I’ve written about keeping a journal in the past and mentioned why I feel like journaling is important.

I think journaling is a way back to who we really are in a world with so much noise, so much distraction, and so many things telling us how to be and what to do. It’s easy to lose sight of yourself in constant scrolling, the mundane day-to-day. You end up adapting to what other people need or what they think you should be, or completely letting life pass you by. But with journaling, there’s no audience or performance. You’re free to be you with no judgment and to reflect however you’d like.

I want to give a tour of my two most used journals after my junk journal, the ones that bring me back to who I am and help me feel centered in my own life.

Diary Tour

I call the first journal my diary because that’s pretty much exactly what it is. Most of the time, it’s my “’Dear Diary’-angsty-middle-school-style” thoughts. But also it’s my “here’s-what’s-going-on-in-my-life” entries and the “wow-I’m-putting-this-pattern-together” reflections.

I currently use the Papier Hardcover Notebook.

I’m usually writing in this diary 1-2 times a week when life allows it, but if not, I like to check in with it every two weeks. It really depends on how I’m feeling. I try not to be super rigid with my journaling, because that’s what works for me. I will say, this diary will definitely get the most use from me when I’m feeling annoyed about something (!!)

Most common entries in this journal:

• Things I have liked recently: I write in bullet points the things I have liked recently, from catching up on Survivor 50 to a new favorite perfume.
• Things I have not liked recently: Alternatively, I will also write in bullet points things I have not liked, a la “I can’t believe they voted off this person on Survivor 50” (if you’re caught up, you know who I’m referencing!!), to bigger things that are really, really annoying me.
• Things keeping me going: On bad days, I’ll write in bullet points the things that helped me get through the day. These are good for reflection, because when I’m having a bad day I can remember “Oh, I ordered my comfort food on this day and it put me in a better mood, maybe I should try that today too.”
• Positive things: Similarly, writing out positive things (once again in bullet points!). This was the format I journaled exclusively in high school and college. I basically recap the positive things that happened in my day, from as small as “drank water 👍” to “someone complimented my jacket.”
• Rants, vents, complaints: Pages on pages of grievances, Alexander Hamilton style.
• Reflections and realizations: The whole point of journaling for me. Putting patterns together, aha moments, highlighting the fact that I’ve grown and learned and changed.

• Deeper monthly recaps: Longer explanations of my monthly favorites that don’t get a full explanation in my junk journal.
• A yearly birthday entry: I always journal every year on my birthday. Every year, I go to a coffee shop or restaurant and journal about the past year and any hopes for my next year.

A quick personal anecdote: one year on my 20th birthday I wrote as one of my hopes for the upcoming year “Maybe get a boyfriend?” (literally with the question mark) and ended up meeting my husband literally two weeks before my 21st birthday. Reminder to manifest, people!!!

• An end of year recap: I go through certain prompts at the end of each year to recap, reflect on any goals, and overall summarize how I think the year went.

Writing little short sentences in bullet points is one of the easiest ways to journal, and honestly one of the most underrated.

Louise Carmen Tour

My Louise Carmen journal is the newest addition to my journal ecosystem, and I love the flexibility of having four journals in one. Being able to keep everything organized by category is the part I love the most.

The individual notebook inserts I use are from Louise Carmen and the Moleskine Cahier journals. I decorated each of the covers with stickers. I also use this clear Traveler’s Company case to hold any journaling supplies I need to take on the go, or other keepsakes.

Here are the four categories I use for the journals:

• Memories: I mostly use this for travel memories because I take my Louise Carmen journal with me when I travel.
• Journal: Currently using this for any prompts or morning pages from The Artist’s Way.
• Articles: Any topics from articles that I’ve read that I want to think through deeper.
• Curriculums: I haven’t used this one as much, but I hope to write more book reflections in this one.

The fun part about the Louise Carmen journal is being able to accessorize it. I had it foil-stamped with “Reverie,” the French word for daydream (clearly I like words that have to do with daydreaming… one of the reasons I named my shop Studio Woolgather). And, I personalized it with some ribbon, charms, and a tassel I had on hand.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a journaling practice or adding to one you already have, I hope this gives you a realistic look at what it can actually feel like, no rules, no perfect system, just different notebooks for different moods and a habit that keeps you coming back and reflecting.