What type of journaling do you do?

[AimlessWanderer]

I tend to have an A4 general scribble pad for immediate free flowing thoughts, phone notes, and working through problems. Zero retention value for the most part, or it will be retained somewhere else. It's a fleeting conversation with the page, and if I ever need to revisit something, I'll more than likely have a fresh conversation with the page, rather than read back a week ago. Sometimes I'll even rewrite what I wrote a couple of hours ago, and find that something has shifted.

I also keep themed books for specific activities. Sometimes on a "to do" basis, and other times a record of something I might need to refer back to.

I have thought about keeping a diary type too, as my general scribbles pad is discarded once it is full. However, previous attempts fizzled out pretty quick. Mostly, I think, because today isn't often all that different to yesterday, and so I tend to feel that I don't have anything that needs to be recorded.

What catches your ink?

 

[Lockback]

Several years ago, I kept a diary. As it so happened, that period of time coincided with the divorce from my first wife, so needless to say it was hardly an uplifting treatise on how great life and love are.
After that, undoubtedly due to that experience, I never kept a diary again. I'm superstitious about such things now.
Nowadays, however, I keep an Excel spread sheet tracking every shave.
Yeah, I know: it's weird. But it's better than reading depressing entries about how miserable my life is because my wife keeps spurning my advances.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

Trying to specify what types of journals I would keep seemed to discourage me from writing at times. My current journal is pretty much anything other than drawing, doddling, sketches, or lists. So, I might write about thoughts that I'm having, dreams that I've had, books, poems, or articles that I'm reading, or have read, things that I need to get off my chest, happy things that I want to remember, etc.. Sometimes, I might just pick an object that's around me, and start writing about that. Or, look out of a window and describe a tree or a bird or something like that. Quite often, if I think about writing too much, then I don't end up writing as much.

I make a conscious effort to try not to write about personally negative things anymore. If I do, I try not to dwell too long on the topic, and try to write about how I should resolve the issue, or what I should do in the future if the same situation arises. Thinking about the negative too much can put me in a dark place. It's a lot easier to fall in a hole than it is to climb out. So, I try to stay away from the edge, if possible.

 

[DesertIguana]

No journaling, I am retired from Work, and CHASING NEWS.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I was searching for "all the above" category. For a few years now I have been keeping a journal that includes various forms of writing including, daily memoir, stream of consciousness, reflection, ideas, memories, plans for future, anything goes depending on my mood. I have found it very helpful and dare i say, therapeutic. I use a typewriter to keep my journal, as I am a collector of manual typewriters. I have around 15 at last count. There is something about pounding out the letters and words of a daily journal on an old manual Underwood that makes it all the more special. Great post.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Trying to specify what types of journals I would keep seemed to discourage me from writing at times.

I do get that! The biggest hurdle I have faced with journaling or diary keeping, is "why"? What is it for? Who is the reader? That comes from knowing it almost certainly wouldn't be me.

My inane gibberish (stream of consciousness) book bypasses all that, because it is of the moment, and discarded when full. There is no reader, only a writer. It's written to get stuff out of my head, or make sense of what is already in my head, not to go putting stuff back in again later. I find that quite freeing.

My themed books have a purpose. My gibberish book does too. They both help me in different ways, with one keeping me orientated in an activity, and the other making sense of everything else. I've never been able to find a reward or purpose or tangible outcome for the other types of journal, because (to my own admittedly limited thinking) they need a reader for them to have purpose and worth/value, but I don't want there to be one... which is kind of self defeating.

 

[tehnothing]

I have many notebooks, but, my favorites are my a5 and b5 Mnemosyne notepad and notebook. The A5 I use for bullet journaling daily mundane tasks. Not meant for anything but keeping track of things and show myself that I have actually done something with my time. The b5 notebook i use for multiple purposes like homework, notes to myself et all. Nothing I write is for anybody else to read, but, may be reviewed and talked about at appointments.

