For the deep dive on how I’ve leveraged journaling to navigate life’s biggest challenges, including mental health, be sure to also check out How Journaling Saved My Life.

Memos to myself when I have a teenage kid

In 7th grade, I was perusing the library shelves, where I spent a lof of my time as a socially awkward child.

I found Carol Snyder’s novel, “Memo: to Myself When I Have a Teenage Kid,” about a girl my age struggling with the reality that parents don’t get it. She starts a diary so she can remember what’s important when she grows up. Brilliant, right?

I immediately started my own journal. My first entry was filled with revelations like, “I love horses. I really love horses. I hope I always love horses as much as I love horses right now.”

I do still love horses that much. And Joe wasn’t actually my favorite New Kid.

I didn’t connect with many kids in my small suburban school. I was an awkward girl, quiet – but used big words when I did speak. I was six feet tall in 8th grade and much to everyone’s dismay, I was terrible at basketball. I think you’re picking up what I’m putting down here.

Instead, I kept to myself, read books and journaled. I quickly grasped that journaling was a powerful tool for processing and insight. By 14, I was writing daily and finished my four “Memos to Myself” journals.

I wrote “History” on the cover to disguise them from nosy parents and teachers.

My 5th journal, which I started in 1991, was the true beginning of my dedication to the craft. It was the first journal I gave a title to, a ritual I continue to this day. The titles reflect the theme of the journal or acknowledge leaps in growth. One of my favorite high school journals is appropriately titled “Epiphanies, etc.”

In high school, my journal was a place to air my worries and plan for better days. I’ve always relied on journaling to save me from rough patches, dreaming of a brighter future and developing the plans to get there. This was prime time for just getting through it, and I needed all the fortitude I could muster.

I used any opportunity to write. When I finished a test early, I’d take an extra composition book and freewrite until the bell rang. While working as a grocery store cashier, I scrawled on the back of rain checks and cash register tallies.

Oh mah gah – that FONT!

Morning pages

My journaling practice deepened in college when I discovered Julia Cameron’s ubiquitous guide to creativity, The Artist’s Way. The core tool that resonated with me was “morning pages”.

Cameron advises freewriting three pages every morning by hand. Every day. Whether you feel like it or not, whether you “need to” or not. Amazing.

I started journaling every day for about an hour. I wrote at work in the cafe. I wrote in the diner, on the subway platform. I switched to hardcover notebooks so I could sit on the sidewalk and write in the sun. I found excuses to put pen to paper. I found time. I made time.

When I graduated college, I’d filled over two dozen journals.

A self-portrait I did for photography class. The assignment was to take a photo doing what you’re most passionate about. So naturally, piles of my journals.

The birth of Journaling Saves

My love affair with journaling continued after graduation. The practice enabled me to navigate difficult topics by harnessing my own growth and insight.

Whenever I was talking about journaling, people were curious that I had nearly every day of my life documented. They had a lot of the same questions about journaling, and I loved answering them.

I wished there was a resource where people could get those questions answered. I really wanted everyone to benefit from this powerful practice. So I created that resource in 2010.

Welcome to Journaling Saves.

Present day

Journaling has been my North Star for more than three decades and provides stability and structure. It’s helped me survive struggles and celebrate my accomplishments. It illuminates situations that aren’t a good fit, and provides the tools to get free.

Over the years, I’ve found a cadence that works for me. I still journal almost daily. Some entries are a quick update, others are epic sessions where I work through weighty topics. (More about that in How Journaling Saved My Life.)

I see journaling as a tool to be better today than I was yesterday. To develop more clarity about who I am, and how I want to be in the world. It makes me better in every role I play: partner, parent, friend, sister, daughter, coach, business owner, citizen.

Over the past 30+ years, I’ve completed hundreds of journals. Here’s a handful:

I hope you enjoyed this origin story of Journaling Saves. If you want to learn more, you can read the About page and How Journaling Saved My Life.

As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you have about the site or me. Just drop me a line!

Light and love on your own origin story.

The post Our Origin Story appeared first on Journaling Saves.

That’s by design. Fear is meant to protect us.

Fear saves us from taking risks. The problem is, this fear evolved in our brains when we were running for our lives, chased by lions. When every move could be our last.

