I don't tend to stick with journals, although writing consistently on Substack for over two years would disprove my inability to stick with writing, ha!
This is very true hahaa! I don't stick with journals either but I LOVE keeping all my old ones around and flipping through them often. It's like a treasure map to my past lives.
I'm not great at unique journaling. I might begin with great intentions and a good idea but I don't follow through. However, I agree wholeheartedly that it's a wonderful, and healthy, thing to do when we keep track of all the good stuff in our lives. According to Dr. Rick Hansen we need to hold the good in our brain for 17 seconds in order to rewire our brain and create a new pathway for the good. He is an esteemed PhD from Berkley so I'll go with that! Makes the journaling even more compelling.
So, could we sit with our eyes closed and think the same good thoughts for 17 seconds and rewire our brains? That's an interesting concept. I should try it for a month and see what happens.
Doing that would likely make a difference but what I believe he meant is for us to truly notice when good things happen and let them fully sink in as they are happening. Our brain is wired to focus on the negative, it’s part of our primal make-up, so we always dwell on those events. If we learn to sit in the good while it’s going on then it makes a big difference.
One side effect of being a Virgo is accumulating notebooks and journals (but in a very organized way, naturally). I have all sorts of books jammed with quotes, a fantasy job list and skills I'd like to learn (ie. how to fold an origami crane, grow peanuts in wool, make a monkey's fist knot). A few years ago I did a sketchbook project and drew a bird every single day for a month. Then I decided to take part in a more official Sketchbook Project (I chose to illustrate all the words I can never remember the definition of like sui generis, germane, ersatz, etc. Have you heard of this Brooklyn Art Library collection? https://brooklynartlibrary.org/). There are no rules with journals and whether it's firsts, lasts or try agains, or rewriting a wish/to-do list, it's all about capturing a precious time in your life.
I know right? Mostly i give these ideas away because I don't have time for them. But also, when you out things out into the universe something always comes back 😊
Love the Good Shit Board. Brilliant. I do keep track on Notes in my iPhone. Journaling or any handwriting has not been in the cards for me for about 10 years due to a tremor in my hand. Thumbs work well enough for texts and voice recording even better.
What a great idea for a journal and to start the year by recording your firsts instead of a list of goals and wishes! In a similar vein I started a 'Do something new' challenge in April and am recording it in my notebook to be documented on Substack in batches.
Other than this I usually use notebooks Bullet(ish) style but have one just for beautiful quotes and have a couple of treasured travel journals plus one or two I inherited from my Grandma's trips.
I love this idea, Kristi! How fun! I took a SkillShare class last week from Dani Shapiro and she offered 2 new writing warm-ups to do daily that I started. One is "I remember" and you just write sentences that start with "I remember" for a full page and see what comes up. The other is the 4-quadrant exercise, where you divide the page into 4 boxes. The first box is titled "saw", the second "did", the third "heard", and the fourth "doodle." You write 7 things you saw, 7 things you did, 1 thing you heard, and then draw a doodle. You can change "saw" to "smell" or "taste" to mix it up and get other senses there. It's a great way to hone your observation skills and warm-up for bigger writing projects. I'm thinking that the journal where I do these 2 daily warm-ups will eventually be a fun gift to give my grandson, as I can see how over time, you can get a glimpse into daily life with these practices. Thanks so much for sharing! 🫂🩵
I’m going to start that new journal today; I have a lifetime important first thing I’ll do today (in a few hours) that will make an awesome first entry! I’m thrilled that I read your newsletter talking about such powerful things in our daily lives that we never recognize!
I had an “extra grandpa” who served in WWII. He said he visited so many countries and met so many amazing people from all over the world that the one thing he wished he’d done was keep a journal. I took his advice and began writing in a journal on day one when I left for boot camp and joined the Navy. I never stopped; that was 33 years ago and I now have probably over a hundred journals filled with life. My words were sometimes my only friends during my darkest days. 💕
I don't tend to stick with journals, although writing consistently on Substack for over two years would disprove my inability to stick with writing, ha!
This is very true hahaa! I don't stick with journals either but I LOVE keeping all my old ones around and flipping through them often. It's like a treasure map to my past lives.
I'm not great at unique journaling. I might begin with great intentions and a good idea but I don't follow through. However, I agree wholeheartedly that it's a wonderful, and healthy, thing to do when we keep track of all the good stuff in our lives. According to Dr. Rick Hansen we need to hold the good in our brain for 17 seconds in order to rewire our brain and create a new pathway for the good. He is an esteemed PhD from Berkley so I'll go with that! Makes the journaling even more compelling.
