Do yourself a favor, start journaling!
"Dear diary, Megan is no longer my friend. I don't care if she's the only person who has a trampoline that we go on every time I'm at her house. She said my nightlight was for babies. I hate her."
Having a bujo (abbreviation for bullet journal) is a trendy thing right now. Modern version of the diary, it is everywhere and everyone is praising its benefits:
- A tool for self reflection
- A way to see your evolution
- A place to keep your dearest memories
- A moment to connect with yourself
- Another type of meditation
I started one in France, few months before to come to Sweden as a volunteer, because I couldn’t remember correctly the fun I was having with my friends, always mixing what happened during one day and the other.
But I realized that the way I was doing it wasn’t the best. I was writing long paragraphs, storytelling entire days, trying to make everything fits into pages. If it was fun in the beginning, it rapidly became a
long…
exhausting…
energy consuming…
painful task.
A bit dramatic? Indeed, but you get the idea: no more fun. I even let this damn notebook behind, not putting it in my suitcase, giving up on the idea of journaling for a while. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Forget about the outdated Dear Diary (or don’t, if it’s your thing), here are some tips, from someone who almost quit, to keep it enjoyable.
1) Don’t write too much
You don’t have to write everything down. It is very tempting, I know, especially when the day has been full. But doing so will, first of all, take ages, and second of all, end up to be a very long text you’ll never feel like reading again. Keep it simple, keep it short: before hand, reflect on what you want to remember, what you’d like to read about few years later. Select the topics keeping those questions in mind.
2) Make it visual
You had a coffee at Expresso House? Draw their iconic mug! You built an Igloo in the garden? Have the forever-lasting-not-melting-ink-version of it in your journal! You went to the Turning Torso in Malmö? Well, you know what to do now.
And if drawing is not your thing, no panic: use those other skills of yours! You can, for instance, take pictures and glue them. Or do something on Canva, which is free and quite easy to use. Scrapbooking is also a nice way to fill a notebook: use magazines, books, flyers, travel tickets and much more to re-create a bit of your universe. Think outside the box, don’t limit yourself and keep it pleasant and creative!
3) Quotes, quotes, quotes
Write down the brightest and less bright (especially those) words of the people around you, be it your friends, family, boss or people you heard talking in the bus. Whether it is philosophical, funny, or kind, it is always nice to read it after years. It can catch one’s personality trait, remind you of why you love this person or make you experience a beloved moment again.
4) Keep it fun!
Writing in your journal shouldn’t be a long, exhausting, time consuming, painful task. If it is, you’re not doing it the right way. The possibilities are limitless: digitalize it, make easy doodles instead of sophisticated drawings, write down only the two most important moments of your day… Don’t get stuck in something you don’t enjoy; adapt your journal and way of journaling to your preferences.
You are now officially ready to (re)start journaling! I hope that you found this article useful, feel free to share your work and tips with us in our social media.
– Lina