Survival on the savannah does not look like survival in the studio.

Yet we’re left with these vestiges of self-preservation, programmed to sit on our hands so they don’t get bitten off.

In order to move forward and take control of your world, you need to find the fear. The little scraps of Frightened You hiding in the corners.

We’re not even talking life-or-death level fear, which makes it more insidious. Sometimes it’s just self-protection masquerading as harmless entertainment, rationalization or procrastination.

“I’ll just scroll endlessly through Instagram instead of having that conversation I need to have.”

“I’ll binge watch Netflix instead of submitting that proposal. Responding to that job posting. Engaging with that person. Making that thing.”

Let’s find the fear

Where in your life are you not making the progress you’d like to? Where do you feel stuck? Maybe it’s a project, hobby, or job. A relationship, community, or new skill you’d like to learn.

Write that stuck place at the top of your journal page.

Now start listing out answers to the following prompt:

• What am I really afraid of?

And make sure you get the underscored part of the prompt, because that’s where the fear-slaying magic lives.

• What am I REALLY afraid of?

Each time you list out an item, acknowledge it and immediately ask yourself, “Ok, but what am I really afraid of?” Because fear is a master of deception that thrives on ambiguity. And the REAL fear is going to throw everything else under the bus to keep itself hidden.

Keep listing until you start getting to the deep places. Until one answer resonates loudly with you. Makes you a little uncomfortable. Maybe even the one that gives you shivers.

So, what are you afraid of?

Here’s a quick example to illustrate the process. Say I want to take this new class at the community college that lights me up. Now I ask myself:

• What am I afraid of?

That I don’t have enough time for homework.

• Ok, but what am I really afraid of?

That I won’t be able to balance my household responsibilities with school.

• But what am I REALLY afraid of?

That I can’t ask for help at home so I can make this happen.

WOAH. That’s a little different than, “I’m afraid I don’t have time.”

But you know what? Getting really specific about where the fear lives makes it solvable.

Once you understand the fear, you can learn how to ask for help. You can devise a plan to solve that problem. You can look at how to have that important conversation, and how to ask for what you want. Or you can acknowledge that you are already fabulous and worth every ounce of backup so you can pursue your dream.

Then you won’t waste the entire semester telling yourself you don’t have time for homework when that’s not the real problem at all.

Take that, fear!

More journal prompts to de-scarify yourself

Here are two more posts with journal prompts that can help you work with fear in your journal.

• Are you afraid of flat foxes? Are there any roadblocks that may actually just be a decoy?
• What if you couldn’t fail? Are you afraid of failure? Aren’t we all! But – what if you couldn’t fail?

Read more about how journaling helps us navigate fear in Night Terrors and Skeletons in the Closet.

The post #50: What are you really afraid of? appeared first on Journaling Saves.

For some great birthday journaling prompts and ideas, check out my article, the Gift of Birthday Journaling.

I celebrated my birthday in Miami this year. Being a Pisces, the sand and surf was a gift itself. And of course, getting a tour of the Miami Seaquarium was perfect for this fish. Painting artwork with a dolphin named Onyx, getting kissed by a seal (sardine breath, gah!), watching the epic manatees bob at the surface like two ton potatoes. The sushi was a no-brainer. I also enjoyed some birthday journaling barefoot on the beach. Which is how I’d prefer to do all my writing.

Toward the end of dinner that night, the waiter came out with a slice of cake held aloft, an unlit candle atop. I smiled in appreciation, ready to accept this thoughtful delivery orchestrated by my partner. But alas – the server was delivering it to the woman seated next to me. Because it was her birthday, too! She’d driven two hours to have dinner at this place. A birthday miracle! Or a fun coincidence, at least.

Why I like journaling on birthdays

I know it’s a mixed bag when it comes to loving birthdays or hating them. I’ve always loved my birthday and leverage it to get attention and free stuff, an approach I don’t normally pursue the rest of the year. I enjoy having the date all to myself, unlike regular holidays.

Plus my birthday falls in that bleak slush between winter and spring when there’s little to look forward to, so the celebratory break is a treat.