So, could we sit with our eyes closed and think the same good thoughts for 17 seconds and rewire our brains? That's an interesting concept. I should try it for a month and see what happens.
Doing that would likely make a difference but what I believe he meant is for us to truly notice when good things happen and let them fully sink in as they are happening. Our brain is wired to focus on the negative, it’s part of our primal make-up, so we always dwell on those events. If we learn to sit in the good while it’s going on then it makes a big difference.
I love the idea of a “Good Shit Board“ to keep track of the good sh*t.
Same here!
One side effect of being a Virgo is accumulating notebooks and journals (but in a very organized way, naturally). I have all sorts of books jammed with quotes, a fantasy job list and skills I'd like to learn (ie. how to fold an origami crane, grow peanuts in wool, make a monkey's fist knot). A few years ago I did a sketchbook project and drew a bird every single day for a month. Then I decided to take part in a more official Sketchbook Project (I chose to illustrate all the words I can never remember the definition of like sui generis, germane, ersatz, etc. Have you heard of this Brooklyn Art Library collection? https://brooklynartlibrary.org/). There are no rules with journals and whether it's firsts, lasts or try agains, or rewriting a wish/to-do list, it's all about capturing a precious time in your life.
There you go again, coming up with a brilliant idea and giving it away. The Journal of Firsts on Substack could be huge! I know I'd love reading it.
I know right? Mostly i give these ideas away because I don't have time for them. But also, when you out things out into the universe something always comes back 😊
this is why I love you Kristi, you live by the same generosity laws that I do.
Love the Good Shit Board. Brilliant. I do keep track on Notes in my iPhone. Journaling or any handwriting has not been in the cards for me for about 10 years due to a tremor in my hand. Thumbs work well enough for texts and voice recording even better.
Cool idea. And much more positive than my recent rumination on how we often don't know when we're doing something for the last time.
Ugh. Now there's a twist on the who idea. 😕
Sorry to be Debby Downer!
LOL noooo it’s totally fine! There’s always room for opposing comments 😁
What a great idea for a journal and to start the year by recording your firsts instead of a list of goals and wishes! In a similar vein I started a 'Do something new' challenge in April and am recording it in my notebook to be documented on Substack in batches.
Other than this I usually use notebooks Bullet(ish) style but have one just for beautiful quotes and have a couple of treasured travel journals plus one or two I inherited from my Grandma's trips.
This is lovely 😊 I love finding reasons to use new journal books. That's just one more idea!
I also have a journal (plus phone notes) for quotes I love!
Oooh yes, my phone notes are a chaotic mess! So many random thoughts in there!
Such a chaotic mess! I’ve tried to condense and categorize and some are, but others 🫣
I love this idea, Kristi! How fun! I took a SkillShare class last week from Dani Shapiro and she offered 2 new writing warm-ups to do daily that I started. One is "I remember" and you just write sentences that start with "I remember" for a full page and see what comes up. The other is the 4-quadrant exercise, where you divide the page into 4 boxes. The first box is titled "saw", the second "did", the third "heard", and the fourth "doodle." You write 7 things you saw, 7 things you did, 1 thing you heard, and then draw a doodle. You can change "saw" to "smell" or "taste" to mix it up and get other senses there. It's a great way to hone your observation skills and warm-up for bigger writing projects. I'm thinking that the journal where I do these 2 daily warm-ups will eventually be a fun gift to give my grandson, as I can see how over time, you can get a glimpse into daily life with these practices. Thanks so much for sharing! 🫂🩵
Thats amazing! What a beautiful idea all around. That Skillshare class sounds pretty creative, too. And a lovely idea for a gift.
I’m going to start that new journal today; I have a lifetime important first thing I’ll do today (in a few hours) that will make an awesome first entry! I’m thrilled that I read your newsletter talking about such powerful things in our daily lives that we never recognize!
I had an “extra grandpa” who served in WWII. He said he visited so many countries and met so many amazing people from all over the world that the one thing he wished he’d done was keep a journal. I took his advice and began writing in a journal on day one when I left for boot camp and joined the Navy. I never stopped; that was 33 years ago and I now have probably over a hundred journals filled with life. My words were sometimes my only friends during my darkest days. 💕
C’est impossible to journal.! My handwriting is so disturbing even I can’t read 😂.
🤣🤣 I've never heard of handwriting referred to as disturbing 😁