Personal Journal Setup

I'd like to share with you how I have set up my personal journal so that you have an example of journaling. By no means should you see this post as a how-to, tutorial, or instructional guide. I just want to show you what works for me, in the hopes that I'll inspire you to think about how you can apply these ideas to your own life.

For me, there were six areas of my personal life that I wanted to journal, either to keep forward momentum, or make some significant changes:

1. Organization and planning, specifically, I wanted to be more consistent in keeping a regular schedule and routine, so that I am reliable and less stressed about unpredictability;
2. Recreation and hobbies, specifically, that I wanted to read more regularly and finish craft projects I've started;
3. Self-care and social life, specifically, that I want to better manage my mental health and happiness, and be a better friend;
4. Fitness, specifically, I want to become more physically active in terms of just "regular" activity as well as strength training;
5. Nutrition, specifically that I wanted to lose a little bit of weight and improve my health by eating healthier; and
6. Inspiration and motivation, specifically that I want to keep moving forward when I don't feel like it.

For each of these areas, I have made the following journal "spreads," or pages that accomplish a specific purpose: trackers, for example, record behavior; lists (of tasks, things you need, things you want, whatever); calendars; and, less so in my case but ubiquitous in social media, pages simply for the sole purpose of displaying or improving artistic ability.

I will add that I keep my personal journal in a ring binder. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is that I had no idea what I was doing when I first started and wanted to have the ability to add and remove pages until I knew more than I did. Also, relevantly, I didn't buy this binder (at least any time recently) - I found it while sorting through some old office supplies, and it had an unused planner refill that was dated over ten years old. I liked the size - it's an A5/half letter size, so it's small enough to fit in my purse, and conveniently I can make pages simply by cutting letter-sized paper in half (although I do have to individually punch 7 holes in each page).

I'll get into my recommendations for supplies in a later post, but I will say that I love the binder format much more than the bound-book format, and I highly recommend it if you're just starting out.

Also, please note that I have, very generally, three types of spreads (since I do not use daily spreads): weekly, monthly, and annual, based on the amount of time each page (or two pages) covers.

I am working on getting a printable version of each of the trackers I use for you to try and modify as you see fit; this post has been drafted in advance, so some of these may have been up for a while and others may be posted following the publication of this blog post.

Index page: The very first page of my journal has a list of each of the following sections and each of the spreads in that section.  I made this after I had nailed down all of the sections and pages, and have redrafted it a second time. I keep my index page simplified to sections only, simply because I constantly change my binder pages.

Organization and Planning

1. Weekly plan: I prepare this weekly spread based on a template containing a box for each day of the week & tasks I want to accomplish those days, as well as a box each for meals, chores, and errands.
2. Chores: I prepare this monthly spread to track daily, weekly, and monthly chores. I must admit that I have not been doing a good job keeping up with this spread. I am already pretty good about housework, but the particular tasks I put into this spread did not align with what I like done about my house.
3. Impulse spending: I am trying to be better about saving money in 2019. As a result, this tracker has a list of every penny I spend that isn't on bills or groceries, the date/time/purpose/amount spent. The idea is to dissuade myself from spending money on things that are simply wants, not needs, knowing that I'll have to write it down later.
4. Grocery Store Spending Log: I'm trying to spend less at restaurants and budget better in 2019, so I keep track of how often I go to the grocery store and how much I spend. I'm also trying to waste less food, which this is designed to help (by keeping track of how much and how often I spend on food).
5. Budget & Bills: again, another financial planning tracker. This spread is to make sure I pay my bills on time and keep track of how much I've spent.  I have a list of each recurring monthly bill, how much I paid, and the day I paid it on. I have done this with an Excel spreadsheet for several years, and it works wonders to keep me from getting a utility cut off because I forgot to pay it! (Yes, that happened to me about two or three times a year before I kept track, when I was in college.)  This is not only a checklist but also a spending tracker.
6. Savings tracker: in 2019, I am trying to save up for a couple of personal expenditures and also to improve my financial stability. I found a mason jar outline, duplicated it, and drew dashed lines representing $500 increments to my ultimate goal of $5,000 saved.  I'll color it in at the end of each month at the beginning of a new pay/bill period.

Recreation and hobbies:

1. Reading list: I want to read more in 2019.  This tracker lists the title and author of a book I'm reading, the date I started and finished, and has a progress bar.
2. To-read list: I would like to finish 12 fiction and 12 nonfiction books in 2019.  This page currently has a list (although I'm working on a more artistic layout) with the books I'd like to read. I don't want to get to the beginning of a month and not have any ideas about what to read next!
3. Movies: more times than I can count, I have thought that I need to get a decent hard-copy movie collection going. This is a "wish list" of those movies so that I know what to grab when I find myself at the used movie store.
4. Craft inventories (upcoming): in addition to journaling, I sew, knit, crochet, and embroider. I'm pretty organized, but that doesn't mean that I know exactly what supplies I have at home. At some point, I'm hoping to sit down and make an inventory of all of my yarn, fabric, embroidery thread, and sewing notions, so that I can see at a glance what I have, and can avoid buying duplicates.
5. Craft project master list: I love showering my family in homemade gifts, but I consistently have had two problems since I've started doing this: not keeping up with the ideas for gifts I can make for family, and not finishing them.  This is a list of items I'd like to make for family as well as for myself.
6. Craft project sheet: as I said above, I'm not great about finishing craft projects. This template breaks down major (more than one day of work) projects into bite-sized pieces so that I can motivate myself to finish, as well as keep track of those major project successes!

