Beyond "Dear Diary" by Steph Beth Nickel

Photo Credit: Desk Smartphone Iphone - Free photo on Pixabay

"Rambling until I stumble across truth."

This is how I’ve often referred to my “Dear Diary” type journaling, and it has countless benefits, among them . . .

1. Priming the pump so we can get into the flow of writing words meant to be shared with others.
2. Discovering what’s truly on our minds and in our hearts.
3. Writing without judgment. The page is a great place to be honest with ourselves.

Currently, I’m not journaling in this way, but I may do so again in the days ahead.

The closest I’ve come recently is based on the one-line-a-day journal concept. I use a blank journal to summarize the highlights of each day, mostly in incomplete sentences. I intend to use the same journal for 3-5 years.

While we can begin again any day, for many people, January 1 feels like a brand-new start. This is the case with me. I love purchasing a new planner and at least one new journal.

This month, instead of purchasing a multi-subject notebook to keep track of what stands out to me in the various devotional materials I’m using, I purchased the same notebook in a variety of colours. I use pens of corresponding colours to make notes in each of them.

I do love beautiful journals and planners, especially those that are leatherbound and contain handmade paper, and would buy a plethora of them, except . . . I have several that still have available space. But because I want to be able to look at a journal and know exactly what’s inside, I purchased the aforementioned 50-cent notebooks.

While it may sound strange to many of you, I must give myself permission to do a number of things in order to optimize my planners and journals.

Among them, I must remember . . .

1. My handwriting doesn’t have to be perfect—not even in a leather-bound journal.
2. Even if a notebook or journal contains a number of different types of entries (sermon notes, random thoughts, lists, etc.), I can assign a specific topic to the remaining blank pages and go from there.
3. I can toss those that are full, or almost full, without rereading the entries. If the information was truly important, it would be recorded elsewhere or would be in my working memory.
4. Even if I’m going to get rid of my planner at the end of the year, it isn’t a waste to decorate it with stickers and washi tape as an expression of my creativity and to bring a smile to my face.
5. Like author Myquillyn Smith says in her book House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget, it’s beneficial to “admire not acquire.” While she is applying this principle to decorating one’s home, I find it applies to every area of life. This is also the case when it comes to the beautiful journals some people create. I can admire these journals without taking the time to learn how to emulate these incredible results.

So, do you journal? If so, which type of journaling do you find most beneficial?

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2027. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)