I’ve mentioned in at least one past post how easy it is sometimes to let our journals become overly negative, and I seem to recall likening it to quicksand, the kind of journaling where all we do is complain or write about the negatives in our lives. I think this is a common pit to fall into. I know it can happen to me. It begins as catharsis, which can be beneficial, to a point. But it can go too far. That’s why it’s important sometimes to bump ourselves out of that with more variety in how we journal, to include some reflection, gratitude, or self-questioning. It’s helpful to remind oneself of those bright points in life that are easy to forget.
My Bullet Journal Journey
This post explores my history with the bullet journal method, which originated with Ryder Carroll and his book, The Bullet Journal Method. I go into some detail here about how I came to try a bullet journal and how I personally use it. I provide some information about where to learn more, my personal methods, materials, uses and experience with this method of planning. Now that I understand what bullet journaling is, from its original source, the biggest draw for me is that it can be customized to fit me, the user, to meet my own specific needs, from simple to complex.
The variety of journals I keep
In this post I’ll go briefly through my current journals, which are many. I don’t intend this to overwhelm anyone who is just starting to journal, or even just thinking about trying it. What you do is entirely up to you, and this post is not intended as a how-to or guide, and I certainly don’t think everyone needs to have as many forms of journals as I do. But there are no rules. Someone can journal by writing a few words or lines a day, or once a week, and get a lot out of it. Some people use other mediums entirely, with no words involved.
A brief followup to Building a Second Brain
This is just a brief followup to my last post, in which I reviewed Tiago Forte’s book, Building a Second Brain. In the video linked below, Ryder Carroll, author of The Bullet Journal Method, talks with Tiago Forte regarding what the second brain concept is all about.
Building a Second Brain – one system of personal knowledge management
Review of Building a Second Brain, by Tiago Forte. What Building a Second Brain teaches, basically, is how to keep a digital (or paper where you prefer it) commonplace book.
Asking questions to check in with myself
It’s helpful to ask oneself questions when journaling, to get to the deeper thoughts and feelings, to make the journaling process one of growth versus stagnation.
A Life of One’s Own by Marion Milner
A Life of One’s Own and An Experiment in Leisure Marion Milner, writing in 1934 under the name Joanna Field, had decided as a young woman of 26 to explore what would make her happy. She began keeping a record of what she remembered as making her happy each day. The nature of her journals…