Are you too busy? Journaling Saves Time

Are you too busy?

Do you have at least an hour a day Monday-Friday, and at least two hours per day on the weekends, of free time?

If not, you are TOO busy.

Do you journal at least an hour a day--and have an hour to two of free time--through stealing time? Try it. It works. I've mentioned it before, but we each have lots of down time in our day--where we are waiting and can journal.

I guarantee if you journal at least an hour a day, you will have MORE free time and will be less busy. Do you want to know why? Your journaling puts your proprieties in order and you start to do what you do in a more productive way. It saves time. Think I'm crazy? Try it for 90 days and get back to me. You'll see what I mean.

Steal some journaling time: when you are on hold, while waiting in a line, while cooking, while waiting for appointments, on break, in the restroom, in the car driving, while exercising, etc. I'm talking journal with a pen or computer--or an audio tape, ion case you were wondering.

Journal more and save time. Trust me. It works. And, you'll be less stressed and anxious, less tired, and will feel more purposeful as well.

How can you beat that?

~ Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Memoir Writer

A Warning to Journalkeepers: Keep Journaling and Be Blessed

Note: Even if you are not going through a hard time in your life or in your journaling, read this blog post. You need to know what to do and expect when it happens. I guarantee. It will happen. 

There will be times when you go through challenges in your life. Things pop up and you can't journal or write--or do either like you would prefer. You're too busy trying to get through the challenge. 

Or, journaling might lose its appeal for a while.

Or, you might get too busy to journal. 

Tragedy also might happen.

Take all of these for what they are. Each of these things is meant to keep you from journaling or journaling as deeply as you should. 

What this usually means is you've struck a chord. You are on the precipice of something wonderful. you are on your way to a major breakthrough. Something amazing is about to happen. (I cannot stress this enough.) 

But, it will only happen, if you keep journaling. 

Granted, you might not want to journal. Or, you might be too busy putting out fires to be able to journal. Or, your journaling might be trash (in your opinion, but not in reality) and not what it could be. 

Whatever you, do not ever stop journaling. That's your biggest mistake if you do. You will lose your rhythm and your train of thought. The breakthrough will be hindered and halted. In fact, it might pass you by because you didn't seize the moment. 

So, whatever you do, KEEP JOURNALING. Do not stop. Ever. 

In fact, during these times, journal more. If you journal more trash than anything, it's okay. Even the trash will be useful to you later. Trust me. Persevere. 

Keep journaling.

And, add a comment to any blog post -or get on my Google+ community and say, "Help! I am struggling." Let the community rally behind you. We can encourage you and help you through whatever you are dealing with.

Give your journal a chance.

Give us a chance.

And, great things will happen. 

They really will. You will be greatly blessed. 

~ Stacy Duplease

Journalkeeper

The way

Journaling helps find your way.

~ Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Memoir Writing

Journaling 101

I am part of a collaborative blog with Lynda and Raymonde. It's called  THE JOURNALING PATH.

Every Wednesday and Friday, I contribute and write for a collaborative blog called, THE JOURNALING PATH, with Lynda and Raymonde. I am writing a Journaling 101 series every Wednesday and giving a journaling exercise or prompt every Friday. But, read Lynda's or Raymonde's stuff, too! They are much more eloquent than I am and have a wonderful take of their own in the world of journaling. Also check out their blogs and their Google+ communities. (Take a look at the side of my blog and their blogs are listed there. Or, go to The Journaling Path and their information is there.) They are wonderful resources to add to your storehouse of journaling material.

My Journaling 101 series started three weeks ago and is for beginning journalkeepers and for those who want to get another take on journaling.  Here are the blog posts so far and in order:

~ http://thejournalingpath.blogspot.com/2013/01/journaling-101-introduction.html

~ http://thejournalingpath.blogspot.com/2013/01/journaling-101-reasons-to-journal.html

~ http://thejournalingpath.blogspot.com/2013/01/journaling-101-i-now-have-journal-now.html

~ Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Memoir Writer

Experiment

Experiment as you journal. Figure out what works for you today and what doesn't. Then, when it stops working, try something else. 

My goal is to provide you with endless options so you can journal any time, no matter what. 

So, experiment. And have fun doing it as you journal.

~ Stacy Duplease

Sanctuary

Your journal is a sanctuary.

~ Stacy Duplease

Ideas for journaling entries: The news

Did you make sure to write about the Algerian hostage situation and the Inauguration of the president?

It's important to put news in your journals--to help bring proper context of your journal entries, how the world is, how the nation is, and how it impacts your life. every news story impacts us. Every story does, after all. 

