let’s begin:
Daily/Weekly Trackers
At the beginning of each month I lay out the skeleton for the journal using two types of trackers, normally in the order of Weekly then Daily. I do this because the number of pages the daily tracker will use is not the same each month.
Weekly — each page is a week, going from Monday-Sunday (e.g. 04/05/21–04/11/21). I’ll write the date range at the top of each page until each week of the month is covered. I write these on Sunday morning, with a cup of coffee and a good morning playlist I’ve created on Spotify. Normally these will also be accompanied by the song I’m listening to, as well as a word or three on how the day feels.
Daily — next, the daily tracker. This will be the last thing I begin for each month, given the unknown amount of pages it will contain. Each day will contain a sentence or two about the day, or sometimes intentions I set for myself. It’s really up to you what you do with each day.
Monthly Reflection
After writing out each week on its own dedicated page, I reserve a page for the summary of the month. This will concisely put together each weekly summary into a paragraph (or 4, depending on how I’m feeling). As well as any feelings, reflections on goals that have been met during that month, etc.
Monthly Focus
After the monthly reflection, I’ll go to the next page, and make it my place for setting intentions for the next month. This typically isn’t long, and doesn’t need to be. Just a small handful of goals I want to hit during the upcoming month. It can be as simple as “eat some fruit with breakfast each morning” or as complex as “begin work on norse-themed homestead, and begin the legal process of changing my name to Ragnar.” Up to you.
Mood/Sleep/Stress Tracker
Or “M/S/M Tracker” if you’re short on time. This is the first page in a two-page spread of my journal. It’s is a graph. Yes, a graph. Bear with me. I’ll lay out a Y-axis of 0–12, and an X-axis of however many days are in that month. Each dot in the journal representing a point on the graph. Then I’ll lay out a legend for 3 separate criteria (can you guess what they are? bet you can’t.) A solid line for Sleep, a Dotted Line for Mood, and a Stranded Line for Stress. As each day comes and goes, I’ll add a dot for each point. This is mostly just to understand how I’m feeling at the end of the month, and where I need to work or improve on things.
Gratitude
This is the second page of that two-page spread. On the left side, I’ll number each space using the day of the month, so 1-XX. Each morning I’ll write in something I’m grateful for. This also doesn’t have to be complicated, or difficult. I remember one month I wrote I was grateful for coffee 4 days in a row. It’s not about the “creativity” of your gratitude, it’s just about being intentionally glad that something exists or has happened. Honestly, I attribute it a great deal to helping me work through my depression. There are scientific explanations as to why it works too, Kurzgesagt made a video a while ago touching on the subject.
Distraction Tracker
Finally, and this is a new one, a distraction tracker. My attention span isn’t the longest, and I consistently have thoughts, questions, and ideas buzzing through my head, regardless of what I’m doing. So, to combat the sudden urge to look into the feasibility of quitting my job and living in a van, I just write it down, and look into it when I have some free time.
Method
This is the ideal setting for my journaling experience, it doesn’t always happen, but when it does, it’s amazing. Normally I’ll make a cup of coffee using whatever pretentious method I feel like that morning, I’ll pop my headphones in, find one of my writing playlists, and then just start putting ink on the paper, stream of consciousness style.
This method, albeit relatively simple, has allowed me to pick up a journal just about everyday and not feel excruciatingly overwhelmed by it. The gratitude list has helped me realize there’s some pretty neat stuff going on, and that I have the privilege to experience it. The daily trackers allow me to think through my day and gain a better understanding of each one as it happens, and same goes for the weekly trackers. Summarizing everything into a page in the monthly reflection has been quite beneficial in helping me look more at the big picture with the eyes of a realist, rather than those of an idealist. Setting intentions via the monthly focus allows me to keep realistic, semi-short-term goals for myself so I can continue to improve myself and learn how good I can be.
Do you journal regularly? What are some methods you’ve found that have been beneficial for you? Drop me a line, let’s chat.