I enjoy organic rituals as an opportunity to review progress and set goals for the coming year. Although I enjoy the energy of the New Year, the standard annual calendar turnover doesn’t really speak to me as much, maybe because it’s kind of impersonal. I tend to favor the first new day of each season, especially June 21st, one of my favorite days of the year. And as a lifelong student, September has always felt like the real new year starting to me.

I spend extra time journaling around these dates and use them as a level setting point to check in on my goals, where I’m at and what kind of progress I’m making. Also to think ahead to the next milestone and what I want life to look like at that point.
Birthdays are a natural fit to this type of journaling.

It’s also just fun to compare one year to the next, and while you can pick an arbitrary date and compare and contrast, doing it around birthday time feels more special.

Ocean front journaling, where this Pisces thrives.

Visiting birthdays past

Because I have 35 years’ worth of journals, I like to pull out several and revisit the entries from those birthdays. Sometimes I choose them randomly, but I also like to seek out a few I know have meaty entries or show stunning progress that I can enjoy. A little back-patting never hurt.

Even if I didn’t do a formal birthday round-up, it’s fun to see what kind of birthday I had 10 years ago. Let’s have a look, shall we?
Ten years ago on my birthday, I wrote this:

“I was thinking about Pisces nature this week in light of my birthday and how it’s two fish swimming in opposite directions. And how that nature can keep one either eternally conflicted, eternally balanced (if we rely on the laws of physics rather than astrology), or constantly flopping back and forth – not unlike a fish caught in a net.

I believe my path in this life is learning balance – perhaps borrowing Virgo’s scales. To honor both fishes, and at times favor one or the other, but in general return to center. Black and white thinking – or more accurately, “on and off” behavior, has fueled my crazy for a looong time. It doesn’t work and I just end up swimming in circles.“

Still checks out.

What does your birth story say about you?

This is a fun prompt I included in the Birthday Journaling article, because I’m fascinated by origin stories. My mom was in labor for days and when I finally emerged, I had the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. Born blue, but came out swinging. I think that set the stage for the rest of my life. You just can’t keep me down.

What birthday gift has meant a lot to you?

One of the prompts I enjoy working with on my birthday is what gifts I’ve received that meant the most to me. Some material gifts, others experiences or intangibles. A few gifts were something I really wanted, others were super thoughtful and showed that the giver truly knew me. This year’s present from my partner took the cake.

I’ve always wanted to learn archery. It seems like a fabulous skill for the zombie apocalypse – you can make your own ammunition, it’s silent and sustainable. And I could both protect and provide for my family. Plus I’d get to be a badass like Katniss or Neytiri. There’s a place in town and every time I drive by, I say, “One day I’m going to learn archery. It’s on my bucket list.”

This year on my birthday I unwrapped a strangely shaped gift from my fiancé to discover a breathtaking carved wood bow and a set of feathered arrows, along with a package of archery lessons. I have to be careful what I say around him because he makes things happen. But this was next level. Bucket list, here I come!

Meet me at my place for the Zombie Apocalypse. I got your back.

New project: dedicated birthday journal

I’ve been active on Reddit lately (I’m at u/journalingsaves – come say hi!) and one thing that’s become clear is that many journalers like to keep multiple notebooks for specific uses. I recently started the same with a wellness journal and a business journal.

But while writing the article on Birthday Journaling, I realized how fun it would be to keep a separate birthday journal. So when it came time to do my birthday journaling, I wouldn’t have to dig through a couple hundred notebooks to find the relevant February entries to work with. I could have one journal with all my annual birthday narratives. Then I could be more mindful and focused about it.

I have so many gorgeous blank journals I could use for this – although I do love an excuse to procure even more. “But it’s my birthday!” usually keeps me out of trouble.

One of these blank books would probably work for birthday journaling, but then I wouldn’t have an excuse to go journal shopping…

Thanks for celebrating with me! Check out my article on Birthday Journaling for more ideas to try around your birthday time, if you’re into that sort of thing.

The post Birthday Journaling, the Pisces Way appeared first on Journaling Saves.

If you’re not into celebrating birthdays, I get it. Have a cupcake on me and go check out another journal prompt that lights you up and gets you writing.

The gift of a birthday journaling ritual

The New Year is often the focus of goal setting and journaling rituals. But birthday journaling provides a more personal angle, and one you don’t have to share with everyone else. (Unless you’re a twin. Then you’re probably used to sharing everything, anyway.)

