Using Multiple Journals, and My 2021 Journal Lineup

Over these past few weeks and into the new year, there have been so many videos and social media posts about how to use multiple planners. Even I have added just such a post to my blog entries (like the one I posted a few weeks ago).

But, with so many people using journaling as part of their daily self-care/goal-setting/creative practice, what about using multiple journals? I find that my journals are just as valuable as my planners are to my routines and goals.

I have written about journaling previously and have provided journaling prompts, ideas about gratitude journaling , and even morning journaling.

To do all the journaling I get done during the week, I use several different journals. Each of them serves a different purpose, and I find it satisfying to write and create in them.

As with my article on using multiple planners, here I discuss how to know whether using more than one journal will work for you, offer some suggestions for anyone wanting to try using multiple journals, and present my journal lineup for 2021. As before, I’ll also say that this article is about using paper journals. (I’m sure there are folks who use their computers and tablets for journaling, but I’m not familiar with that sort of journaling, unless you count this blog as a journal).

How to Know if Using Multiple Journals Will Work for You

As with using multiple planners, there are benefits and drawbacks to using more than one journal. Here are some things to consider if you are interested in trying to use more than one journal.

The Benefits of Using More Than One Journal.

Different Journals for Different Purposes. Much like having multiple planners allows you to compartmentalize your various planning needs, so does using multiple journals. I have found that my morning journaling is very different from my evening journaling, so I use different books for them. I also have some guided journals, which are self-contained and designed just for the purpose I use them. It helps to have ones assigned to a specific type of journaling need.

Not all Journaling Involves Writing. A few months ago, I wrote about a new trend called creative journaling. It basically combines journaling with art, and the amount of words you use can be as much or as little as you like. Since I like to do both creative journaling and traditional journaling, I use separate books to contain each one. I have even seen some folks on social media using different journals for different types of creative journaling. One of my favorites to follow is Helen Colebrook who has several ways to support and follow her, including a YouTube channel and IG account @journalwithpurpose. Another favorite on Instagram is JoAnne McCabe, who makes some of the notebooks I use. Her IG account is @jm_planningessentials. Both have great sites to keep your journaling inspired!

To Share or Not to Share. You may want to share some of your journaling on social media, particularly if you have creative ideas that others would find helpful. Then again, some of your journaling might be the kind you wish to keep private. Having more than one journal allows you to make one free to share (including flip throughs of all the pages), while you keep others just for yourself.

Fun Hobby. Of course, if you love paper and notebooks, it may just be fun to use different notebooks. Using multiple journals allows you to play around with different notebook sizes, bindings, and paper. Some might be filled with beige craft paper while others have thin, paper that crinkles when you write or paint in it. Different books allow for different kinds of media, such as fountain pens or watercolors. Using more than one at a time provides some variety in the choices you have for journaling depending on your mood and what you wish to write or create.

The Drawbacks to Using Multiple Planners

As with planners, using more than one journal may not be the right choice for everyone. Before trying it out, you’ll need to figure out if you have the time and energy to use more than one journal. Here are some things to consider:

You Don’t Wish to be Overwhelmed. Keeping up with multiple journals may require you to come up with a journaling routine. If you want to keep things simple, using one journal for whatever type of journaling makes the most sense for your life may be the best route rather than trying to justify using several at once. Remember, you can always save a journal for when your current one fills up.

You Don’t Have Time. Much like planners, journals are not very useful unless you have the time to use them. And, journaling can take time. While there are ways to limit your time writing in them in order to justify having more than one, you need to ask yourself whether the type of journaling you’re doing is truly benefitting you. Or, you may find journaling ideas you want to try, but you don’t have time for it in your current season of life. If that’s the case, it might be best to hold off on trying different kinds of journaling in multiple journals for a less hectic season.

It Can Become Expensive. This is one drawback that I mentioned in my post on multiple planners. Like owning multiple planners, having multiple journals (yes, even inexpensive ones) can become pricey. And, if you wish to try creative journaling, you might be tempted to buy craft and stationery supplies that increase the cost of this hobby. You need to make sure that using multiple journals is right for your budget.

Suggestions For Trying to Use Multiple Journals

I really enjoy using more than one journal during the week. If you’ve weighed the pros and cons of using multiple journals, but still think it’s worth giving it a go, below are some tips for starting out with more than one journal and how to add on others as you figure out what works for you:

Decide on Your Why. My husband inherited a copy of his grandmother’s old diary and we were surprised to find that she had only listed the weather and what she had done during each day (84 degrees, raining, went to the store). We weren’t sure what she got out of that kind of journaling, but I can say that my own journaling journey has been very therapeutic. There are a number of reasons to journal, so see why you want to journal and what you hope to gain from the practice.

