Journaling is hard. It’s definitely going to take work to make it a habit. The food diary has been particularly challenging as I don’t really have a system for it; I need to write down what I eat immediately or I’ll forget. In fact, I’m struggling to find a system for journaling in general. I’d like to have one or two notebooks, maximum, to use for recording thoughts, ideas, dreams, what I ate, to do lists, etc. A big notebook is annoying to carry around, so are two medium sized books. Maybe I just need to invest in a bigger purse…
Dreams I can record at home, as that’s where they happen, but if I want to keep track of what I eat I need to write it down a.s.a.p.; and if I have an idea I’d rather write it in a book than on a post it and hope it finds its way home to be re-written into a journal. I keep repeating to myself, “No Rules” when it comes to journaling. Meaning, it doesn’t have to look perfect, and don’t rip out ‘stupid’ pages. Should I just keep writing things on random pieces of paper and throwing them all in a box and them compiling them into something cohesive at the end of the month? I could just invest in one new book, but I have several barely used journals lying around so I’m skeptical another journal will solve anything.
How do you even research this? I type in journal and I get a bunch of pictures of 6th graders diaries. Type in inspiration boards and you get a bunch of wedding collages. Um, hello why aren't people posting pictures of their private journals online for the world to see? I tell myself that the blog is supposed to be a journal of sorts and I should use it more effectively, and I’d be right I should. For me, so much of this project has been finding ways of doing things that work for me, fitting things into my schedule, setting up accountability, making and revising goals; but the kicker is really how to organize all of the goals and intentions and how to measure progress. At first I used a resolutions chart, which I think there’s genuine value in because it gave me a visual reminder of what I wanted to do every day and I had to mark it off if I did it. The problem with that, for me, came around month three when I started to feel like the list was getting really long and it became overwhelming to try and accomplish every single daily goal I had. Instead of a marker of progress it became a marker of failure when what wasn’t accomplished would outnumber what was. Also, some goals weren’t set up to be every day (ex: emailing friends) and I didn’t know how to fit them into the chart.
I’ve been looking into some computer software that can keep track of several things in one place. Mac Journal seems like a definite possibility as it claims to be able to keep track of things as well as allows you to publish to your blog through it. Since the blog is something I try to do fairly often it’s an excuse to use the program regularly. It’s not free, but I can do a free trial and see if I like it. If I like it, it won't be a one stop thing. I won't be carrying it around all the time so notebooks will still be necessary. I still like the idea of a tangile record, but if keeping track of thigns online allow me to be more on top of my stuff then I'll have to find a way to do both.
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