Self-care and Social Life:

1. Confidence and social skills tracker: I'm trying to be a better friend, sister/daughter, and partner in 2019, after some pretty significant shake-ups in my life in 2018. This is a monthly tracker with 8 key areas where I think I can improve my social skills, based on criticism that has come from both positive and negative sources. This is an exception to my general rule for goal-keeping; it's a bit specific, but it isn't really measurable other than self-assessment, which is fine with me.
2. Vitamins, supplements, and medications: I take vitamins once per day and prescription medication twice a day. This yearly log has two boxes for each day which I color in when I take my medication. I've gone 22 days without missing a single medication or vitamin, and my doctor was flabbergasted when I told him how consistent I had been!
3. Sleep tracker: As I discussed in my last post, I'd like to wake up earlier. This monthly tracker helps me see when I sleep, so that I can remind myself to get to bed earlier.
4. "Be a Better Partner" log: this is going to sound weird, guys, but I have a log of every argument I have with my boyfriend, as well as the takeaways. I do this not only to make sure that I'm working on the things I need to work on, but also to remind me when I get discouraged that there is a lesson to be learned from every argument (and also, that we don't fight as often as I think we do, which is important to stay positive).
5. Emotion tracker: I want to be happier in 2019 (who doesn't?). I keep this page to track my mood throughout the day: morning, noon, evening, bed, and average. It's nice to be reminded that I'm pretty calm and happy most of the time, and that when I'm really upset, it's usually gone within a few hours.
6. Talk Less/Listen More: In keeping with everything I've discussed, this is just a monthly tracker with a self-assessment of how often I talk (a red bar) and how often I listen (a green bar) which I complete at the end of each day.
7. Symptom Tracking: I suffer from a couple of mental health conditions and sometimes, I start thinking that I'm much "crazier" than I am. I use this page, with an "AM/PM" box for each day of the year, to color in whether I had symptoms that day. So far, I am encouraged to see that I suffer from symptoms way less often than I thought I did. I've also been able to share this with my doctor.
8. Beauty routine trackers: I won't go into these, because if I do, the patriarchy wins.

Fitness:

1. Days in the Gym: this annual tracker has a calendar with each month ("at a glance" style). I color in the box around each day that I'm in the gym, so that I can gradually, and realistically, work my way up to my goal frequency.
2. Workout Log: this strength-training log tracks, for each strength training exercise I do, the weight and total number of repetitions I complete. It's very motivating to see, on paper, that I am getting stronger and stronger every time I go to the gym. I also keep track of how much cardio I do as well.
3. Step tracker: I've seen these done a lot of ways, but the way I do it is to just have a "progress bar" between zero and 10,000 steps. I use my phone pedometer to complete each day of this monthly spread.
4. Days walked to work: I live within walking distance to my job, so for the days I walk that mile, I check a box.
5. Dog walking tracker: I have to admit that I have been TERRIBLE about keeping up with this. I have a list of every week in 2019, plus five boxes next to it. The idea is to color one box per dog walk, and to eventually walk the dog at least five days a week.

Nutrition:

1. Water tracker: I try to drink plenty of water, and usually I'm pretty good about it. However, from time to time, I'll find myself very hungry - and usually that it's because I'm dehydrated. This tracker has a blank date as well as check boxes for up to 128 ounces of water (8 ounces per box). I don't have the dates pre-filled since I don't do this every day.
2. Alcohol tracker: I'm trying to drink less in 2019, simply because I am trying to be healthier all around. This annual tracker has a color key for number of drinks consumed, from zero to 3 or more, and a corresponding color (blue = 0, green = 1, yellow = 2, red = 3+). A side benefit of this tracker is that I can show my health care provider, at a glance, how often I drink alcohol.
3. Sweets tracker: Again, as part of my commitment to living a healthier 2019, this is a yearly tracker where I fill in a box each day I go without eating "empty calorie" sweets. I have a list of reasons why on the right side of the page. I don't count sweets that have "other" nutritional value, such as fruit or granola. This has motivated me to make consistently healthier choices so far.
4. Soda tracker: Same as above, only with soda. So far I've gone 28 days soda-free with one "accidental" exception (I drank a diet soda which I had not ordered at a restaurant but didn't want to send back).
5. Food log: I keep a log of each food, when I consume it, and how much I eat, throughout the day. I also track this using an app on my phone. Tracking food intake is a really good way to lose, maintain, or gain weight, depending on your goals. I'd caution against anyone who suffers from an eating disorder to do this without first consulting with a medical professional or nutritionist, though.
6. Calorie log: I keep a "progress bar" of calories I consume each day, with a minimum and a maximum which I try to stay between. I'll add the same caveat as above.
7. Weight tracker: I listed each Sunday throughout the year and record my weight weekly in the box next to it. I also have a box to track whether that has gone up or down.
8. Body measurements: as part of the motivation to get into the gym, I keep track of changes in my body here, including not just the usual "bust-waist-hip" measurements, but also calves, thighs, and upper arms. Numbers never lie!

Motivation and Inspiration:

Here is kind of a "mashup" of other things I use to keep moving forward. Some examples of pages I keep in this section are lists of inspirational quotes (with regard to self-worth, healthy eating, fitness, etc.), doodle practice, layout ideas (such as blank trackers), recipes and meal ideas, and lettering practice. I'm hoping at some point to add "one line per day" pages so that I can keep track of happy memories and notable events throughout the year.

At the end of each tracker period (week or month), I'll move over my pages to a backup binder (where I also keep spare paper for new spreads), where I will eventually add cover pages.  At the end of the year, I'll bind them all together for storage.