Journal Jam Fall 2022 Day 9

[lunabee34]

Day 9 Question:

How do you use your journal/planner?

Do you use your journal for productivity, reflection, as a record, or as a mix of these?

If you use your journal for productivity, describe your productivity system.

If you use your journal for reflection or as a record, do you revisit older entries? If so, do you review them on a consistent basis or just when the mood strikes?

If you answer elsewhere, drop us a link in the comments.

Comments

[pasta]

I actually have a pretty in depth flipthrough of my planner on Youtube, here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M69fcjfubw

[lunabee34]

That is so cool!

[octahedrite]

Ayy this was my question.

I have one that I use as a daily planner and one that I use for reflection/record. My productivity system uses one electronic master list of tasks that I portion out into my daily planner. I revisit entries in both journals when the mood strikes, when I'm looking for specific information, when I'm curious about what I was up to in a certain time period. I try to reread entries every quarter or at least at the end of the year to see mood trends, big or little life changes, what I was reading, etc.

[lunabee34]

And it's such a good one!

I wonder how many people use a mix of electronic and paper (like outlook or google calendars + paper planner); I bet that's probably much more common than entirely analog or entirely digital.

[moomintroll]

For me it's a mix of all three, I like to use several journals at once.

I have my weekly planner, which I try not to be too precious about and it's pretty much ongoing to do lists and upcoming events. Then I have a journal for my goals where I set my intentions for that month and then reflect on them at the end of the month and make plans going forward. It's a lot more introspective, and if I want to long form journal then I'll do it there. And then I have what I call my memory book where I stick photos and ticket stubs and things I want to remember that makes me happy to flick through.

I like to compartmentalize because I feel like my to do lists are too messy for the aesthetic I like to keep in my memory book, and I don't want my happiest memories potentially being dragged down if I'm having an unhappy time in my introspective goal journal.

I check my goal journal frequently to check in on myself and that I'm on track, and I enjoy flicking through my memory book when the mood strikes. I rarely flick through my weekly planner unless I need to remember something or want to know what I was up to at that time.

[lunabee34]

I feel the same way. I really don't like have everything all in the same place which is why bullet journaling has never worked for me. I like having a bunch of notebooks going all at the same time with each devoted to its own thing.

[fufaraw]

I always used my journal as a diary--where I went, who I saw, what I managed to accomplish, the process in that, obstacles or smooth sailing. I also used it to vent, whine, complain. After about a decade of journal keeping I went back and started to reread from the beginning--and realized I had patterns, and I kept repeating those patterns, as if I was expecting circumstances and other people to change. So that was useful and helped me deal with my own expectations and intentions.

When I was figuring out my sexual identity I explored--intellectually, mostly, bdsm, D/s, and did extensive reading and then wrote about my impressions, my thoughts as I processed new knowledge, new (to me) ways of being, until through process of elimination I came to a conclusion. I used a separate diary for only this, and still keep it to add a thought, or information, or explore a theory.

I haven't written in my journal for ten years, since my son died. I've been writing fiction, which I couldn't do when I was pouring my emotions into my journal. I may pick it up again later. I meant to add to an earlier post that I really want to burn more than ten years of private journals. There's nothing in them of use to me or anyone else, and I'd really not have someone expecting juicy details and find me whining about the same things over and over--embarrassing! DH has a very effective shredder--but I really like the idea of burning and *over*. A friend suggested shredding them and then, since we live on a bay, taking the shreds down to the water and releasing them, in small batches. They'll dissolve in the water and go back to elements. And that does appeal. Any opinions on that?

[lunabee34]

I think the paper would dissolve but maybe not as quickly as you imagine, and maybe some marine life would eat it before it could and it wouldn't be good for them. You can compost shredded paper, so maybe that's an option if the returning to the elements part really appeals to you. IDK I personally think it would be more cathartic to burn it.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[annofowlshire]

I do a mix.

For my paper planner/journal, it's what it needs to be at the time. At the moment it's mostly daily to do lists (plus an ongoing shopping list, big projects that need doing, etc.) with occasional other jottings thrown in - often if my digital records aren't available/convenient at the time. At other times, I have filled notebooks with my reflections and brain dumping with the to-dos on scrap paper.

My digital journal (DW) is more about record and some reflection (although many of the particularly messy reflections are done on paper or on a more private digital space until they have been refined enough for public consumption). There was a time when it was also my to-do list, although not so much today.

[lunabee34]

*nods nods*

My planner is all to-do lists and appointments, zero journaling and jottings.

[mothereader]

I'll journal when i'm processing stuff, although lately i've been trying to write less about my feelings and experience them in my body more. I'll still journal when i'm trying to figure out the logistics of something, but that happens less often. I'll leaf through those journals sometimes, but as a rule, i leave them alone.