Which Type Of Journaling Will You Do? Here are some basic types of journaling you might wish to try:

• Gratitude– As I mentioned earlier, I’ve written several posts about gratitude journaling. The reason I find it helpful, and others recommend it, is that it helps me maintain a positive mindset, even when going through difficult times.
• Reflecting on the Day. This is your classic diary entry. Write out what happened that day and how it left you. This kind of journaling is helpful to identify patterns in your life – like a form of long-hand mood tracking.
• Journaling Prompts. There are thousands of journaling prompts you can find on the internet. They can help you learn to write more creatively or just learn more about yourself. As I noted previously, I suggested some journaling prompts to help us get through situations such as the quarantine we were (and some of us still are) in.
• Book Reading Reflections. For folks in book clubs or reading books with a mindset of learning about a particular type of topic, journaling about their readings can help them digest the material better or find additional meaning in what they’ve read.
• Reflections on Personal Growth Courses, Webinars, or Other Learning Modules. Whether you are learning more about race equity or taking a class on guided meditation, it helps to have a place to jot down your thoughts about the new concepts you are learning. Journaling provides a safe space to explore your reactions and thoughts about the new ideas you’re learning.
• Goals and Intentions. As I mentioned in a prior post, I have been journaling about my goals in addition to using a goal-setting planner. The difference is that the goal planner helps me identify goals and structure habits to achieve them, while the journaling allows me to create a written description of what achieving those goals would look or feel like to mean. It helps to keep the passion and excitement about my goals.
• Writing for Inspiration. The concept of morning journaling, that I mentioned about above, is to sit down and handwrite your thoughts for about 30 minutes each day. Many creatives swear by this practice and claim that it helps them to clear the clutter and help bring out new ideas to the forefront of their minds.
• Faith Notes. Whether you are reading a devotional or doing a bible study, it can help to journal out your insights into what you have read. Much of faith study involves not just memorizing and understanding scripture, but finding ways to apply it to daily life. Journaling can help synthesize those new spiritual concepts and convert them into practical objectives.
• Venting. When life is hard and you need a place to vent, a journal can be a wonderful outlet. As long as you keep it private (or perhaps are prepared to tear out and destroy the pages), it is a safe place to pour out your frustrations, resentments, grief, and anger. I have found it cathartic to write about the things that are wreaking havoc on my life and then burn the paper I wrote it on. I have a note book just for this purpose with perforated paper (just be sure to burn it carefully). Another option is to put the paper through the shredder.
• Health and Wellness. Much like the daily reflections, keeping a journal about health and wellness can help identify patterns that lead to behavior change. Beyond habit tracking, determining how you feel about certain exercises or changes in nutrition can provide you the motivation to stay on track with a new regimen, even though it’s not fun. Moreover, writing about your mental health is a therapeutic way to come to terms with past feelings or present circumstances.

Start with One and Add Others Slowly. Much like using multiple planners, it’s best to make using multiple journals a gradual process. See how using more than one works for you for several months before adding another.

Plan Journaling Into Your Day. You must have seen this one coming. Without proper routines and habits, we are not likely to stick with any new practice. Determine when you have time for planning. Add the journaling time as an appointment in your planner and even use sticky notes or a habit tracker to remind yourself about the routine. The more you make this a time commitment to yourself, the more likely you are to stick with it and keep journaling.

Create a Space for Journaling. In the same way that you need to make room for journaling in your schedule, you should also find a space for journaling in your home. Also, make sure that you have a comfortable place to write. If you plan to try the 30-minute morning journaling, you’ll probably need to do it where you can sit for a while and have the notebook positioned where it won’t make you tired to write for that long. If you plan to journal at night, but fall asleep when you do anything in bed, make sure to sit in a chair or at a desk so you’re not tempted to nod off.

My 2021 Journal Lineup

Now that we’ve covered the pluses and minuses of using multiple journals, along with tips for getting started, here is my lineup for this coming year and a quick summary of how I use (and plan to use) each journal.

Daily Journaling

These first few journals are my go-to journals. I use them every day and have found them to help my state of mind.

