P.S. - Dear Diary, Sorry It’s Been So Long!! ✍🏽 (Bonus Issue #43)
A 10-Day Journaling Challenge (+ 10 Prompts to Get You Back Into Writing)
Note: Links preceded by an asterisk (*) are affiliate links that allow me to collect a small commission when you purchase something I’ve recommended. That said, I can promise I’ll only ever share items I love. Buying through these links is one way to support me and my small biz. ❤️
Hi friends!
Most of my life has been dotted with the inconsistent urge to journal. But my main problem has always been habit building. While I always love having the old entries to look back on, I don’t always have the consistent follow-through to make these entries a reality. That said, as 2023 came to a close, I was struck with the realization that although sooo much had happened (including my wedding, a trip to Italy, a ton of career changes, etc.), I’d barely written any of it down. So for 2024, I set one of my biggest goals for the year – documentation.
One thing I’ve noticed about my past journaling habits was how much easier it was for me to write when I was in a negative headspace or dealing with some external challenge. So this year I wanted to be intentional about documenting the positive and mundane alongside the hard stuff. Tricky for someone like me who, when happy, easily gets caught up in the moment, often forgetting or putting off taking the time to pause and write it all down.
So, armed with the excitement and energy of a New Year’s resolution, I found this notebook set to help get me started. I loved the cover designs (and the price tag, 😉)! But knowing I needed a backup plan for those days when writing a long detailed summary just wasn’t going to happen, I picked up another low-cost lifesaver.
Enter
‘s *Happy-ish Guided Journal, the perfect journal to give some structure to those quick-hit daily journal entries. Now, have I kept up with this journal every day since I got it? Absolutely not. But I do love how low effort it is, and at this point, I’m considering any journaling better than none, so it’s a win regardless!So now I just needed a backup plan for my backup plan. Can you tell that I’ve been down the “I’m going to journal” rabbit hole before? I needed a fail-safe, something to fall back on if my daily or weekly plans fell through. So I came up with a great monthly recap solution that I utilized this past January! After getting a burst of inspiration to write early one morning, I gave myself permission to develop an experimental journal entry/recap in my notes app. Instead of just writing, I scrolled through the photos on my phone, pasting highlights into a note accompanied by summaries and reflections from the month. And I’m glad I did because now I have a record of January 2024! In fact, I ended the experience feeling so grateful for all the fun moments the month brought me and truly amazed at just how much had happened. I’m learning that the best journaling habit is one where you’re actually journaling, and that means adapting to whatever’s most accessible at the time! Sometimes that will be with a cute notebook from Paper Source and sometimes it will be in bed with my notes app, scrolling through my camera roll. Flexibility is key!
Also! I stumbled upon this Instagram swipe post a few weeks ago, and I’m bookmarking it as inspiration to be intentional with documentation. In it, the creator shares excerpts from her grandma’s journal where she’d documented the early years she’d spent with her granddaughter. It’s just such a cool full-circle moment and highlights the long-term significance of writing it all down. <3
To help get you started on your journaling journey, I pulled together this fun 10-Day Journaling Challenge!! Each day you’ll answer a different prompt centered around a new theme. I custom-designed the challenge to help pull you out of your writing rut, knowing that once you get that momentum going, powering through a fresh 10 days should be easier than ever!
And so without further ado, your 10-day journaling challenge starts… now!