You can always ask, “Where do I want to be next year?” But a more powerful question is, “When I sit down to journal on my next birthday, what do I want to be writing about?”

If this is your first time focusing on your birthday in your journal, you can begin a ritual to provide insight and inspiration for years to come. If you’ve been journaling for a year or more, try referencing previous years’ entries as you play with these prompts on the page.

Birthday Journaling Prompts

Try any of these birthday journaling prompts to explore your year, or your experience of birthdays in general. Pick one that resonates with you and try free-writing for 10 minutes. Or make lists, brain-dump style. Then you can return and flesh out a couple items later if you like. Choose the approach that feels most useful and enjoyable to you.

• What is the story of my birth? Does it seem to foreshadow anything about the person I’ve become?
• What’s the most meaningful birthday gift I’ve received? How did it affect me?
• How did I celebrate last birthday? Did I have a part in planning it?
• Where was I at emotionally last birthday? What was I succeeding at? What was I struggling with? What was I writing about?
• How am I doing this birthday? Am I where I expected I’d be? Am I surprised?
• What solutions have I found to previous problems?
• What high-level lessons have I learned in the past year?
• What big events took place?
• What goals have I achieved?
• Where do I want to be next birthday? What goals do I have for my next birthday? What solutions would I like to focus on in the coming year?
• What words of wisdom does this year’s self have for next year’s?

Letters to your past and future self

Writing a letter to yourself is a journaling exercise you can leverage any time of year, but is especially powerful on your birthday.
Some ideas for Letters to the Self:

• Write a letter to read on your next birthday. What are your wishes for your future self? What problems do you want to solve for her so she can celebrate fully?
• Write a letter to yourself for 5 birthdays from now… or 20.
• Write a letter from last year’s self to this year’s. What encouragement or wisdom would you impart? This can help you see how far you’ve come.

Keep a separate Birthday Journal

We journalers love an excuse to pick out a new journal – here’s one! Some writers enjoy dedicating journals to specific topics. You can keep a separate journal to write in each birthday – freewrite or follow the same list of prompts each year for a “round up” approach.

This dedicated birthday journal could even be a gift from someone you care about, imbuing it with extra meaning. Next time someone asks what you want for your birthday, you’ll have an easy answer.

However you choose to celebrate your birthday, try to incorporate a little a little journaling. Whether you try some of these prompts or just enjoy filling the blank page, your personal new year awaits. Cupcakes optional.

Check out my response to some of these prompts and how I celebrated my birthday with journaling this year in the blog post Birthday Journaling the Pisces Way.

The post #49: The gifts of birthday journaling appeared first on Journaling Saves.

We need to start small, though. Like crocuses pushing their heads up through cold soil, we’re determined – but not invincible. Embrace your newfound energy and optimism with small, manageable steps.

This week, I have a journaling exercise for you to try. Let’s call it “Spring Cleaning for Your Life.”

Get out your journal, secure a quiet spot with some time when you won’t be interrupted. Take a few minutes to write answers to the following questions:

• 1. In this season of fresh starts, what one new project might I enjoy focusing on?

Really think outside the box on this one. You’ve got a blank slate – what do you want to create for yourself? Dream a little on the page. What undertaking would make you excited to get out of bed in the morning?

This week, take one small step forward on this new project. A small step is the key. If you want to dig deeper, read Size Matters where I cover the beauty of “micro goals” in depth.

• 2. What one habit can I let go of that would really help my life this season?

In Seattle, the sun disappears for 6 months in the winter. I develop some coping mechanisms that are best let go of when spring arrives. For example, I can replace my nightly movie-watching ritual with a walk around the block. I no longer need to hide from the darkness and rain. Instead, I can enjoy the later sunset, some exercise, and the smell of cherry blossoms.

Not sure which bad habit is keeping you stuck? See if a round of the Working/Not Working exercise helps you pinpoint some of these less-than-desirable behaviors.

• 3. What negative or limiting believe am I holding on to?

There’s something innately hopeful and positive about spring. Use your journal to spring clean that negativity right out of your life. Rewriting the stories we tell ourselves immediately changes our perspective and improves the quality of our lives. For more inspiration, read Is Your Perspective Keeping You in the Dark?

