My Journal

I have been writing in a journal for many years. The other day someone saw me writing in my journal and asked me about my "system".  Here is the current iteration of what I do.

At first glance, it may look like my journal is a paper-based planner, but it is not.  A planner is for what you are planning to do.  My journal is for things that have already happened.   

Normally (for most other life changes) I would suggest you get started right now and then adjust your trajectory once you are moving forward.   However, in this case, I recommend you get the right equipment first.  It will be a much better experience.

Step 1: Get a good pen.

Yes, this is a bit geeky, but if you don't like your writing instrument then you will be less likely to pick it up and use it. I have a lot of nice pens that get cycled around based on how I am feeling so I don't have one favorite.  Get a pen that feels good in your hand and writes smoothly.  I prefer gel pens personally, but there are a couple of ink refills that I also really like.  You will notice that I focus on the refill, not the pen.  Find a pen that you like, then get a better refill for it. Most pens have low quality refills in them when they are sold.  My current go-to journal pen is the Parker Jotter XL.  The standard Jotter is a bit small for my liking and the XL feels nicer in my hand.

• Gel Refills: 
• I've tried a lot of gel refills and I keep coming back to the Parker gel refill.  They just seem to work better.  Also, most of my pens take Parker refills.  
• I also like how the Cross gel refill flows, but it makes a bit too bold of a line for me.  
• Ink pen Refills:
• My favorite ink refill is definitely the Schneider Slider 755 XB Ballpoint Pen refill.  It is also a Parker style refill, but has the smoothest flowing ink that I have found. 
• Another really nice refill is the Fisher Space Pen Point Pressurized Refill, Black Bold (SPR4B).  The beauty of this refill is that it fits Parker style pens and well as a bunch of other brands of pens.  It writes anywhere and even writes upside down if you happen to be lying down when you write.  

Step 2:  Get a good journal

• Don't be cheap.  You will use it every single day.  Get a good one.  You won't regret it.  The daily marginal cost of a good one is very low.  $20 for 90 days is less than 25 cents per day.  It is worth it and you will enjoy the writing experience much more.  
• Things that make a great notebook. 
• Great writing paper makes for a great writing experience
• Numbered pages (more on that later) 
• Table of contents 
• Quality binding so it lasts for three months. 
• Great colors so you can mix it up a bit each quarter. 
• Dotted pages, I don't like lined pages, they are too restrictive.  Having dots helps keep things neat and orderly 
• You need at least 180 numbered pages.  I would say that 200 is the minimum.  
• My favorite of all time is the Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook. I have tried several of them including the Moleskine and the much cheaper Minimalist Art (Amazon) the Leuchtturm is superior to both of them.  
• Also, purchase a stick-on pen loop for the journal.  That way you won't have to look for a pen when you want to start writing.  You can find them on Amazon.  

Step 3: Set up your journal

• Plan on getting a new journal every 3 months (quarterly).  You may be able to cram 4 months into one, but it won't leave any extra room.  
• Put your contact information in the front.  Hopefully someone will call you if you misplace it.  
• Save room for a table of contents.  The Leuchtturm has a built in TOC which is a nice feature.  
• Put your quarterly goals in the front few pages.  That's another blog post for another day.  I set quarterly goals, not yearly goals.  Check out Michael Hyatt's discussion about this.  
• Save a page or two in the back for your quarterly review.  
• Save a bunch of pages at the end for doodling, pictures, and overflow.  
• Set up three months worth of dates using the 2-page per day format as shown below.  
• Today: This is where I record what I did for the day.  I found that I wanted to know what I did, not what I planned to do.  So this is where I write it down.  If you do it this way, then your activity list doesn't get mixed in with your journal-type entries.  (Note: I use military time.  It is easier for me) 
• Big 3: This is another Michael Hyatt thing.   Identify your three must-do activities for the day and write them down at the start of each day.  Some people put these in their to-do list, but sometimes the most important activities can get lost in the long list.  Also, if I write them down I find that I'm more thoughtful about it.  
• Prayer: A friend of mine gave me this idea.  How many times have you said that you would pray for someone, but when you get to a quiet place/time to pray you forget.  So, this is where I capture what I'm thinking about and praying for that day.  
• I.A.T.F: This stands for I am Thankful For _______.  I got this idea from a post I read about having a gratitude journal.  It is very enlightening to pause and count your blessings several times a day.  
• Best Thing:  There seems to be a lot of insight gained from pausing at the end of the day to think about the best thing that happened during the day.  The frustrations and negativity wash away as I ponder on the good things and try to pick the best one.  
• Journal/Thoughts/Ideas/Notes: This is where I write my traditional journal-type entries.  You may ask, "But what if I run out of room?"  That's the beauty of using a notebook with numbered pages.  Just flip to the back of the notebook, find a blank page and keep writing.  Then go back to Today and make a note at the bottom.  Continued on page ____.  Easy! 

Step 4: Final thoughts

• Keep you journal with you as much as you can.  You can't write in it if you don't have it.  
• Write during the day as you go, don't wait until the evening.  You will end up with a much better journal if you write short entries multiple times.