Here are 20 things I have learned in 20 years of writing An Irish Diary

From irishtimes.com

By Frank McNally

Deadline fears, the law of typos and becoming a master diarist are just some

It’s 20 years since I started writing this column. And no, I don’t know where the time went. But here are 20 things I’ve learned along the way.

1. Working to a daily deadline is hard on the nerves. But the sad truth is, if I didn’t have a deadline, I’d never do anything.

2. That’s because the best idea I have today is never good enough. The one I’ll have tomorrow, where there’s more time to think, is always better.

3. Contrary to the impression I may have given over two decades, there is not an Irish angle to everything. You’d be appalled how many great events have happened down the centuries, the protagonists of which did not have a single Irish great-grandparent between them.

4. Unlimited choice is a tyrant. As anchor tenant of this column, you can write about anything: it’s left entirely up to you. This is a great privilege. And a curse. Sometimes you wish the editor would tell you what to write about. Then you could blame him.

5. They say it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master of any discipline. By rough calculation, this should have made me a master diarist sometime around 2019. I can’t say I noticed.

                                                Frank McNally at work, by the Cuban artist Brady Izquierdo

6. The condition of not having any ideas as deadline looms is like hunger: they both gnaw at your stomach in the same way. Comfort eating is an occupational hazard. Unless you take up cigarettes.

7. Not taking up cigarettes in the last 20 years is one of my prouder achievements.

8. Deadline fear never goes away. One night last week, I noticed with a panic that it was 7.30pm and I hadn’t started writing yet. This was impossibly late, barring a miracle. But I couldn’t find my editor to warn him the column wasn’t coming. So the panic deepened until I couldn’t breathe. Then I woke up. It was 3am and I’d been having that stupid dream again.

9. When you write something wrong in a newspaper, there’s often a little voice in your head trying to tell you it’s wrong. You just can’t hear it because of all the other background noise. The little voice will only make itself audible when the noise stops. This typically happens at 3am too, when your mistake has gone to print.

10. Being a columnist is incompatible with a tidy desk. I can carbon-date the layers of paper cuttings on mine, but I’m afraid to throw any out because I must have had a good reason for keeping them in the first place, even if I can’t remember. And every so often, an idea does emerge from the mulch.

11. Daily diarists have no choice but to dramatise their lives. On the plus side, this means that when something genuinely bad happens, assuming it’s not fatal, you often have the consolation of getting a column out of it.

12. There are limits to that – or should be. Jeffery Bernard wrote a long-running column called Low Life, for which his alcoholism was a professional requirement. “The longest suicide note in history” as it has been called, was probably too high a price to pay for material. Although it did inspire a hit West End play. I envy him that.

13. When you’ve written 3,500 columns, you will repeat yourself occasionally. I like to compare this with Monet’s haystacks, painted over and over in different conditions. The excuse works doubly well for me because I have written about actual haymaking on several occasions. But the light had changed each time.

14. Muphry’s (sic) Law of Typos is immutably true. If you comment in print on an interesting or amusing mistake committed by another writer, your piece will inevitably contain an interesting or amusing mistake of its own.

15. Someone once said of the housewife-columnist Erma Bombeck that, whereas others aspired to mere Pulitzer Prizes, her work won “the permanent place of honour in American life: the refrigerator door.” I’m proud to say the occasional Irish Diary has featured on fridge doors too.

16. A few have also been framed on pub walls: the Irish columnist hall of fame.

17. On any subject about which you expound in a newspaper, there is somebody somewhere who knows more than you.

18. But being corrected only adds to your education. Writing this diary four times a week for 20 years has been like doing a PhD in Irish Studies. In American universities, that would have cost me a fortune.

[ ‘O, the drenching grey weather’: Irish rain in 40 wonderful phrasesOpens in new window ]

19. Georges Simenon once claimed that “a writer has nothing to say after the age of forty”. Mickey Spillane disagreed: “If you’re singer, you lose your voice. A baseball player loses his arm. A writer gets more knowledge, and if he’s good, the older he gets, the better he writes.” I’m not sure which is correct but to paraphrase George Orwell on men’s faces at 50, I believe that after 20 years on the job, every daily diarist has the column he deserves.