I hope this spring season finds you well. Now shut down this computer and go get some fresh air!

The post #48: Spring has sprung! appeared first on Journaling Saves.

1. Keep it Simple

Journal writing at its core is simple. You get some paper and a pen, you write a few pages about what’s going on. You do it again tomorrow. And the next day.

We humans are a curious bunch — we make things needlessly complicated. So if you feel yourself getting mired in whether or not you’re doing it right, which journal to use, or when when you “should” write, or if the color of your pen will affect the outcome, take a breath and get back to basics.
Words, on a page. It’s really that simple.

2. Keep it Private

Don’t share your journal and shelve it out of reach. Your journaling privacy is essential to the process. Your journal is a safe place for you to explore whatever is on your mind without worrying about how it will affect anyone else. If you fear it will be read, you’ll censor yourself and the benefits of journaling will be lost.

Also, sharing your journal opens it up for debate and criticism, neither of which are appropriate for this medium. It’s nobody’s business but yours.

When you’re not writing, keep your journal out of sight. It’ll at least keep the honest people out.

3. Do it Frequently

Writing frequently supports the habit part of journaling. It allows you to witness the ebb and flow of your life. It gives you perspective that you won’t always feel this way — after all, you didn’t feel this way yesterday.

Daily journaling provides the most benefits and the best results. If you only write when you “need to,” you will forever be in crisis management. Your journal will be filled with dire consequences and high stakes. And you’ll continue to live in reactionary mode.

The beauty of frequent journaling is that it helps you grow as a person, helps you recognize patterns in your life, and helps you gain perspective and control over your environment.

On the other hand, just do your best. If you can’t make time for journaling every day, do it as often as you can. A couple times a week is better than not at all. And if you miss some time, just get back to it without beating yourself up.

Journaling should support you and make you feel good. It’s not another Task to be checked off your Action Item List or fodder for self-flagellation when you “fail.”

Feeling strapped for time? I hear ya! Even a short journaling session is beneficial if you do it regularly. Free up some time and then try one of these 20 ways to find 20 minutes for journaling. If 20 minutes is beyond you, check out The Lazy Guide to Journaling in 10 Minutes or Less.

4. Banish the Grammar Police

Surprisingly, one of the top reasons people cite for not journaling is that they can’t spell or their grammar ain’t perfect. Since you’re journaling for you (see #2 above), it doesn’t really matter if you dangle your participles or misspell “conjunctivitis.” Journaling is not grade school and nobody’s going to hit your knuckles with a ruler. I PROMISE.

If you’re especially concerned about this, don’t re-read your entries for awhile. You’ll have less opportunity to judge what you’ve written.

5. Write What You Know

When starting your journal, just date the entry and note your location. Start by describing your surroundings if you need to get warmed up. Write a little bit about your day. What’s on your mind? Think of your journal like an old friend you’re sitting down to coffee with. Just answer, “What’s up? What’s new? What’s going on?”

If you’re feeling stuck a journal prompt can help.

And if you’re afraid you’re doing it wrong, I assure you: You are already fabulous!

6. Find the Best Time and Place

You may instinctively know the best time to journal (hint: it’s when you’ll actually do it!). Look for a natural lull in your day that you can finagle into journaling time. Experiment with morning journaling vs. writing just before bed and see which works best for you.

Find a comfy place to journal where you won’t be interrupted. When journal writing at home, it’s essential that the few minutes you designate be honored by family, friends, housemates and pets. Lock the dog in the bathroom or get out of the house if you need to and write at a café or the library.

This is your time, and you may need to defend it protectively!

7. Write for quantity, not quality

Don’t get caught up in how “good” your journal writing is. Nobody cares. Just get it done.

Set goals based on effort — say, 3 pages or 20 minutes of journaling. Then even if you’re convinced your journaling is terrible, you’re still successful because you got it done.

Writing quickly for a set period of time is also a way to keep your inner critic at bay, and to banish any negative voices telling you that what you’re doing is stupid or that you can’t write. Just get the words down and don’t worry about how good they are.

The power and beauty of journaling lies in the process, not the product.