 

[KW Driver]

I bullet, and all the things in one book. I do it for me. I code people I write about if I do, to have some degree of plausible deniability in case they survive me and someone reads them later. If I’m dead… I guess it’s a them problem.

In the for what it’s worth category… historians like finding a “day in the life” take from a primary source document of what was it really like at ground level, at that time. A lot of libraries will receive journals for that. I don’t plan on giving mine unless I can strip out all identifying info. Maybe. If I get a vote in the process.

 

[Rusty Blade]

I bullet, and all the things in one book. I do it for me. I code people I write about if I do, to have some degree of plausible deniability in case they survive me and someone reads them later. If I’m dead… I guess it’s a them problem.

In the for what it’s worth category… historians like finding a “day in the life” take from a primary source document of what was it really like at ground level, at that time. A lot of libraries will receive journals for that. I don’t plan on giving mine unless I can strip out all identifying info. Maybe. If I get a vote in the process.

You can donate your journals (a historians dream) to archives with restrictions on when they can be made publicly available, for example 10, 15, 25 years or whatever you specify after the date of donation. I plan to donate mine with a 25 year access restriction. By then most people I know would be dead or not interested in what I wrote in my journals and they will be of interest to historians.

 

[Tirvine]

I checked "Other." I go back and for between a stream of consciousness and a humorous and self-deprecating autobiography, now and then injecting my extremely valuable thoughts on various weighty matters.

 

[The Knize]

I wish I would keep up journalling of some type. I was pretty impressed with the intensity of these folks. Intensive Journal Program: Experience the Intensive Journal™ Method at our workshops - https://intensivejournal.org/ Maybe too darn intense. I have liked Robert Holliday's stoic journaling, but have not kept it up. If Marcus Aurelius could make time for it, one would think I wold be able to!

Carl Jung would approve of anything that helped bring the subconscious into the conscious!

 

[Rusty Blade]

I wish I would keep up journalling of some type. I was pretty impressed with the intensity of these folks. Intensive Journal Program: Experience the Intensive Journal™ Method at our workshops - https://intensivejournal.org/ Maybe too darn intense. I have liked Robert Holliday's stoic journaling, but have not kept it up. If Marcus Aurelius could make time for it, one would think I wold be able to!

Carl Jung would approve of anything that helped bring the subconscious into the conscious!

I,too, have found consistency with journaling to be a challenge. When I was writing everything I found I lost interest after a few weeks. Even with a lovely fountain pen.
Since I switched over to typing my daily entries on a manual typewriter it has been easier for me to maintain consistency...for some reason unknown to me. Perhaps it is the novelty of the typewriter that is helping. It has been a couple of years since I switched over to the typewriter for my daily journaling and I only miss the occasional entry.

 

[The Knize]

I,too, have found consistency with journaling to be a challenge. When I was writing everything I found I lost interest after a few weeks. Even with a lovely fountain pen.
Since I switched over to typing my daily entries on a manual typewriter it has been easier for me to maintain consistency...for some reason unknown to me. Perhaps it is the novelty of the typewriter that is helping. It has been a couple of years since I switched over to the typewriter for my daily journaling and I only miss the occasional entry.

Interesting. I liked what you said above above journaling anything and everything and that it was theraputic. I take it you go back and read your journals?

I guess if I were going to journal along with whatever was occupying my mind at the moment, I would try to record anything that seemed to be a stuck point for me. Especially anything that repeated as a stuck point, and to try to think about why it is a stuck point. Is there some previous trauma or scar that is holding me up that I am better equipred to process at this point in life. An attempt to gain some wisdom and understanding at this advanced age. There is also the Stoic concept of the obstacle is the way. That is, if you can identify the obstacle, you have identied the path you need to take. Coupled with the conscept, I suppose, that it is not external things that make one unhappy, but one's own thinking about them.

It's written to get stuff out of my head, or make sense of what is already in my head, not to go putting stuff back in again later. I find that quite freeing.

I like that. Just so. To get it out of your/one's head.

Thinking about the negative too much can put me in a dark place. It's a lot easier to fall in a hole than it is to climb out. So, I try to stay away from the edge, if possible.