20. All things considered, it beats working.

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/19/it-beats-working-frank-mcnally-on-20-years-of-writing-a-column/ 

"Why I’m growing my journal ecosystem – and why you should too"

From theboar.org

By Daria Chiuian 

I'm sure by now social media has made the rounds on the concept of a ‘journal ecosystem’, but for those unfamiliar, it is essentially a collection of notebooks – each with different purposes – that come together to form a routine (or even a loose pattern). Some are extensive, with upwards of 10 notebooks, and some are very efficiently and cleanly separated, giving each notebook a clear role. Journaling is always recommended for organisation, or for a healthy mind and soul. In reality, it can help all these things and more, as long as you make it work for you. This is why I am invested in the idea of a journal ecosystem; you can create a rotation of journals with different purposes that fit your life and needs. So, without further ado, here’s my journal ecosystem. 

First is my day-a-page diary, which I re-purchase every year – this year in a deep red with gold-gilded edges. In this, I religiously plan every minute of my day (perhaps to an unhealthy degree), as well as including deadlines, events, and anything with a date attached to it. These sorts of diaries usually also have some pages for notes at the back – I include a reading log in here, but this could also be a great place for monthly summaries, finance trackers, or birthdays (because I know those are hard to remember). This one goes with me almost everywhere and is probably the one I rely on most – and recommend most. Without it, I would be lost. 

It’s easy to try and quickly give up on daily writing, but stick with it, even when you feel you are writing the same things every day – you will often find some unique thoughts come up and onto the page

Paired with this is another day-a-page notebook, used in this case for daily journaling (think along the lines of ‘Dear Diary…’). Sometimes this comes with journaling prompts found online, but generally, I like to recap every day. This way, the days don’t go by quite so quickly. As this is the most classic style of ‘journaling’, it’s likely the one that everyone has tried. It’s easy to try and quickly give up on daily writing, but stick with it, even when you feel you are writing the same things every day – you will often find some unique thoughts come up and onto the page. 

Next, an unassuming black notebook, thickened by almost five years of use. Although it has had many different purposes in the past, for now, one of the roles of this all-encompassing journal is a scrapbook, or a collection of receipts and other scraps of paper I collate throughout day-to-day life. More than anything, this is a fun way for me to reflect on events with low-stakes and a great-looking result. This is such an easy way to be creative, as all you need are the scraps, colour, and your thoughts. I especially like to do this after a holiday and pick a theme for the spread. Another role that this black notebook has picked up this year is a habit tracker: a simple table, with 30/31 days down the side, and the habits I want to keep up with along the top. Again, this is a low-stakes way of keeping grounded in life (and the set-up at the beginning of each month is also fun if you like a ruler and pen). This black notebook is also a catch-all for thoughts and feelings that are a bit too waffly for the daily journal. Look on your shelf: almost certainly, there is a discarded, mostly empty notebook lying there. Pick it up, find the first empty page, and let loose. 

I’d like to give a special mention to the humble sketchbook – perhaps this is not a journal, but a flick through it gives me snapshots of myself making those pages, which I think counts for something. This is a sign to embrace your creativity (everyone has creativity), pick up a pencil, and scribble until it looks like you (metaphorically, of course). 

If you can take that first step, and then repeat it the next day, and then the next, then journaling can become a habit

Finally, this one may be controversial, but I feel the need to include it because it is a staple: my ‘GCal’ (Google Calendar, for those unacquainted). Controversial because it’s not on paper, and I really laud the importance of pen to paper. However, I make an exception in this case, because my GCal houses all my events, timetables, deadlines, and tasks. I mean, it does a lot. Could I survive without it? Quite possibly, considering I also have paper versions of all of the above. Regardless, seeing my day laid out in digital format makes it seem just that extra bit more professional. Plus, customising the colours every month is fun, if you know how to have a good time. 

And of course, I am always looking for more. At the moment, I am considering a little A6 notebook to start a commonplace journal. This is essentially another miscellaneous notebook, but more pointed towards learning and inspiration. For example, learning a new word and writing down its definition, or finding a quote in a book and wanting to remember it in the future. Whilst I do have some worries that this may be relegated to the same fate as the black journal, I think I would be willing to give this a go. 

