★Journals: The Ultimate Guide

I’ve been neglecting my journal, let’s face it, it’s easy to do. This is the ultimate guide to journals and journaling. So, start typing folks!

…Hmmm? What? Oh, no, no, no! I don’t have the answers, I was hoping YOU“D have the answers! So, let’s hear your thoughts. Amaze everyone with you insights.

I’m leeeeestening!

I wrote this article for my December magazine:

•Journaling Secrets

Feelings of being shut down; not knowing what to write about or how to write it can be overcome by getting in touch with our instinctive feelings and physicality.
Set a timer and see how many pages you do in 10, 20, or 30 minutes. Keep writing, even if it’s nonsense. Gather some inspiration around you using a few items.
The physical act of writing itself will work you out of writer’s block.
Sometimes emotional issues or other thoughts cause blockage, consciously or not. Once you’ve aired the underlying thoughts, you’ll be able to open up to other impulses.
Write out your experiences: work, night out’s, family, play, self-improvement. Make a pact with yourself to write in your journal every day for a month.
I’ve often found music to inspire me to rhyme. With practice you may even aspire to include rhyming as a past-time.
Just start putting words on a page any way you want and then connect them. Write down the words that you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste
Add in a little meditation with your journaling. Pose a question such as, “What inspires me?” Bring the question into the meditation for four or five minutes and then write your thoughts in your journal. Mark your favorite pages from literature and articles for inspiration or print out your favorite scripts and lyrics.

˚ state of calm 💗thank you  

Posted on 10/03/2010.

In response to bbirishbug’s post:
nice post Julie!

A very strange person wrote this. I’m posting it as an example of writting rhymes. ^^’

Fabulist~

I rise up to turn on the tube ag-ain

I do it to stimulate & avoid the pain

Do I do it for the gain?

Do I really quench the la-me?

I ponder what I can come up with

Struggling to fight the media myths

I try to always use my gifts,

So I can get by my dist’

Craving for some tunes my way

This time it’s for the chills to stay

Wondering what my passion will say

Then I go back to activating my day

Am I really a fabulist,

Or am I in it for the populist?

Yeah, Fabu-list!

˚ state of calm 💗thank you  

Posted on 10/03/2010.

In response to themadcookieman’s post:
Hello MCM…ahhhhjournaling.

I have a favorite notebook to write things in….but I also have many spare ones. To me, sometimes the mere act of writing a thought, feeling, something I am needing to be accountable for ..begins an action that I need to move forward, with or a thought that needs elaboration, or a feeling or a project I need to let go of for awhile.

Yes, I know one notebook is best..but lately my new thing is reveling in my imperfections. Sometimes I get a bit worn from my day..and I have begun to rest..and the notebook feels too far…away(: I just pick upanything I can write on..And if I find it is really ‘profound” (: for my journey, I keep it with a folder that I will put with my journal notes…when I feel like moving(:

Once at a book store, I was looking through journal type how-to’s and I found the most creative book. It kind of reminded me of all of us..creative, and willing to do the next right thing and be accountable for it. Though..it was a unique book,because while it showed dated journal pages, it also was full of pictures and scribbles for the days you just don’t feel like being articulate. That was a reminder to me, is write anything..just write..And as Julie mentioned..the more you write the more you’ll create a habit of writing what you want and need..I know you MCM..ideas/thoughts/feelings will soon pour out in the system you’d like it to.

• 1. I just started something new today… I have these plastic colorful snap boxes..labeled with each day of the week. My days I work, are the same color..because those are days I have less time for a variety of activities. The other days are bold colored.

• 2. I also own a tickler system I wasn’t using anymore..it has folders with each date of the month. So now for to do’s and journal purposes, I am using these boxes. So I will divide the dated folders into the weekly boxes..I will drop them in the appropriate day of the week box

• 3. At the end of each week..I will collect pages I want to keep and add it to my journal, or whereever things need to go.

• 4. It will also allow for a good daily and weekly review. If I get behind in collecting, I’ll do a monthly review(:

• 5. The must is..must drop in box, and must review for the day and the week.

I think it will work.
Make sense to anyone but me(:

That’s a great idea Laur, to draw symbols, write words in bold letters and to use an organizing system in which you have to review at the end of every week. I have never seen such brilliance as I see in these forums! It’s so nice to connect with people and to talk about what’s exactly on our minds that we would like to voice-without boasting. It’s soo nice. It’s like meeting people at a resort for thoughts

In response to themadcookieman’s post:
hi mcm ,i have a gratitude journal to write in 5 things each day im gratefull for and a scribbly journal for allsorts .Also started a new one today and its my healing journey ,its a mixture of a diary ,affirmations ,letters and cards fromfamily and freinds ,photoos ,collages of anything i like ,mandalas and any other drawings i do ,its going to be a treat to do something in it every day .I love stationary and have lovely pink pens ,fountain pens ,coloured pencils ,a dougal pencil case ( magic roundabout ) silly erasers,rulers etc ,my inner flowerchild loves this idea

That’s really great to hear! A true devotion to me-time..

˚ state of calm 💗thank you  

Posted on 10/03/2010.

In response to flowergirl’s post:
Sounds like fun..and certainly forms a great foundation for living; an attitude of gratitude(:

Thanks flowergirl..and lil’ flowergirl(:

lol, lil’ flower girl..

I started a little binder the other day that I have been adding free articles and ebooks to. I call it my Personal Growth Binder. I have a regular journal, but haven’t been using it lately. I often read about exercised I’d like to do, but most of the time I get sidetracked. It would be neat to have a place in my journal where I could put the instructions for the exercises I want to do, a little pocket or something like my binder has. It would also be neat to have a page in the front with “reminders” about things you could write about when you’re just staring at the page. What are some things that spur you to write? I’d like to add them to the front of my journal somewhere.

˚ state of calm 💗thank you  

Posted on 10/03/2010. Last edited on 11/03/2010.

In response to themadcookieman’s post:
I think you are creating a perfect MCM journal..
Sounds terrific!

There are sticky pockets you can add to the inside of your journal, they are transparent in color, kinda like a library book enveloppe. You can buy them online. I love using mini post-it’s with mini commentary on something i’m reviewing. As to things to write about, how about writing different situations in your day, commenting about how they made you feel. What do your daily situations mean to you? How do you react? Doing so will help you understand the very essance of your soul. Also, it will improve your problem solving, because in the end your feelings interpret your soul. Roll with me and you’ll get it.

Okay, I’m ready to Roll With It

˚ state of calm 💗thank you  

Posted on 13/03/2010. Last edited on 02/04/2015.

Other Threads on Writing:

• Power of Words

• Journaling-Writing Anything and Everything As A Tool

In response to themadcookieman’s post:

Saw this in Kahuna Keith’s site:

• See accountability sheets being used: in Current Operating Notebook
• Weekly accountability log
• Physical monitoring log
• Journal : What was good about it?
• What would I change about it for the future?
• Irritations, concerns, issues What things done last week were not completed and need to be on to do list?

This triggered good things for me.