Dahija's Guide to Journaling, Part 2: I Don't Have Time to Write in A Journal

[u/Dahija]

The bad news: You don't have time to journal.

The good news: Neither does anyone else. For real. I won't lie to you. They don't just have time, they MAKE time.

Let's put this into a more familiar setting. Say that you're just getting into model trains. You've got a few bits and pieces, but you're not really serious about it yet. You might have a table set up in the corner of your dining room, much to the chagrin of your spouse. But your dad had them before you and all of a sudden you find yourself inheriting them from him. Your dad hasn't died, thank goodness, but he's decided to give them to you early so you can spend some time together (and your mom has been hounding him for years to get the boxes of parts out of the attic, so it's a family win-win). Every Thursday night, the two of you get together, order a pizza, and relax while he explains the ins and outs of model trains to you. You make time for your dad because it's important to you both.

Journaling is the same way, except instead of your dad, you're spending time with yourself. You make a place to write that is your own, maybe a table set up in the corner of your dining room. You're making time to explore your own mind, to put your thoughts down on paper.

Unless you have absolutely nothing else going on in your life, which is almost impossible for the average person, shoving everything else aside to make room for your journaling takes some juggling. I know mine does. But I've found ways around it.

I'm an anti-scheduling person. The easiest way to make me feel frazzled is to give me a locked down schedule to be creative (heh, a locked down schedule for ANYTHING will give me anxiety, much to the irritation of my INTJ husband). I end up fretting and whining, trying to justify the time I've set aside....especially if I'm a blank slate. If I don't produce something, I get frustrated. Frustration makes it feel like a job, which makes me feel even more guilty for wasting time. It's a vicious, vicious circle.

But at the moment, I think I have it figured out...

Firstly, I carry a journal with me everywhere.

As we speak, my daily journal is laying on my desk. I haven't used it yet today, but it's here if the mood strikes me. It goes in my purse if I leave the house and it rests on my nightstand when I head to bed. It contains rants, lists, sketches, and general entries for my day. My other journals are in a jumbled pile on my dresser. Probably not the best storage solution, but it works for now.

I write whenever I have a few spare moments. In line at the pharmacy, after I get out of the shower at night before bed, in the driveway when I get home from running errands, when I'm waiting for the dryer to buzz (but then I ignore it and let the clothes wrinkle...hurray for total honesty!).

This helps for several reasons, namely because it's AT HAND. I have no excuses. No way for me to say "Oh, I'll just write that down later." The book is always within a few footsteps of wherever I am in my house.

And sometimes I do carve out some dedicated time to journal, coffee in hand at the dining room table, but those moments are few and far between. Much less than what I need to feel relaxed and mentally unburdened.

Secondly, I've decided to ditch the "model" journal method.

You know what I'm talking about:

The pristine journal, hardcover (of course), flowing fountain pen, beautiful handwriting, every entry dated and at least a whole page long (because it hurts to waste space in a perfect journal), chronological entries from beginning to end (and yes, every page will be filled in each journal before I start the next one), perfect punctuation/spelling/grammar (including limiting my use of ellipses and parenthesis, of which I am addicted to both), no drawings unless they are worthy of an artist, no doodling in the margins, and absolutely no emoticons, leetspeak (I'm a gamer in my spare time), jargon, swearing, or any sort of speech that shows me as anything but the college educated adult that I am.

Yeah, all of that...out the window.

It was a hard decision, I'm not going to lie. I fretted over it for months, while trying to force myself into the model journal method (square peg, round hole). I still occasionally fret about it. I worry about what any future readers of my journals will think of me. Whether they'll understand my abbreviations, or the fact that I can't spell worth a damn most days. Are they going to think less of me because I sometimes use emoticons instead of writing out how I feel? Are they going to understand and take seriously my angst over online friendships, especially when I refer to those people by their gamer tags? Are they going to be bothered if the journal entry for today is in my daily journal and that tomorrow's is in a completely different book?

I decided not to care about Them anymore. Journaling is about ME. I still date every entry for ME to look back on if I wish and if someone later on wants to sort through them and put it all in order, that's their concern, not mine.

And you know what? I feel free for not caring. I write when the mood strikes me, in my own way, and it feels GOOD.

Part 3: Reasons to Keep Journaling Even if You Get Bored http://www.reddit.com/r/JournalingIsArt/comments/26rqs4/dahijas_guide_to_journaling_part_3_reasons_to/

Part 1: Tools of the Trade http://www.reddit.com/r/JournalingIsArt/comments/21khcl/dahijas_guide_to_journaling_part_1_tools_of_the/

[u/beltaine]

A good read, thanks!

[u/Dahija → u/beltaine]

Thanks for taking the time to read it! :)

[u/Choppa790]

The pristine journal, hardcover (of course), flowing fountain pen, beautiful handwriting, every entry dated and at least a whole page long (because it hurts to waste space in a perfect journal), chronological entries from beginning to end (and yes, every page will be filled in each journal before I start the next one), perfect punctuation/spelling/grammar (including limiting my use of ellipses and parenthesis, of which I am addicted to both), no drawings unless they are worthy of an artist, no doodling in the margins, and absolutely no emoticons, leetspeak (I'm a gamer in my spare time), jargon, swearing, or any sort of speech that shows me as anything but the college educated adult that I am.

I had to make that decision myself. I tried to avoid using LOL or ... but soon enough i said "fuck it". This is the place for me to vent my thoughts and be most true self. So I write how I please. I still try to maintain good grammar and legible handwriting though, since i like to re-read my stuff.

I am really liking your style of writing and the personality that comes through the article. Like you, i tried blogging but i got bothered and worried i had to censor myself a lot. So I switch to journaling. So far, I have 2 full, 1 broken off, and another on its way to completion. I am trying to add more pictures and stuff into it. And might start making albums/scrapbook/collages. I like taking pictures and drawing, so it feels like the next step.

[u/Aceanaluthor]

I've found I just feel lighter if I keep it up