While this collection can seem pretty full on for someone who has never journaled before, or even really written things down very much, it’s important to stress that you do not have to create an ecosystem. Continuing the metaphor, this will grow organically as you find more things in your life that you want to record, organise, or reflect upon. The best starting point is to buy a notebook, crack it open at the end of the day, and write. It doesn’t have to be poetic or even complete sentences. If you can take that first step, and then repeat it the next day, and then the next, then journaling can become a habit. It can grow into something even bigger, helping you to grow with it. 

https://theboar.org/2026/03/why-im-growing-my-journal-ecosystem-and-why-you-should-too/

Dear Diary: Confessions Of 3 Journal Devotees

From thegloss.ie 

Be inspired to put pen to paper …

A diary is more than a practical way of organising your time; it’s a repository for bright ideas, names you don’t want to forget and plans yet to be realised – each page a record of a life well lived.

For Lucinda Chambers, the co-founder of Collagerie and former Fashion Director of British Vogue, the act of keeping a diary has long been part of her daily routine. She calls them, and her selection of notebooks, constant companions. “They’re very representative of my life,” she reflects. “They keep it safe, purposeful and beautiful. For me, above all, they keep it colourful.” She has always kept a Smythson Soho diary, choosing a different colour to mark each year. This year’s colour is Cerulean.

It’s also an extension of her love of writing. “I’ve always enjoyed the physicality of pen and paper. I love to draw, one of my best Christmas presents was a set of over 100 brush felt tip pens. And, I love to write – letters, postcards – to receive something in the post with interesting stamps and writing on the envelope is always a delight.”

“When I look back at some of my old diaries, I love to see the way my life has evolved and changed through the years. You don’t think it has in the moments of hectic life, but it has and it’s good to be reminded of that sometimes. I don’t travel as much, which I love; I have a routine now that I didn’t have before. I have time to put in rituals and new habits that certainly weren’t there in my previous life!”

THE GLOSS Beauty Editor Sarah Halliwell says, “I’ve always been dedicated to paper diaries, and remain loyal to two types – Moleskine and Smythson. Smythson are luxurious, with wafer-thin paper that’s a pleasure to write on, but they’re pricey – sometimes you can get hold of a reduced-price one a few months into the year, though it does mean your life is chaos for several weeks. I judge it on a “cost per use” basis. Since it’s something that you use every single day, it’s worth having a good one.”

“I used to write a more personal diary throughout school, filling it with gig tickets (not cool ones), lengthy ramblings and angst, and even a plaster (from the time I trapped my finger in a door when drunk on cheap wine at a party, and a boy I was mad about kissed it better). Noel Coward I’m certainly not. While these teenage diaries are excruciating to read back, somehow I can’t quite throw them out. A reminder of another lifetime.”

“One constant throughout my life has been writing things down,” says THE GLOSS Contributing Editor Penny McCormick. “As a stationery addict from a very young age, I’ve accrued numerous diaries and notebooks, now locked in a trunk in the attic. I particularly like an A5 sized diary – Paperblank, Papier and Aspinal are favourites – and for 20 years I swapped to using red notebooks from Carolina Herrera as both a diary and journal. I used to carry them with me at all times, though unlike Oscar Wilde they did not fulfil his brief of ‘something sensational to read on the train!’”

“I went through a phase of writing gratitude lists each night (when processing a particularly bad break-up) in tandem with a brief synopsis of my day or quotes from films. Flicking through recent diaries I’ve found tickets, photos, postcards and the odd receipt of significant items I’ve bought – clutter to some, these often spark happy memories of people and places. This year, I’m using a much smaller leopard print Smythson pocket diary that I refer to throughout the day as it keeps me organised. I’m also trying to get back to writing in the evening, so I keep a Montblanc notebook by my bed to jot down more detailed notes.”

https://thegloss.ie/dear-diary-confessions-of-3-journal-devotees/

The Would-Be Diarist

From theamericanconservative.com

By Peter Tonguette

I have reached the point in life in which most of the Christmas gifts I get are ones I have gotten for myself. Consequently, I approach the task with a certain unsentimental efficiency. The question is less what I want than what I need: a new sweater, a better overcoat, a smarter wristwatch. To acquire these items at Christmastime adds a certain jolliness to what would otherwise be practical purchases.

This Christmas, however, I took the liberty of giving myself a Christmas gift that was less a reflection of a nagging need than an expression of a wish for myself for the coming year: that, after a lifetime of trying, I could turn myself into a writer who maintains a daily diary.

Among the little stack of presents waiting for me after church services Wednesday morning was a “ledger book” from the leading journal and stationary maker, Levenger. Bound in cloth, the book holds 200 sturdy ruled pages whose vast blankness cry out to be filled with their owner’s thoughts—and their owner now is me.