So, do not forget to write about those two things, and anything else in the news that captures your eye or heart.

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Author

Daily Word Count Goals: A Tip and a Tracking System

I want to share this new Daily Word Count Goal Tracking System with the writers who read this blog. But, it would also work for journalkeepers to track if your journal each day--and if you want to do a minimum word count goal daily. 

I am always looking to streamline how I do things--regarding my writing and journaling. This includes how I keep track of my word count goals. Consequently, two weeks ago, I started a new system and it is one I like the most so far and, when I can write and am not trying to avoid getting really sick, I've found that I really like this new system and it inspires me. 

Now, you need to know that I started to write one version of my memoir and decided on a new angle, so I started to write the book over from the new angle. Therefore  I had to start all over with my word count goals. I still want to accomplish 1,000 words per day Monday-Friday of writing in 2013. Therefore  as of today, I have 14,000 words due that I need to write. I have 5,000. I am 9,000 words short, needless to day. And, it took me less than a minute to figure that all out because of my new word count goal tracking system. 

So, what is this new tracking system? 

I printed out on one page a 2013 calendar. At the top, I wrote, "Due: 1,000 words per day, Monday-Friday." Then, I wrote: "/ shows 1,000 words are due." Then, "X shows that 1,000 words were written. Meaning, I hand-write in a color ink one half of an "x" on the date that 1,000 words are due. I finish the X with another color of ink to designate that I got that word count goal done. 

Therefore, when I look at my calendar this morning, I can easily see that I have 9 days of writing I need to get done to get caught up. 

It's the easiest system I've found since I devoted myself to writing daily, Monday-Friday (at least) 11 years ago. I usually get about 1,000 words extra done on Saturday and Sunday as well, but I give myself two days a week to rest and if I get anything done, great. It's a bonus.  

I am sharing this with you because it is so easy and I cannot wait to watch as the days get more X's on it throughout the year. 

~ Stacy Duplease

Journalkeeper & Writer

How to get the most out of your journaling

Do you want to know the secret about how to get the most out of your journaling?

The answer is simple: Journal every single day.

Journal as often as you can throughout the day.

-- Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Author

Journaling Exercises in General

I want to make something perfectly clear. Any journaling exercise or prompt I mention in this blog is a mere suggestion. It's something to help you if you get stuck or want to do something different.

However, with that being said, these exercises are proven to work well. If you want to get the most out of your journaling  I would try each. Figure out what works for you and how to tweak it to your preference. 

The point of this blog is to help you get your life on the page--the past, present, and future--so that you can leave your legacy and your story is remembered to the year 2121 and beyond.

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Author

The Remembering Your Present Journal Keeping Series

Email: storykeeper2121@gmail.com

Bookstore: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction

dba Remembering Your Present, LLC & Storykeeper 2121

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.) 

MINING YOUR MEMORIES WITH LISTS JOURNALING EXERCISE

LIST TO DETAILS

The best journaling helps you to put your life on the page and leave your legacy. It also helps you to dig deeper and live a fuller, deeper, and more intentional life. This is where you start to live on purpose.

However, how do you do that? What does that look like and why would you want to do that?

It's important to mine your memories. That way, you learn what is really important to you and what is less important. Every memory you have is important, it's a matter of what you find most important today and how it has shaped you to be who you are and what you have done. Get them all down on the page in lists. 

Then, you take items of each list and write more about each. You get to what is most important and what stands out most in your life--today. And you focus on that. You try to get every memory and every detail out of that (Whatever "that" is.)

For instance, take a simple coffee mug in my cabinet. It's one of two favorites. This seems simple enough and not very important. It's just a mug, after all. However, if I look further into it, the mugs are important to me. There is a reason why they are my favorites. So, I need to explore this. How do I do that? First, I do a SOC 

Both read, HISTORIC JAMESTOWN. 

MINING YOUR MEMORIES JOURNALING EXERCISE

Start with writing lists of your memories. Do all sorts of journaling prompts to make as many lists as possible (List suggestions: people, places, things/objects, memories, favorites, least favorites, 10 objects of each room of your house, songs, books, TV shows, games, specific years in your life, decades of your life, etc.).

~ Get it all down in the lists--your memories and anything else that comes to mind. Do a SOC (Stream of Consciousness) writing to get them all down. Write down everything that comes to mind in a list.

~ Then, take three of those items and write more details about each. Do a SOC on each of the three items. Do a word association, mind map, SOC, or anything else that comes to mind about each of the three items. 

