Types of Journals to Consider

Here is a list of journal types to consider:

• Art journals – Whether you are drawing, painting, scrapbooking, art journals tend to have fewer words and more images. Art journaling can be therapeutic and can help you to develop a creative mind. [Follow art therapist and journal writer Jade Herriman for tips on wellness and journaling.]
• Bullet journals –These are custom-tailored to-do lists more than they are traditional journals. The name comes from the bullet points or dots that you are to alter as you gradually complete a task. If you find that writing your feelings is not for you, or if making lists is more interesting, then bullet journaling might be for you.
• Commonplace books – These feature inspirational quotes or images that you have come across. Originally, they were a space to keep all the things you want to remember in a common place, including your own drawings or paintings.
• Digital Journals – So far, we have discussed the contents of journals. Here we are interested in what the format of a digital journal can do for you. A digital journal will have a keyword search, saving you from indexing your topics. A digital journal on your phone or mobile device, for many people, is not an extra item to carry around during the day. If you journal on the go, a digital journal is often internet-based so that you can journal from various devices in different places that are synced. You can also use a word processing application that is already on your computer or mobile device without the need to download or sign up for something new, especially if you prefer the journal to be only on your hard drive. I reviewed the Journey journal app a few years ago. Read it here: Journey: The Digital Journal [A Review]
• Five-Minute Journal- Tim Ferriss, author of Tools for Titans, mentions writing in his journal for five minutes with basic prompts every day such as “I am grateful for…” Read page 3 on his PDF for more information: 5 Morning Rituals by T. Ferriss
• Heirloom Journals – These are the books that you wish to leave for your heirs. Many journal writers have a separate journal just for this purpose. You can discuss your life, the family history, what the heirs were like growing up. You can discuss anything that you would like your heirs to know. Purchase the longest-lasting material that you can afford for this one to continue through the generations.
• Log – In a log, you talk about what you’ve done today or during the week. Austin Kleon, the author of Steal Like an Artist, a book on creativity, talks about his style of journaling and gives tips on his blog post titled, “ON KEEPING A LOGBOOK.”
• Morning Pages – Creativity expert Julia Cameron starts the day with “three longhand pages done first thing on awakening,” which is why this stream of consciousness is called “Morning Pages.” The purpose is to prime the pump of creativity.
• Self-Improvement Journals – In self-improvement journals, you are hashing through what you’ve done, how can it be improved, what you’re going to do moving forward. Many have used this to keep track of mental or physical health, or to engender more gratitude.
• Travel Journals – There are those who would rather wait until a big event, like a vacation, comes up before they journal. They want to capture this special trip in journal form. Some even incorporate images, tickets, scraps of fabric affixed to the pages of the journal for a more complex, mixed media journal.

There are many more. This list is not comprehensive. It is best to make a combination that you prefer. You might even use more than one at a time.

Peace,

Deborah