I’ve had difficulty maintaining a journaling method; diaries felt restricting, free-write prompts weren’t realistic for everyday writing, and “a line a day” was easy to miss since most days went by without the need for documentation. My favorite elements of journaling are the capacity to plan, identifying what has been causing me stress, and having a space to show gratitude and clear my head. I’d been browsing the notebook and activity books section of a bookstore in San Francisco (Kinokuniya Bookstore to be exact), when I saw a journal that I could see myself filling out every day.
I loved how each page was split into morning and night fill-in-the-blanks to account for the whole day. The only issue was the question of whether I would use the book everyday because of its format. It was a rather large hardcover for an everyday journal. I knew I would be capable of stacking things on top of my journal, missing days. I could make it a DIY project if I bought a smaller notebook; where I could be resourceful, creative, and ground my participation in well-being rather than filling in blanks.
Luckily, I found a cute notebook in the same mall that fit the criteria. It was small and easy to sift through.
I loved how many great features there were: grid lines, light drawings on the corners, and the spiral which made it easy to flip pages and write on. When I sat down to start my notebook, I put on upbeat music, drafted a format to fit the lines, and copied what I remembered from the original book. The morning prompts were: “I will let go of,” “I am grateful for,” and “I will focus on.” The night prompts were “today I resolved,” “I can improve,” and “I am grateful for.” I changed the prompt “I can improve” to “I can improve/maintain” for me to recognize the days I’m on top of my tasks and responsibilities. (Sometimes we do need to appreciate our hard work instead of only looking for ways to improve.)
Since I started this notebook a few weeks ago, I’ve given myself a great boost most mornings. It’s especially useful for starting out on a Saturday morning, when I have fun plans, chores, and have to utilize my study time on a day off from school. It’s nice to “set my intentions” (as they say) at the start of each day and then look back at night and see what I have accomplished.