Yes, well put. I do think journaling should help one consider negative things, but should help one do it somewhat from a distance. To stay away from the edge as you put it. The idea as I understand it is to faciitate processing stuff, not to cause one to relive and suffer again past trauma. I think part of it is to maintain a calm, observant, mindful, headspace. To maintain awreness that things are just thoughts. That there may be other ways of thinking about things. On the other hand, not to repress. The process should be freeing no entrapping. Not that I am good at any of this!

What did Oscar Wilde say about reading his own diary when he wanted something exciting if not scandalous?

 

[Rusty Blade]

Interesting. I liked what you said above above journaling anything and everything and that it was theraputic. I take it you go back and read your journals?

I guess if I were going to journal along with whatever was occupying my mind at the moment, I would try to record anything that seemed to be a stuck point for me. Especially anything that repeated as a stuck point, and to try to think about why it is a stuck point. Is there some previous trauma or scar that is holding me up that I am better equipred to process at this point in life. An attempt to gain some wisdom and understanding at this advanced age. There is also the Stoic concept of the obstacle is the way. That is, if you can identify the obstacle, you have identied the path you need to take. Coupled with the conscept, I suppose, that it is not external things that make one unhappy, but one's own thinking about them.


I like that. Just so. To get it out of your/one's head.


Yes, well put. I do think journaling should help one consider negative things, but should help one do it somewhat from a distance. To stay away from the edge as you put it. The idea as I understand it is to faciitate processing stuff, not to cause one to relive and suffer again past trauma. I think part of it is to maintain a calm, observant, mindful, headspace. To maintain awreness that things are just thoughts. That there may be other ways of thinking about things. On the other hand, not to repress. The process should be freeing no entrapping. Not that I am good at any of this!

What did Oscar Wilde say about reading his own diary when he wanted something exciting if not scandalous?

I try to not overthink my journaling. That can be counterptoductive for me. I dont know what I'm going to type until I sit at the typewriter. And what I end up writing can be a combination of deep thoughts, things that happened during the day and whimsical thoughts. Sometimes it's just a few lines, other days it can be a page or two. And I try to not focus on the negative -- that just turns into a pity-party. I try to keep it light. If something is bugging me, i state it, acknowledge it and move on. I try to go with the flow. Journaling should be fun, otherwise I just want to avoid it.

 

[The Knize]

I try to not overthink my journaling. That can be counterptoductive for me. I dont know what I'm going to type until I sit at the typewriter. And what I end up writing can be a combination of deep thoughts, things that happened during the day and whimsical thoughts. Sometimes it's just a few lines, other days it can be a page or two. And I try to not focus on the negative -- that just turns into a pity-party. I try to keep it light. If something is bugging me, i state it, acknowledge it and move on. I try to go with the flow. Journaling should be fun, otherwise I just want to avoid it.

All of that sounds right. I suppose it depends on exactly what kind of journaling one is doing, but I think most have a goal of letting or encouraging things to come up.

<And I try to not focus on the negative -- that just turns into a pity-party.>

I think part of the idea can be to let negative things come up but to have some emotional distance from them so that they can be "processed." Definitely should not evolve into a pity party. But I think the general advice is not to repress feelings and/or thoughts either. Among other things, I think it is useful to know that one has particular negative thoughts floating around their subconscious or whatever. It helps to notice that thoughts are not "real."

<If something is bugging me, i state it, acknowledge it and move on.>

Yes!

<I try to go with the flow.>

Yes!

I have not done anything with this for a while, but I suppose this is journaling of a type, but I found what Mark Levy suggests one do in Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing to be helpful. He frames it more in terms of enhancing creativity. Helps if one is feeling stuck on a project or one wants to make sure one is seeing all of the possibilities. Actually, I think I may go back to trying some of that. I had sort of forgotten about his approach. Although the technique is rather different, I sort of remember some overlap the theories of the Bullet Journal. Maybe all paths lead to the same place!