8. Try writing by hand

Journaling by hand in a paper notebook moves a different part of your brain than typing does. And before you argue that you can write faster on the computer, journaling is not about speed, efficiency, or volume. It’s about dedicating a few minutes each day to honor yourself, your thoughts and your feelings. Writing by hand helps you get in touch with all of that better than a keyboard.

So slow down and savor the process. It builds your brain synapses to hold thoughts in your head long enough to write them down. Journaling by hand will make you smarter. (Did I mention it will also make you better looking?)

I’m faithful to Blueline Notebooks but it took me 20 years to find my life partner.

Still convinced that you need to journal on the computer?

9. Keep the stakes low

Don’t make any grand announcements before you start journaling. Set yourself up for success by keeping the stakes low. You don’t need to proclaim to everyone in your life that you’re now a Writer. Don’t promise yourself you’ll write for one hour every day for rest of your life. Don’t expect yourself to churn out the Deepest and Moist Poignant Journal Ever.

Just get a $1 composition book at the drug store and write 3 pages, as many days this week as you have time for. End of story. The higher we make the stakes, the more intimidating the process becomes. And the less likely we are to do it, or feel satisfied with the results.

Are there words on that page? Yes? Then bam! — instant success.

Wasn’t that easy?

10. Enjoy yourself!

Remember that journaling should be enjoyable (most of the time). If you take the task too seriously or put too much pressure on yourself, journaling will become a burden instead of art, creativity or color. Add some heart to your journal keeps the process fresh and inviting.

You’ll likely feel awkward and self-conscious when you first start journaling. That’s totally fine — you’re allowed. Most people are a little awkward and self-conscious when they begin something new, unless they’re a freak of nature. It’s okay to poke fun at yourself, or to keep the prose light-hearted.

Banish the image of the Diarist hunched over the table with furrowed brow, contemplating the existential dilemma du jour. Instead, feel free to detail your dinner experiment that made Julia Child roll over in her grave.

Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to life as a dedicated journaler in no time!

Happy journaling!

The post How to Journal appeared first on Journaling Saves.

Wish You Were Here

Vivid descriptions of time and place captured in the moment can serve as the basis for scenes in all types of writing. Whether setting the stage for the scene in a play, remembering the finer details of your surroundings for a non-fiction piece, or developing a pool of metaphors from which to draw your poetry, capturing your environment with all five senses creates a treasure trove of sensory input that can be utlized in myriad ways.

To create entries today that you might want to use for inspiration in the future, write with all five senses. Stop and listen to what’s going on around you – the drip of the faucet, the hum of traffic four stories down. The scents swimming about – Murphy’s Oil Soap and menthol cigarettes. How does the light and shadow play? How does the air feel on your skin? Truly engage your senses and illustrate them on the page.

Overheard Dialog

Some of the best dialog in formal writing comes from the real world. If you’re trying to develop your ear for dialog, which can be a tricky thing for writers, listening to those around you can teach you. Of course, you don’t want to go eavesdropping, but start listening to and recording the conversations that go on around you in public.

How the bored cashier interacts with the busy mom in line. The way the barista tells jokes to customers as though he’s entertaining himself. Two strangers discussing sports in the bus seat behind you. Listening to public banter and documenting it in your journal as you go about your day can teach you to recreate the natural rhythm and flow of conversation on the page.

Particularly juicy overhead dialog can even inspire a whole new piece of fiction.

Change Your Point of View

One creative tool for fiction writers is to use your journal as a playground for your characters. Write a journal entry from the point of view of your story’s hero or heroine. Writing by hand, on paper, will put you in touch with them on a deeper level that will connect you to their true desires. The characters will spring to life for you on the page once you understand them on that deeper level.

You may even end up using the actual journal entries in the writing itself.

Out of Context

Another method for mining your journal is to browse through it, slightly removed, keeping an eye out for setences or paragraphs that grab your attention out of context. The older the journal is, the easier it is to forget exactly what you were talking about. But sometimes you’ll stumble across a fabulous idea or a perfect sentence you can use as a starting point for a new piece. Some little gem of wisdom you can run with.

Your exposition may work its way into the mind of your fictional character.

Your journal is a valuable tool for enriching your other writing. Treat it as a resource and mine its pages for inspiration and ideas. The best part? All that material is yours!

