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Category: Journaling

15

Published on 15 Comments on So Many Notebooks
Detail of my writing practice notebook cover

Today is going to be a bit of a ramble, just some things I'm thinking about. I love notebooks. If you have been around my blog or any of my other online spaces for a while, you already know this.

I keep trying to find The Notebook. I keep trying to convince myself that I should pick one and go with it. But I just finished up this composition book where I do writing practice, and the Happy Planner I thought I would use as my writing practice book and catch-all notebook didn't do it for me. So I'm on to another composition book for writing practice (still need to decorate the cover!). And I've been beating myself up about having too many notebooks.

But yesterday I asked myself, "Is it really too much? Do I really have too many?" Do I use them all? Off and on. I've been using the Happy Planner (the latest in my slew of disc-bound notebooks) for my everyday book, my catch-all. So great. That one has a purpose and gets used a lot. But I love a composition book for writing practice, and I use it. So still good. I also love Moleskine cahiers. I use them for on-the-go writing practice sometimes, for notes for classes when I'm taking longer classes with lots of notes. I don't use them as much anymore, but I still use them.

I do have a hardbound faux Moleskine that I was going to try bullet journaling in, but I can't quite seem to get the hang of that, at least not yet.

There are a lot of notebooks around her. But some of them are older and used to get used. Some of them are in use now. There aren't actually that many that aren't being used. And you know what? I love them! That right there means they belong. They make me happy. I'd love to get them all into one place. One shelf maybe, with filled books on one side and empty books waiting to be filled on the other. So I could see what I have. But right now I'm going to stop insisting that I pick one kind and stick with it. That's NEVER going to make me happy.

So, lots of notebooks it is! Check that off the list, stop worrying about it, and move on to what kind of stickers I need for the covers!

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10

Published on 10 Comments on Dear Diary, April 6
Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

Off the internet, I'm a substitute teacher (English teacher looking for a classroom). Today I got to sub in a middle school humanities class, and at the end of class the teacher gave journaling prompts and had the students write for 10 minutes. I loved the prompts so much, I decided I want to do them for a 10 minute journaling today because doing 10 minute writing is my favorite. And then I decided that I would write here and share it with you, because these prompts are really good.

  1. What's happening? What's going on?
  2. 3 things you do every day/ 3 things you want to do every day
  3. What is the difference between what you do and what you want to do?

How great are these questions?! Okay, here are my answers.

What's happening? I'm tired. My allergies are really bad right now, and coupled with getting sub jobs again and going back to work after a year off is kind of knocking me down. But I did my strength training and even a 20 minute walk today, so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. I also went to a grocery store (not Trader Joe's which is small and so feels very different) for the first time in over a year, and it felt really weird.

Three things I do every day. I'm going to skip over the basics of teeth brushing and all that. Three things I do every single day. I'm having a hard time pinning things down. Drink coffee in the morning? That seems like one of the basics. I watch TV every day. I read every day. I play games on my phone every day. I don't know if I do anything else absolutely every day. I don't write or paint every day. I take days off from exercise. I don't cook every single day--Friday nights are carry-out night for one thing. It's interesting that I don't have any "important" things that I do every day.

Three things I want to do every day:

  • Something creative. It's really easy to let it slide when I'm tired and unfocused or busy or some combination. It wouldn't even have to be writing or painting or stitching. Just something. I notice that doing my current daily hand lettering practice doesn't feel like it fits the bill here.
  • Spend time with my lists and planners and thoughts and goals. I feel like I let them slip away from me when I don't give them regular attention, but it's been harder to do that since I started subbing after my old office closed so I don't have a stead schedule and routine anymore
  • Something spiritual. Light a candle, say a prayer, draw some cards. I used to do this so regularly, and now it's like I don't remember how, but I know I like the feeling of doing these things regularly.

What's the difference between what I do and what I want to do? Ease. The stuff I do every day is right there in front of me. It's easy to do, it's accessible. I don't have to set things up, get things out, prepare anything do do them. This tells me something I already knew about what I need to do to help me get to my goals more regularly. I do things more when they are easy to just sit down and get started on. Time to get back to that studio reorganization!

What about you? Do you have things, important things, that you do every day? Do you have to do anything to get yourself to do them? I'd love to hear about your routines!

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