Since starting uni I had tried to become the running before lectures girl,
reading before bed girl, and even a boxing girl. However, none of them stuck.
Between lectures, going out and meeting friends trying to find a hobby that I
actually enjoyed and was able to sustain was seeming rather difficult.
Even journalling, something that was meant to be calming just felt
overwhelming. Going on Pinterest and searching ‘journalling inspiration’ would
end with me spiralling wondering why my pages didn’t look like theirs. The
perfect handwriting and carefully curated collages would make me, my
tattered notebook and washi tape feel like we’d failed at something.
This made me wonder why I believed that every hobby had to be ‘aesthetic’ to
be worthy. Something that is simply meant to be a creative outlet suddenly felt
performative, not fun.
As a self-proclaimed type-b girl I knew I needed a hobby that wasn’t going for
looks. I’m not that creative or organised. I love the concept of routines, but I
never actually end up sticking to them.
This is what led me to junk journalling.
So what actually is it?
Luckily it is exactly what it sounds like. You use ‘junk’ you’d normally not think
twice about throwing away whether that’s an old receipt from a coffee date,
scrap paper or a wrapper, literally anything works. You just stick it in a
notebook.
Personally, I enjoy putting in a receipt or something small and writing a little
description of where I got it from, and the memory attached. For instance
reminiscing on a coffee I brought the time I spent an entire day (and night) in
the library borderline not finishing my essay on time (although sometimes I’d
rather not remember that).
There are no themes, no patterns to follow or colour palettes to adhere to.
This means it is great as a low pressure, low commitment way to keep little
keepsakes from your day. Junk journalling is less about art and more about
collecting little things from your life. Some days it might just be a coffee cup
sleeve and other days there may be a whole page worth of things. Each day
will look different and that’s okay.
The best part is that there is no right way to do it. You don’t need expensive
pens or notebooks. You don’t even need to do it regularly. Just whatever
works for you.
What makes junk journalling work so well at uni is how low pressure it is.
University life is chaotic. In first year, pressure to make friends and socialise
means days are long which can leave you feeling very drained, I know I
experienced this. In third year, academic pressure is really amplified. One
week you’ve got 100% attendance, the next you’re behind on everything not
sure of how this happened.
Most hobbies require consistency, that’s what usually defines them as hobbies
which can be difficult if your schedule is constantly changing.
Junk journalling doesn’t.
You can spend a whole day doing it. Or just 10 minutes before bed. There is
no routine to fail.
It is also great as a uni student due to it being extremely low cost. No
spending money that you probably don’t have on expensive supplies or
aesthetic journals. I have found it to be sustainable on a tight uni budget
meaning, again it is a hobby I can actually stick to.
Coming to the end of my third year at uni I am not estranged to the feeling that
sometimes it feels as though the weeks are blurring together, everything is
happening all at once. Something that often can feel quite overwhelming. Junk
journalling forces you to pause for a minute and appreciate small things in
your day that you are able to look back on, turning ordinary moments into
something you can physically hold onto.
Also unlike other hobbies, it doesn’t need to be shared with anyone. There is
no pressure to post it online, or make it look impressive. It is completely
personal to you. In a stage of life where everything feels like it is public.
Endless posts on social media makes it hard to not get caught up in what
other people are doing. Having something that is just yours feels rare
nowadays.
Something I have experienced as I got older is that hobbies start to feel like
they need a purpose.
They need to be productive. Or impressive. Or visible to others.
It is easy to forget that something that is creative doesn’t have to lead
anywhere. It doesn’t need to become a side hustle. It doesn’t even need to be
‘good’.
Junk journalling reminded me that it is okay to do something just because it
feels good, not because of some ulterior motive.
Maybe that’s why junk journalling has stuck for me. It’s not about trying to
invent a new version of yourself or self-improve. Its about paying attention to
what you already have.