The post Breathe Life into Your Fiction with Journaling appeared first on Journaling Saves.

Change throws us off our game. It yanks the familiar ground out from beneath us. When we don’t know which end us up, we seek the comfort of the familiar. Of ritual, stability, constancy.

Amid this struggling economy, many of us face uncertainty. We may be dealing with job loss or home relocation; both of these changes top the stress charts. Even a welcomed change of scenery or a positive career switch can be disorienting.

In times of change, journaling makes us resilient. It helps us find steadier footing so we can roll with the punches. When the world around us is uncertain, our journal provides a home base, a constant, and an undeniable sense of stability. Here’s how.

1. Journaling provides a sense of continuity

When you journal regularly, the act itself becomes a ritual, a routine. Journaling through good times and bad keeps you centered when change hits because the habit is there to support you.

Even when your life is turned upside down and you’re not sure where to begin, your journal is there every day for you. Even as the walls are crumbling around you, you can sit for half an hour and be guaranteed this continual appearance of blank pages to fill. There is comfort in this constant.

2. Journaling creates a home base

Your physical journal can create a sense of home and comfort. It is familiar, and the more often you write in it, the more a part of you it becomes. Filling your journal with pieces of daily living will affirm its status a rock solid part of your life.

When nothing around you is familiar, your journal provides a space to feel at home.

3. Journaling keeps us present

Journal writing pulls us into the present tense, where we fully inhabit the moment. In this state, we deal with change best. We are not obsessing about future fears yet to happen. We do not need to relive past mistakes. On the page, we can choose to dwell fully in the now.

The now is where we do our best work. We make the best decisions, we feel the most secure. As Julia Cameron wrote, “In the exact now, we are all, always, all right.”

4. Journaling proves you’re a survivor

Once you’ve journaled your way through one big change, you’ve got written proof that you can make it through your current situation. Even when you feel uncertain about your own abilities to cope, you can see your previous entries and recognize your resiliency.

If this is your first go at journaling through change, knowing you’re leaving a path to follow for your future self is one way to find stability on the page. You’re leaving a breadcrumb trail for yourself to follow at another point in time. This can be both comforting and motivating.

5. Journaling provides an outlet

Venting in your journal reduces your stress level so you can return level-headed to the situation at hand. Perhaps even your exciting new change is keeping you from thinking straight. A full-on gushing session will take a load off and allow you to return to earth to handle logistics.

Sometimes the physical stress of change, the worrying or excitement, takes its toll on us more than the actual change itself. Purging this mental energy onto the page frees up valuable real estate you can then use to handle the details of life.

Whether the change you’re facing is positive or negative, internal or external, journaling will help you through it by providing solid ground, continuity, and proof that you’re a survivor.

The post 5 Ways Journaling Helps You Navigate Change appeared first on Journaling Saves.

I’m always excited when New Planner Time comes around. There’s something so inspiring and gratifying about the blank pages of a new diary. Whether you use it for straight planning and appointment management or a deeper dive into your goals and dreams, a planner you like using is essential to the process.

Much like my journals, I use my planners as a diary and keep track of daily happenings for later reference. I tend toward 18-month diaries, which usually start in July/August, also known as an academic calendar. Since these planners need to stick with me for that long, it has to be high quality, archival and comfortable to keep handy all the time.

For awhile, I favored Moleskine 18 month planners, which are very high quality and functional. I also like the layout, with weekly calendar on one side and a full page for notes on the opposite page.

But then I found the Standard Issue Agenda series from Designworks Ink.

I love all their designs, from Pacific Northwest planners to rose gold pocket calendars. But I was drawn to the industrial aesthetic of the Standard Issue series. I used one of these for 2019 and 2020, and I just received my 2021 version so I wanted to share some pics before I start filling it up with the detritus of my brain.

I also have a few of the Designworks Ink Standard Issue Notebook No.3 that I love intensely and I’ll do a post on those soon, so stay tuned!

Here are the features of the Designworks Ink Standard Issue Agenda:

High quality construction

The Standard Issue Agenda can take a beating – essential if you’re going to carry it around for 18 months (or even 12). Some of the features that make this a durable diary:

• Heavy duty hardcover – protects your essential details inside
• Dual-spiral brass binding – doesn’t flatten or come unbound
• Thick paper – plans change and this diary can withstand rescheduling (I recommend using a high quality pencil!)