~ Take those three items and write a longer journal entry on each. 

~ Write about the six senses of: smell, sight, smell, touch, taste, and perception/intuition on each of the three items. 

~ Ask who, what, where, when, why, and how questions about each of the three items. 

~ Then, a week from the time you finish this, do it again for this list. Choose three items to write more about. 

Then, take two weeks off and do it again.

Then, take a month off and do it again. 

Then, do it in three months.

Then, do it in 6 months.

Then, do it in one year. 

Then, do it in 1.5 years.

Then, do it in two years.

Then, do it in 5 years.
Then, do it in 10 years.
Then do it in 20 years.
Then, do it in 25 years. 

~ Stacy Duplease

(Image Credit: Stacy Duplease 2012.)

Your Daily Journal Entries

HOW TO BEGIN YOUR JOURNAL ENTRY EACH DAY (or every time you journal)

1. Put the day, month, year, and time on the page.

2. Rate your day on a scale of 1-10. Explain.

3. 1-sentence summary of your day

4. 4-sentence summary of your day

5. What have you done, are doing, and will do today?

6. A journaling prompt of some kind.

7. Etc. Etc. Etc. Whatever you want. (Another journaling prompt, maybe.)

8. 3 memories from today

9. 3 memories from the past

10. Write about something in the past you wanted to write more about. 

11. Conclusion

12. Etc. Etc. Etc. Whatever you want.  (Another journaling prompt, maybe.)

For anyone who hasn't journaled before, or does not journal every day, start off with doing #1-3 each day. Once you do that for a week, add #4 for a week. Then, add #5 for another week. Etc. Do this until you do all 12. 

If you have journaled before, I would do at least #1-6 each day for a week. Then, add #7 for a week, #8 the next week, etc. until you are doing all 12.

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper Author & Sci-Fi Writer

The Story of John Arundell and Roanoke (A Sci-Fi Time Travel Novel)

& the Remembering Your Present Journal Keeping Series

Email: storykeeper2121@gmail.com

Bookstore: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction

dba Remembering Your Present, LLC & Storykeeper 2121

(Image Credit: Stacy Duplease. The Outer Banks. 2012.)

How do you start your brand new journal?

THE TITLE PAGE

The Title Page is the first page of your journal. 

Here is what you write on the title page:

~ First, come up with a title for your journal. It’s the first line on the Title Page. On a separate piece of paper, or in a different blank document, jot down several ideas. Try stuff on and see what fits. If you’re not sure what to name it at this point, “The Journal of Your Name” works well enough (i.e. The Journal of Stacy Duplease) until you can come up with a better one. Just make sure to leave room for a new name if needed.

~ Line 2 is: “By” and your name (i.e. By Stacy Duplease).

~ Line 3 is: If lost and found, please contact me at… (Put your contact information there.)

~ Line 4 is the Start Date. So, put: “Start Date: 10 February 2121” as an example.

~ Line 5 you’ll put: End Date and make sure to add it when you finish this journal.

~ Line 6 is an inspirational quote of your choice to motivate you.

That’s it. By the way, do this every time you start a new journal. This exercise makes your journal personal to you and makes you feel possessive of it. In other words, it bonds you with your journal.

~ Stacy Duplease

(Image Credit: Hatteras Lighthouse by Stacy Duplease 2012.) 

Getting side-tracked when journaling

What happens when you can't stay focused as you journal?

As you journal, if you find that your mind wanders and gets side-tracked, make sure to write down what you think--regardless of what it is. Then, ask yourself if you feel the stronger pull to journal about what you were writing originally--or what made you side-tracked. then, journal about that. Later, return to the other item, if you feel compelled. 

For some reason, whenever I get deep in my journaling, or just before I start, all the grocery items I ened to put on the list--or all of the things I need to do--come to mind. Once I write them down in my journal, so I have a record of them and can free my mind-space, I can then get back into my journaling and go deeper. That's why it's important to write the things down that side-track you--even if they seem pointless at the time. They can take on great meaning later. But, how would you know--unless you wrote them down?

But, sometimes  when I get side-tracked, it's the real thing I should actually be journaling about--not my original idea. 

Stay tuned. Ask yourself if this is what you are supposed to tackle in your journal right now or not. Then, do whatever you are led to do. 

~ Stacy Duplease

(Image Credit: Stacy Duplease. 2009.)

Monday Morning Journaling Exercise

INTRO: WHAT IS THE MONDAY MORNING JOURNALING EXERCISE?

