Intro to Journalling
Journalling is an easy way to create some stillness, take some quiet time and be more intentional with our focus. When we don't do this, we can feel stressed, overwhelmed and not be able to see things clearly.
I've been writing in a journal since I was a kid, though we called it a "diary" then.
Over the years, I stopped and started many times. I purchased all sorts of types of diaries, journals, compendiums, Filofax, bullet journal, planners, sketchbooks and more. Trying to find the right 'system' that worked for me.
Pre-printed planners with calendars, to-do lists, gratitude lists, financial record-keeping, goals etc, never worked for me as I'd use them for the first week or a month because it was a novelty, but I never kept it up. I ended up with blank, dated journals and planners at the end of every year. Which felt like a waste of money and a waste of paper. I eventually repurposed the pages but I knew I'd never purchase something like that again.
In the end I decided to pull out all the things I used in each of these and create my own 'system' for myself, starting with a blank journal.
And since reading Morning Pages by Julia Cameron in 2019, I've been writing each morning. It's become routine and now sets me up for my day. Occasionally I'll miss a day here and there but it's rare. And if I miss a morning, I'll usually catch up later in the day.
Journalling has become vital to the structure of my day. It's also become a form of therapy. And journalling sparks new, creative ideas and inspiration, which almost always leads to a jolt of motivation.
It feels as though journalling has become an extension of who I am. And because of that, I like to find high quality notebooks or journals that feel luxurious to write in and that will keep forever. Aesthetics are extremely important to me too, so I'm always looking for something that looks beautiful, that I'm drawn toward, that I want to carry with me, pick up and use often.
Recently I was given the opportunity to create my own journal and have it published. I've created it so that it's really flexible in how it can be used and has some additional features that elevate your journalling experience. I've called it a Personal Ephemeris which you can purchase here.
This blog is going to be a way to share resources with you if you're new to journalling or want to find new ideas for your journalling practice.
Please let me know if you've visited this page and the links don't work - I'm just putting it together now and you might land here before I've finished editing! :)