Smart layout

I used to create and print my own diaries because I couldn’t find one that worked how I wanted to use it. But this planner has a smart layout that makes sense and is easy to use:

• Weekly two-page spread with to do checklist and notes/diagrams area
• Monthly tabbed spread with notes and to do checklist

Handy features

The Standard Issue Agenda comes with a host of useful features, and some that are just fun. The Today bookmark is essential to keep your place in a thick planner like this. And if you’re into Bullet Journaling, the planner is ready for action with a custom bullet key, bullet journal index, and a stencil template with various bullet shapes and sizes.

• Today bookmark with custom bullet template
• Custom bullet key inside front cover
• 6 blank pages at back for bullet journal index
• Two-sided folder in front
• Calendar labels
• Elastic closure
• Archival label

Whether you use your agenda as a diary or a straight planner, check out the Standard Issue Agenda on Amazon. If you give it a go, leave me a comment so I can hear your thoughts!

 
Hi friends: I use affiliate links on my website, which means if you buy a product using my link, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price. This allows me to keep the site running so I can continue to provide you with quality content! Thanks for helping keep Journaling Saves alive.♥

The post Standard Issue Agenda No. 2021 Review and pics appeared first on Journaling Saves.

I launched journalingsaves.com in 2010 and the site blossomed over the next few years, including a large library of journaling resources, original articles, eBooks, a mailing list and even a podcast for awhile. Funny to think I was podcasting in 2010 before it was a “thing.” I plan to bring the Journaling Saves Podcast back online very soon.

Speaking of eBooks and mailing lists, if you’d like to join my email list and receive a weekly journaling prompt delivered right to your inbox, I’ll send you my eBook 30 Days to a Journaling Life for free. Just use the form below and you can start journaling minutes from now.

If you were a part of my previous email list, you’ll need to subscribe again because I changed email providers. It only takes two clicks! Sign up here! (You’ll snag my ebook for FREE when you do.)

Emerging from the Ashes

Journaling Saves was an active part of my life for several years and then other projects became a priority, including starting my own web design business. As much as it pains me to say it, I’ve recently learned that I can’t in fact do it all. I tried, trust me!

So as I focused on other projects, the Journaling Saves website remained as a live resource for folks to get inspired by the 150+ articles. I pressed pause on updates, podcasts and social media.

And then a horrible thing happened. In 2018 my web server had a meltdown and I lost everything, including my redundant cloud storage. The website was finished.

This happened to a couple other websites I built and was intensely engaged with. I was sick over this catastrophe and even stopped doing web development. My momentum was destroyed. I knew I wanted – needed! – to rebuild Journaling Saves but the sheer volume of work required to do so seemed insurmountable.

Then I found a document of my posts, a tiny WordPress text back-up. I didn’t have the stomach to think about rebuilding for another 6 months. The idea felt like an enormous weight pressing down on me.

But I knew I couldn’t stay away. Eventually I had to come back!

So I have spent the past year (YEAR!) rebuilding this site, locating and adding in photos for each post, repairing every link on the website, creating a weekly email list with a new provider, and updating my 30 Days to a Journaling Life eBook. Hundreds of hours.

Phew!

…And We’re Live!

I am overjoyed to relaunch this labor of love so I can help people start journaling or deepen their existing practice.

And I can’t wait to re-engage with all of you! My community was always the most motivating and enjoyable part of this whole endeavor.

In the coming weeks, I have several new product reviews to share with you as I continually discover new notebooks to obsess over. I also have a few new articles in the works.

I created a new Journal Prompts area of the site so if you’re looking for some quick inspiration, that’s a good place to start. I have also relaunched the Journaling Saves Facebook Page and I’m now on Instagram @journalingsaves where I’ll be posting original journal prompts a couple times a week. Be sure to follow me for some quick journaling ideas!

As always, please reach out anytime with questions, comments or just to say hi. I love audience participation! You can leave a comment or use the contact form to send me an email.

Be well, my friends. I can’t wait to see you all around the site soon.

The post Welcome to Journaling Saves 2.0! appeared first on Journaling Saves.