I’m not a fan of journalling… at all. But I do love a project where I can look back and see what I was up to at the same time last year, three years ago, seven years ago, etc.
An example is the photo challenges I participate in on Instagram with Susannah Conway.
The challenge has a hashtag, for instance #Aprillove2022 and then I usually add my own hashtag to each of my photos, like #marciasaprillove2021.
I love looking back and seeing how different each April has been for the last so many years.
Aside from Instagram journaling (a photo with a short caption, if any) is all I’ve ever been able to keep up with. I’m just not a writing in a journal every day kind of person.
I have been intrigued with line-a-day journals though.
I figured, “how hard can it be?” and so when I saw that a local stationery story carried a line of journals, I bought one.
I started mine on 17 January and so far, so good.
I am still not a daily journaller but I catch up every 3 days or so. The trick for me is:
- Keep the journal handy and in plain view (it lives on my desk and doesn’t get put away at all)
- Schedule time every weekend to catch up (some weeks I’ve caught up with a whole week in one sitting)
- Give myself permission to write just one sentence and only write more if I feel like it.
- Keep my phone handy throughout the day so I have some photos to prompt my memory.
- Let go of needing it to be insightful or cute (I tell myself that in a few years I’ll appreciate knowing that it rained for 5 solid days in Jhb – unusual for us at this time of year)
I’m still more of an Instagram journaller because I see the world in visuals but I figure that my three months a year with Susannah Conway is just going to have to do.
Are you a daily journaller? Would a line-a-day journal work for you?
PS Laura Tremaine has often said that bullets and lists work just as well as free form writing. I might resort to this method in the busier months 😉
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