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Back in 2006 I bought this notebook. It's nothing special, just an A4 size ruled book but I thought I'd give journalling a go in this. There's no dates printed in it so I just write the date before I start. I can't say I've fared any better at keeping up with it, sometimes I've gone months without an entry, but because it's not an actual diary, there's no empty pages so I haven't become discouraged and lost enthusiasm for it.
I have my Filofax which is used all the time, all my appointments, lists, notes and information gets jotted down in there, but it can be really useful to keep a journal too. I find that writing down my feelings, fears or anxieties can help me to work through them and it's a great way to record things too.
What about you, do you keep a journal, how long have you been writing in it, do you keep up with it every day? Is it a diary or just a book like mine? Nosey, aren't I?
I've never kept a diary or journal as such, though I do have to do list for daily chores and a dated diary for appointments. I do feel that blogging is a little like a journal and shows what I've been up to over the weeks and now for a whole year. I'm loving taking more photos and hopefully getting better at it and also to meet deadlines with my craft. I have also found people whom I've not met do count as friends, so maybe that sort of journaling is good too. No, I don't think you are nosey, just wondering how other people work. Love your thought provoking posts, anyway. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI agree about blogging. I find it much easier to do a post, with pictures, than physically write about what I've been up to. I've looked back on my blog many a time when I've wanted to know a date I've done something, it's a great reminder.
DeleteI have, at various times, kept a diary - always in a book like yours. I did manage to write in it every day during my gap year, but mostly I'd write once or twice a week. I'm out of the habit now and haven't added anything to mine for a few years.
ReplyDeleteI bet your old diaries are great to look back on, especially the one from your gap year. I really wish I'd kept diaries from when I was younger.
DeleteI've never keep a personal journal, and only ever kept a dairy at work because I had to. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteI've always kept an appointment diary, be it Filofax or a pocket diary, but have struggled somewhat with journaling.
DeleteHi Jo
ReplyDeleteNo don't keep a journal I just know I'd never keep up with it. Although I do have a little note book that I write things down to remind me of things to mention in my blog or if I see a project and think may it's something I could do and I'll make a note of it. But just like going back over your blog it must be nice to sometimes reflect on how things were and how you were feeling at the time.
I think it was thinking I'd never keep up with it that put me off keeping one in the past. I find jotting things down as and when I feel like it a lot less stressful. I do enjoy reading back through what I wrote, and like the blog, it's helpful to have things written down sometimes.
DeleteI use my blog as my journal, and each year through Blurb I print all my post into a book. It can be hard work, I don't change the words, but I resize photo's, to cut down the number of pages, it cost about £50, but I have 4 books so far and I love looking back on them. http://poppypatchwork.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/2012-another-book.html
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful idea, the book looks fantastic. I really like how it looks inside, it's just like a proper book. £50 may sound expensive, but it looks so professional and you now have those memories to keep forever, a small price to pay.
DeleteLike you I have tried to keep a journal in the past, and found that I started off writing loads and loads and then running out of steam and stopping, only to find the book months or years later and hate what I had written. I am finding my blog to be a sort of journal though and that is more enjoyable and so far I don't think that I have looked back and hated anything that I have written! I wish you luck with yours though and hope that you can keep it going as and when you want to. The idea of not using an official diary with dates sounds like a great one and far less intimidating than all of those pre planned yet empty pages of a diary. xx
ReplyDeleteI think many people must start a journal and then run out of steam. What I'm doing now, writing as and when I want to, works much better for me. I wish I'd just got a book and gone with it years ago now rather than trying to keep up to writing every day. I love writing a blog (or two) though, but I write very different things here to what I do in my journal.
DeleteMy blog is the nearest thing I get to a journal Jo! I dont do many blog posts though as it is so a journal would probably see about the same amount of entries!
ReplyDeleteIn my case, setting myself the task of writing in my journal every day just set me up for failure. I'm much more comfortable writing when the fancy takes me, and sometimes there's months in between entries. I enjoy reading back through what I wrote too, especially once there's a few year's entries in there.
DeleteI do journal occasionally. I've never been good at sticking with it but I feel good when I'm keeping up with it. I hope you'll enjoy jounrnaling in this nice new book.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying journaling as and when I feel like it, I've been going in this book since 2006 now, but there's still plenty of pages left to write in it which tells you how often I write.
DeleteI've tried a few times to keep a journal but I'm not good at it. My daughter, Joanna, keeps one and has for a long, long time (since she was a child - she's 32 now). She just uses ordinary notebooks and some days writes screeds and screeds and other days (weeks?) writes nothing. I bet it'll all be fascinating to future generations - or maybe not!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Joanna has the right idea, I wish I'd just gone with a notebook from the start and then I'd have probably kept up with it too. Pre printed dates on pages panicked me, once I'd missed a few and there were blank pages I felt as though I'd failed so gave up. I bet Joanna enjoys reading back through her older journals, they must be really interesting now.
DeleteI have started a diary many times, always with the good intention of keeping it up but as always it falls by the wayside mid February. I wishI could keep it up, we have old diaries belonging to hubby's mum and grandma and they are so interesting to read, you can easily pass a couple of hours. My hubby does a diary everyday and has boxes of them, but they are mostly work related and boring to anyone but him :-) x
ReplyDeleteHaving your hubby's mum's and grandma's diaries must be wonderful, something to truly treasure. I've been just the same as you in the past, giving up when I'd missed some entries but I'm finding that writing as and when I want to much easier. The way I now think about it is that it's better to have some entries during the year than none at all.
DeleteI started my blog because I wanted to keep a diary but failed - and 7 yrs on I'm still blogging. Marlens's printed book idea sounds interesting - I must check out Blurb.
ReplyDeleteHowever I always keep a detailed journal when travelling and these are fun to read through on cold dark winter evenings - they transport us back to places far away more than photographs ever do.
I've definitely found keeping up with my two blogs much easier than keeping a diary. When I took on my allotment, I tried to make notes about sowing times, what I was growing, harvesting times etc. but even those kind of notes are easier to jot down on a blog. I like Marlene's book idea too, I think a few of us might be checking that out. Your travel journal sounds wonderful, that's something which will definitely keep the memories of other places alive, I really like that idea, it's one I may borrow.
DeleteOver the years I have tried to keep journals, but haven't stuck to it. I have found a few notebooks, I have written in and then the kids have drawn pictures or written something, I love finding those! Little snippets of life, that sometimes you forget. Alot of it gives me a big smile and a laugh. :)
ReplyDeleteI love finding old books which have bits and bobs written in them. I can't say I've come across many that I've written in myself but I'm always finding ones which Daniel or Eleanor have written in or drawn in.
DeleteIn the past I've bought pretty note books to start a journal and my daughter has given them as presents as she knows I enjoy writing. In the end they've been used as jotters rather than a journal of thoughts. I feel quite self conscious about writing down my feelings for some reason so never seem to keep a journal going.
ReplyDeleteI think many people feel self concious about writing down their thoughts. The trick is to keep your journal safe so you know that no one except you is going to read it and I find that once I start, it comes easy.
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