QUIZ: How To Overcome Your Most Frustrating Journaling Habits
POP QUIZ: Identify and Overcome Your Most Frustrating Journaling Habits
Finish the sentence with the answer that best describes your journaling habits. Be honest, even brutally so, and remember that this is totally subjective and I won’t know and/or care if you’re lying. So really… just have fun.
- I DON’T JOURNAL CONSISTENTLY BECAUSE…
(A) it’s inaccessible (I know I bought a journal once upon a time, but who knows where it is now?!)
(B) my journal is just one more thing to clutter up my nightstand next to my new phone charger thingy.
(C) HA! I DO use a journal! It’s an app on my phone, so it’s easy to stay current . . . but where’s my charger thingy?
(D) I’m just plain ol’ LAZY.
(E) my handwriting sucks and shouldn’t be committed to ink and paper for all of time.
(F) journaling takes too much time!
(G) I don’t know how to make my journal pretty like others I see doing.
(H) all of the above. For reals.
- I SPEND MY JOURNALING TIME BY…
(A) looking on Pinterest for doodle, layout, and topic ideas.
(B) trying to copy everyone else’s ideas, goals, and trackers.
(C) Journal time? HA! You’re funny. I don’t plan journaling time in my days . . . like ever.
(D) staring at a blank page, not knowing what to write or draw or whatever.
(E) all of the above reasons and even some others.
(F) actually journaling. I fill up three or four journals a year without breaking a sweat.
- THE MAIN REASON I WANT TO JOURNAL IS TO…
(A) track life events . . . you know, the good, the bad, the little, the big, and the everything in between.
(B) watch my health and everything I do to stay strong and how it affects me over time.
(C) keep my life in check and on track. I have goals and they need to be accomplished! Let’s DO this!!!
(D) observe my emotions over time. I’ve seen those emotional life trackers on Instagram, and I want to do that, too!
(E) log my travels and adventures and stay motivated to create opportunities to explore this world!
(F) remember funny moments with my kids and family. I want to remember the cute things my favorite little ones say and what they do. It’ll be hilarious to use as ammo when they’re older and start dating.
(G) all of the above and for other reasons I’ve yet to discover.
ANSWERS & SOLUTIONS
Whichever answers you chose, I can help! I came up with the answer options based on the good and the not so great of my own journaling experiences. So here are a few ideas that helped me and maybe they’ll help you with your particular issue(s), too:
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I don’t use my journal because…
(A) it’s inaccessible (I know I bought a journal once upon a time, but who knows where it is now?!)
Dude, go find it or buy a new one. Problem solved.
(B) my journal is just one more thing to clutter up my nightstand next to my new phone charger thingy.
Make your nightstand work FOR you! I use mine to charge my phone and iPad, hold a book or three, a reading lamp, and, of course, my journaling notebook. Sometimes things pile up on it, but I try to clean it off at least once a week.
(C) HA! I DO use a journal! It’s an app on my phone, so it’s easy to stay current . . . but where’s my charger thingy?
Let’s talk about that journaling app you use. SO convenient, right?! But what happens to it a year or ten down the road when you can’t access the entries because that device or the file format becomes obsolete . . . 3 ½” floppy, anyone?
Might I suggest that you print out your entries OR at least save them as a PDF somewhere safe like in a free FamilySearch account (learn more about that HERE). If you die before printing these out or saving them someplace more easily accessible than your locked phone, then no one will be able to read it. They won’t know your passwords and your life’s history will die right along with you. For shame!!!
(D) I’m just plain ol’ LAZY.
You aren’t lazy, or as google says, “unwilling to work or use energy,” you just need to figure out why something isn’t working for you right now.
Maybe you haven’t mastered the art of structuring and scheduling out your day–that’s entirely different than laziness.
Maybe it’s all about motivation. I wasn’t a consistent journaler until I landed on someone else’s blog describing the concept of the bullet journal (BUJO) system. I started writing, doodling, planning, making goals, and everything in between. It was ONE JOURNAL to RULE THEM ALL!!! I was motivated to make it pretty and have fun with it.