If you take a weekend off from journaling, it is important to make sure to have a session of journaling to claim what happened, and was memorable, on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. That way, you do not forget about it later.

I recommend this exercise if you didn't do any journaling--or if you did. This Journaling Exercise might bring out more from your journaling, after all, if you did journal over the weekend. 

TIP: Make sure to do it first thing Monday morning before you get too busy. If there is one thing I've learned, if I get busy, I might not get this journaling down on the page. 

ANOTHER TIP: You can do this Sunday before you go to bed as well--or each night or morning over the weekend. Do whatever works for you--and works for you at the time. You might need to do something different each week--depending on your schedule and what comes up in your life. 

ANOTHER TIP: Do this every week and do not skip this. You'll get a lot out of it. 

THE MONDAY MORNING JOURNALING EXERCISE

TIP: Do at the very least #'s 1-4, preferable #'s 5-10.

1. Take out your calendar/planner and make sure to fill in what you did over the weekend, if you haven't already. If you have, go back through it and see if you forgot anything.

(TIP: I always put everything first on my online calendar that I have on my phone, Amazon Kindle Fire, and computer/PC. That way, if I don't have time to journal, I at least have that record and can journal more about it later on the week. I've noticed if I don't do this, I will forget about it. So, I always start here.) 

2. In your journal, write at least these section headings:

~ Friday night

~ Saturday a.m.

~ Saturday p.m.

~ Sunday a.m.

~ Sunday p.m.

3. Under each heading, write a sentence or more description of everything you did and/or at least one thing that was memorable. 

4. What was most memorable about the weekend? List three things and why. Then, number them in priority order.

5. Write more about each of the three items listed in #4.

6. Write more about your #1 memorable thing from the weekend. 

7. What did you learn this weekend?

8. What did anything from your weekend remind you about something from the past  If you didn't, think of some now. 

9. What future plans did you make this weekend? If you didn't, think of some now. 

10. Write a summary of your weekend. 

TIP: If you don't have time to do all of these, do at least numbers 1-4, and come back to these each day of the week for a couple of minutes.

~ Stacy Duplease

(Image credit: Stacy Duplease 17 November 2012. Virginia Beach.) 

TWO ONCE A WEEK JOURNALING TIPS

TWO ONCE A WEEK JOURNALING TIPS

~ 1. At least once a week, I recommend having one day to do a longer journal entry. Whatever you normally journal, however long or however much, double that if you are new to journaling (or took a break from it). Build up to tripling that in time.

If, however, you journal on a consistent basis, once a week, do a triple long one in time and in sentences. In time, add days per week you do this. Do one day of triple the journaling. Then, do two days, etc. 

The more you journal, the more you will get out of it. This is the bottom-line. 

~ 2. Once a week, review your previous journaling from the week. Then, do a journal entry about it. What jumped out of you? What do you want to write more about? 

TIP: I recommend doing #1 on Saturday and #2 on Sunday--if they are your days off. But, find what works for you! 

~ Stacy Duplease

(Photo by Stacy Duplease)

Facing the blank and empty page

Every single time you sit down to journal, you face an empty, blank page. 

Do you get intimidated by it--or does it excite you? 

TIP: I suggest journaling your answer to that question. Then, continue reading.

I think for most of us, it depends on the day as to our experience with the blank page and how it makes us feel. 

However, if you are the type who gets intimated by the blank page at any time, you might try these tips:

~ Remember that the empty page is something you CAN control. There are few things in this life we can control. We cannot control people or events, for example. But, we can control our reactions to people and events/circumstances. We can control our thoughts, emotions, and actions/behaviors. The blank, empty journal page is one things that we can control entirely. We decide what gets put down on the page. This gives us at least one thing in our lives we can control. This can be quite freeing.

~ Remember that you are the one who controls your reaction to the empty page. 

~ The empty page is actually an invitation. You get to have fun and put down on the page anything you want to. You get to do whatever you want with that page, at whatever time, in whatever way. 

~ The empty page is your friend. It is not your enemy.

~ The empty page is meant to be filled.

~ The empty page is calling out to you to put your life on it.

~ Journaling is meant to enrich your life. If you are threatened by it, change your thinking.

~ Journaling is probably the most beneficial thing you can do with your life. (That's no joke.) So, why let the empty page stifle you or make you feel uneasy? 

~ The empty page gives you the chance to experiment and be creative. Enjoy!  (And, remember, that every time you approach the page, even on the page you have already written, you have the opportunity to experiment and try new things.)