A5 Stalogy 365. This is my morning journal. I have written before about my love of this little planner with its beautifully thin paper in an article I wrote on morning journaling. Each morning, I sit down for a few minutes and script my day- writing out how I envision it going and what I plan to accomplish. I also include 5 things I’m grateful for that morning, my 10 dreams I plan to make a reality, the goal I’m working on first, and my to do list for the day. The small, light-grey grid on the paper is just right for writing a lot in a small space. Amazon sells both the Stalogy notebook and a great A5 cover, that I just received as a gift for my Stalogy notebook. If you’re interested in the Stalogy notebook or the cover, see the links below (#Ad).

Spaces Planner. I also recently wrote about this planner a few weeks ago in a post about how I’m using it for journaling. The unique weekly layout of this planner makes it perfect for writing short journal entries as it has multiple lined boxes on a two-page layout. I have also been doing some mood-tracking in it. For the past several months, I’ve been using the boxes to “script” my various goals, so I write some affirmations about these goals as though they’ve already been achieved. I have found it to be a positive and empowering practice.

Michael Recollections Personal Planner. This one may look familiar. As I noted in my post on my 2021 multiple planner lineup, I use the Michael’s Recollections personal-sized binder planner as a faith planner. During the week, I use their monthly layouts as well as their Spiritual and Inspiration inserts to keep up with church events. However, each evening, I use the weekly planner pages as a gratitude journal, where I write out a list of 5 things I’m grateful for.

Specialty Journals

These next few journals are ones that I will be using regularly, although not on a daily basis. Here are the ones on the roster for this year:

The Happy Planner Recovery Journal. I reviewed this guided journal as part of a larger review of the new Recovery collection by The Happy Planner. I was so impressed with everything in this collection and believe that it can all be used even if you’re not in a 12-step recovery program. I plan to use the planner for my mental health and wellness, and the guided journal for the same, as it has a lot of the same journaling prompts you would use for checking in on how you’re feeling emotionally and mentally.

Write the Word Journal by Cultivate What Matters. I have written about these guided journals before in this prior post, and they each have a theme. I have filled up the Faith-themed journal and am excited to be starting a new one this year- Cultivating Hope. This journal encourages writing out scripture and journaling about it. They are still being sold at Cultivate What Matters and can be found at the link provided above.

Papaya Art “Beauty” Journal. I personally enjoy writing in a book that has artistically decorated paper, and all of the journals by Papaya Art have lovely illustrations. This is one that I plan to use throughout the year when I need to explore my thoughts and feelings by writing out more than just a few lines. Although this particular notebook is no longer available in spiral binding, there is a book-bound version that can be found here (#Ad):

Small Journal by Hallmark. This adorable little lined journal is what I use on Sundays to prepare for or jot down notes during our Sunday school class. I received it as a gift from a friend, and it is just the perfect size. It has a space to write in the date at the top, a ribbon page marker, and a large fastener that leaves room to hold a pen. Sometimes journaling about what I’m learning during a Sunday School class is a better way for me to retain information than just trying to remember what I’ve heard. If you follow the link at the beginning of this paragraph, you’ll find the closest journal I could find to what I’m using.

A5 Notebook by JM Planning Essentials. I have found taking notes and journaling about my Sunday School class so helpful, I’m now starting to use this technique to calm my distracted mind during other meetings. This lined notebook has beautiful, thick Mohawk paper. It is just perfect for those times I will be taking a few notes. It will fit in an A5 traveler’s notebook or in one of the gorgeous folios sold by the same company, which I will be reviewing later this month.

Mead 5-Star Notebook. This is the notebook I use when I need extra paper or want to have a vent session on paper. It’s college-ruled, which means a lot can fit on one page. And, with perforated pages, it’s easy to tear out the sheets and throw them away (or shred them) if I’ve written something I just needed to get out but never intended to share. Here is the same notebook I have, and the covers come in a variety of colors (#Ad):

Traveler’s Notebooks. As I noted in this prior post, creative journaling is a fun way to express yourself and mixes journaling with art. This year, I have several inserts in this simple cover I found on Amazon. In it, I’ve been doing the occasional creative journaling project, which has been a lot of fun. The inserts I use have come from JM Planning Essentials and Paper Penguin Co. If you’re interested in the cover, here is a similar embossed one from Amazon that comes in several colors (#Ad):

Journaling as a self-care habit, can be a beneficial part of your daily and weekly routine, promoting emotional and mental wellness. Adding more than one journal can be a gradual process, but using more than one shouldn’t feel like a chore.

Do you use more than one journal? What ways do you journal and what are your favorite supplies? Leave a comment below.

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