(E) my handwriting sucks and shouldn’t be committed to ink and paper for all of time.
Your handwriting doesn’t suck. It may have a super funky and wonky personality, but that’s not a great reason to keep YOUR personality off paper. And if you really don’t like your handwriting, practice making it whatever you want it to be. You can DO it! I believe in you!!!
(F) journaling takes too much time!
I see journal ideas on Pinterest and Instagram and think there’s no WAY I’m creative and/or willing enough to devout ALL that time to making my journal epically amazing! Journaling can take a lot of time ** IF ** you want it to. You can invest a little or a lot of time and energy into this endeavor. But even just a line or two a day acknowledging the things for which you are grateful is better than nothing at all, right?
(G) I don’t know how to make my journal pretty like others I see doing.
I wonder if there’s a “BUJO fails” collection somewhere. Maybe on Instagram?
We all have to start somewhere. I never considered myself artistic at ALL, but a little practice here and there transformed my journal entries to something pretty memorable.
(H) If you chose “all of the above,” I dare you to pick one of these solutions and try it out.
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I spend my journal time by…
(A) looking on Pinterest for doodle, layout, and topic ideas.
Pinterest . . . one of the BEST web creations of the decade! It is an awesome place to find great journaling ideas,and, as an app, you can carry it with you wherever you go. Having a device in your hands is crazy convenient, but it can distract you from actually putting something on those blank journal pages. I recognized this time as wasted and as a stumbling block between producing nothing at all and creating a pretty memorable journal.
So I implemented a fabulous workaround (I’m 95% sure that I found it on Pinterest . . . thanks!)
I add my most favorite doodles and hand-lettering ideas from social media into the back “reference section” of my journal and refer to this new hard copy page instead of falling down the social media rabbit hole of distraction. I simply look to the back of my journal for the ideas I’ve already liked for future reference.
(B) trying to copy everyone else’s ideas, goals, and trackers.
There are a bazillion-ly fabulous ideas online for amazing bullet journal and planner pages. So, for sure! Look online for inspiration, but take the time to make it YOURS. Seriously. This journal is for YOU and about YOU. So, stop life for five minutes to reflect. Think and develop your own dreams, goals, and systems. Find your WHY. (Go HERE to learn about finding your purpose in life and using that purpose to get crap done.)
(C) Journal time? HA! You’re funny. I don’t plan journaling time in my days . . . like ever.
You don’t have time to record your life’s history in a journal or bullet journal. But I’m here to tell you that you CAN do it and in very VERY little time. I’m working on that post and will link to it soon because it will BLOW your MIND! So, stay tuned.
(D) staring at a blank page, not knowing what to write or draw.
You suffer from blank page syndrome (BPS)! I feel your pain! I had BPS once and I still catch it occasionally. The best medicine for getting over this ailment is to spend just a moment or two on social media and Pinterest searching for the cute and awesome ideas to motivate you to journal away!
Another option is to find a quote somewhere in inspiration land (pinterest, google images, etc.) and practice a new hand-lettering style on a page or two of your journal.
(E) all of the above reasons and even some others.
If you struggle with all of the above reasons, then, my friend, please know that you’re in good company. I used these particular questions because I’ve experienced them all first hand. That’s why I feel up to the challenge to assist you in overcoming them yourself.
(F) actually journaling. I fill up three or four journals a year without breaking a sweat.
You are already a consistent journal. Congratulations! I’d love for you to contact me if you’d be interested in writing some blog posts or sharing with us pictures of your success.
- The main reason I want to journal is to…
This question is a freebie. ALL of the answers are correct. Hooray for you!
So? How did you do?
The purpose of this quiz was to get you thinking about the many reasons why you would want to journal. My vote is for you to capture your life with ink and paper! Let your grandchildren and great-grandchildren learn from YOU, from your mistakes, your ability to overcome, your triumphs, your love, your personality, etc. Just be sure to make it Pretty Memorable so that you and your progeny will actually want to look through it again someday.