~ The empty page is a new beginning. Use it well. 

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.) 

~ Stacy Duplease

Where to journal

THE COMFORTABLE PLACE

I have found that if I journal in the same spot every day, it's a good thing at times. When I am in that spot, I know that I am to journal, and it does not take much to put me in that frame of mind. It's comfortable. It is safe. 

I recommend this for your everyday journaling for the main sit-down portion of your day. 

I have two main spots: my desk and a certain spot to the right of my husband on the sofa. 

I suggest you find your journaling spot as well.

EVERYWHERE ELSE

However, I also cannot suggest enough, learning how to journal in EVERY spot--no matter how many (or few) people, and journal regardless of how loud or quiet the place might be. In other words, get to the point you can journal anywhere and everywhere, in any condition, with any atmosphere, with however much or little noise. 

Why should you do this?

~ Your journaling should depend on nothing and no one. Period.

~ It gives you the opportunity to sneak some journaling in throughout your day and evening. 

~ Trying to journal in different places at different times, in different environments, will change the way you journal and what you get out of it. 

~ Variety is the spice of life. This is also true with journaling. 

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.)

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper Author & Sci-Fi Writer

The Story of John Arundell and Roanoke (A Sci-Fi Time Travel Novel)

& the Remembering Your Present Journal Keeping Series

Storykeeper 2121 Blog and Website: http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com

Email: storykeeper2121@gmail.com

Bookstore: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction

dba Remembering Your Present, LLC & Storykeeper 2121

What medium to use as your journal

So far, we have covered what to journal, how to journal, and when to journal. But, now, let's take a look at what to use as your journal. 

Ask yourself this question: Do I prefer to write via hand or on a computer?

Then, ask yourself this question: Do I want my journals to last forever or not?

Then ask, Do I want to take the chance on losing my journals at any time (acts of God or theft)?

If you want to journal via hand, then take a look at the section below of Paper Journaling. 

If you want to journal via cell phone, tablet, laptop, or computer, take a look at the Digital Journaling section.

If you want your journals to last and be permanent, look at the Permanent and Lasing Journal section below. 

Paper Journaling

There are many different ways to do paper journaling.

Just remember paper and pens cost money and can be lost, stolen, or damaged  Also, the paper and ink do not hold up over time. For instance, anything other than black ink starts to fade in a matter of a couple of years. Black ink, too, will start to fade, but not like other colors of ink. Another thing to keep in mind is how paper journal take up space.

Here are a few suggestions of how to paper journal:

~ Blank book.

~ Loose-leaf sheets of paper

~ 3-ring binder and paper

~ Spiral notebooks

~ Composition books

~ Steno pads

~ 3 x 5 index cards

~ Legal pads

~ Scrapbook

~ Calendar or Planner

I recommend once a week typing them up in your computer so you have a lasting journal.. save it to the internet on the cloud and have a permanent journal. 

Digital Journaling

This is the type of journaling done on a cell, tablet, laptop, and/or computer. Here are some ways to journal with any of those devices:

~ Blank document (saved to Google Drive, the cloud, Box, DropBox, etc.)

~ Send daily emails to yourself

~ Google Docs

~ Keep a blog (public or private)

~ Penzu.com

~ On your online calendar/planner

~ Evernote (app)

~ ColorNote (app)

The Permanent and Lasting Journal

If you save your journals to your computer, cell, tablet, and/or computer, and to your hard-drive  it does not mean that you cannot lose your journals. They can still be lost. 

Therefore, I recommend saying them to your email, to Google Docs, to Box or DropBox, to Google Drive, your computer, AND external hard-drive. 

If you save them in the ways I just mentioned, and have a way for people to know to access them later (when you die), then, they are permanent and lasting journals. 

I cannot suggest this enough.

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.)

~ Stacy Duplease

Two once a week journaling tips

~ 1. At least once a week, I recommend having one day to do a longer journal entry. Whatever you normally journal, however long or however much, double that if you are new to journaling (or took a break from it). Build up to tripling that in time.

If, however, you journal on a consistent basis, once a week, do a triple long one in time and in sentences. In time, add days per week you do this. Do one day of triple the journaling. Then, do two days, etc. 

The more you journal, the more you will get out of it. This is the bottom-line. 

~ 2. Once a week, review your previous journaling from the week. Then, do a journal entry about it. What jumped out of you? What do you want to write more about? 

TIP: I recommend doing #1 on Saturday and #2 on Sunday--if they are your days off. But, find what works for you! 

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.)

~ Stacy Duplease