In my planner, i do a mix of productivity and record-keeping.

My monthly spreads are for keeping track of books i've finished, and lately tv/movies i've watched, people i met up with, experiences that made an impression, extreme weather patterns (and earthquakes), some world news that made an impact personally. I'll reflect on those at least once a year—and write up a summary—and i'll refer to them when i need to figure out when something happened.

The weekly spreads are where i keep track of what needs to get done that day. It's an hourly spread. I use the first column to note tasks that are important, quick to do, or take more than one session to complete. The tasks are put down at approximately the time i plan to do them and meetings etc. get blocked off in the appropriate day column. I highlight the tasks that are done and draw a right arrow underneath a task that has been moved (with the highlighter as well). I use hatches to shade the period during which the event lasted. Sometimes this matches the block that was drawn during planning/scheduling, other times it doesn't! Except for things that are scheduled in advance—ie. things that depend on other people as well—i'll write in the tasks the morning of.

I also have a couple of note pages right after the monthly spread that i use to keep notes for projects that last longer than a week, but will probably be done during the current month. They're also useful for any general notes i might need during that month.

[lunabee34]

I like the idea of a yearly summary; that's a really great way to reflect on the past year.

[mothereader]

It's a great exercise—i recommend it! Each year, i was surprised by several notes, in the sense of "I forgot that this even happened! Glad i made the note," or even "This happened this year? Seems like ages ago." I also go through my social media posts, and sometimes there are gems and other times it's "I can't believe i posted this." It's a great New Year's Eve tradition.

(I think my link pointed to the wrong place?? This one should be right if anyone's interested.)

[lunabee34]

*nods nods*

I can imagine; especially since the pandemic, my sense of the passage of time and when something has happened has gotten very warped.

[lassarina]

I use things as a mix.

Dreamwidth:
Emotional-processing record, longform thoughts, keeping up with friends.

Bullet Journal:
A mix of productivity, record, and tracking. I write down to-dos there (but also put them in a digital list because I need things to screech at me for time-sensitive items) and bullet points about my day. (Ideas for new projects go into a digital notebook because then at least it's searchable.) I keep monthly trackers for things like exercise, meditation, writing, other creative projects, and migraine symptoms. I write down appointments just so I can see when I open it that things are upcoming (but again, digital calendar with reminders.) I glance back through this when I'm doing posts in my DW.

[lunabee34]

I do a lot of habit tracking, too.

I'm seeing a lot of mixing the digital and the analog in people's posts; I think using all available tools is a really smart thing!

[kalloway]

Yes, I think.

Organizer for dates/paying bills. A notebook for fandom stuff, mostly fic ideas with some other notes as well. Another notebook of recs for games and books and whatnot, and what I've read of series.

And another notebook (which needs to be re-done, oi) for nerdery shopping- where I am with floppy comic book runs, games I'd like, model paint colors I need, etc. It's by far the most well-used of the bunch, or was before the plague-times.

Also DW for frequent life-and-everything journaling, which is nicely searchable for when I need to be right about when something happened. ^_^;

[lunabee34]

*nods nods*

That's similar to the way I roll with separate notebooks for separate things.

[seleneheart]

Bullet journal - both productivity and a record. I have a tracker system for each month with tasks that need to be done daily (like scooping the litter box), weekly (like laundry), biweekly (getting gas), and monthly (like paying bills). I color in the bullet when the task is done. If there's something I need to do on a particular day that isn't a recurring task, I write in on the day I do it. I also make a seasonal to-do list - things that need to be done at some point, but not on a particular day. Once I choose a day to do that (for instance winterizing my outdoor faucets), I write it on the day I plan to do it, and mark it off on the seasonal list. I also do this with monthly to-do list - things I need to get done that month, but not an appointment. I mark it off once it's done. At the end of the month/season, I asses the list - what still needs to be done and moved forward to the next list, what is no longer relevant, or what is something that I should shelve for the time being.

It functions as a record of things like the weather, the meals I've eaten (so I keep a good rotation of dishes and don't make things too frequently), and other activities like doctor visits, hair cuts, and other 'when was that last time I did ___ " questions. I look back on previous journals as the need arises.

At the end of each month, I sit down and reflect on the things that happened that month, and how I'm feeling about them.

My bullet journal is very much a mix of everything, including small art pieces.

For work, my planner is strictly for productively (I check things off as I do them) and a 'when do I have to be where' sort of thing for court appearances.

[lunabee34]

I love the way you break down your seasonal tasks. I need to be a little more on rhe ball with mine and this has given me a good idea.