From Flannery O’Connor to Dawn Powell, many of my favourite writers kept diaries, though few can claim greater steadfastness in the practice than Herman Wouk. The author of The Caine Mutiny, Youngblood Hawke, and The Winds of War had long been one of my favourite modern American novelists, but he jumped to the front of the pack when he revealed, in a memoir published when he was 100, that he had been maintaining a diary for most of those years. 

“Until recently I kept a frank private diary, which ran to more than a hundred bound volumes,” Wouk wrote in Sailor and Fiddler: Reflections of a 100-Year-Old Author. “It will remain private. Call it my nature, or a pose, or what you will, the adjective often attached to my name has been ‘reclusive.’ Now it must stand.”

I remember savouring those words: one hundred bound volumes. That Wouk could document his daily joys and woes with such constancy—and with no expectation that they would ever be made public—was an inspiration for someone who has been, his entire life, a reluctant and often failed diary-keeper. (I should note that Wouk’s assertion that the diaries will “remain” private is not entirely accurate: The author, who died in 2019 at age 103, gave his diaries to the Library of Congress, though, according to the Finding Aid to the Wouk collection, access to them is restricted until 2039.)

As for myself, I could never muster the candour to write for myself and myself alone, so my infrequent and entirely unsuccessful attempts at diary-keeping have consisted of self-conscious, self-important entries obviously meant to be read by some future reader—a frankly hilarious notion for a little-known writer of arts criticism and chronicler of the passing political scene. 

Later, the reasons for my reticence shifted. As a professional writer, I found myself constitutionally incapable of putting pen to paper without the promise of a paycheck. I even find it difficult to write a piece on “spec”—that is, without the go-ahead from an editor at a fine publication such as The American Conservative and thus without the assurance of remuneration—so the idea that I would take the time away from my paying work to write for myself was anathema. 

Apart from elementary school journals that were assigned and graded by the teacher (and thus not real journals at all), the first diary I tried to keep was a notable failure. It, too, began with a Christmas present: When I was 13, my parents gave me a beautiful leather-bound diary book. I endeavoured to fill it, but for months, I filled it with quotations by favourite authors. The diary became not a repository for my own thoughts but a collection of creeds by others. I took most of the quotes from Jill Krementz’s photography book The Writer’s Desk—itself a gift that same Christmas, which meant I was essentially transcribing the wisdom from one book I owned to another book I owned. I still remember some of the quotes I copied into my diary, including this one by novelist William Styron, speaking of the labours of his trade: “I get a fine warm feeling when I’m doing well, but that pleasure is pretty much negated by the pain of getting started each day. Let’s face it, writing is hell.” Indeed.

Yet some diary-keeping instinct stayed with me. About 25 years ago, I began keeping a record of every movie I saw in a movie theatre. I’m sorry to report that this diary is not an actual diary but a mere Word document that has survived multiple computer crashes and software upgrades, but it still constitutes something of a guide through my life in motion pictures. The first movie I noted having seen was Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line, which I saw at a local multiplex on January 16, 1999. I saw Ernst Lubitsch’s The Shop Around the Corner on December 6, 2003, Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur on June 15, 2005, and Leo McCarey’s The Awful Truth on July 22, 2009—you get the idea. The most recent movie I saw was Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 earlier this month. (December 2, to be exact.) Alas, even this ersatz diary was not even my idea: I began keeping the log after reading that the moviemaker Peter Bogdanovich (What’s Up, Doc?, Paper Moon) had accumulated a massive “card file” of every movie he saw as an adolescent and young man. Clearly I had a need to memorialize things, but how to memorialize my own life rather than the movies I saw or books I read?

My diary-keeping remained a notable failure until the last 12 months, when, after the death of my mother, I found myself jotting down thoughts, impressions, memories in whatever vessel happened to be near me at my desk: a daily calendar, a small notebook ostensibly used for story ideas. This habit convinced me that, maybe, I was finally ready to keep a diary for real.

If I can maintain the habit with anything like the faithfulness of Herman Wouk, I already know what I am giving myself next Christmas.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-would-be-diarist/ 

Forget those resolutions – take 15 minutes to look BACK and it'll change your life

From dailymail.co.uk/pressreader.com

NOT long to go now. Soon all the shopping will be done, the presents wrapped, the food prepared and then, if you’re lucky, you might have a few minutes to sit down and relax over the next few weeks. If so – and I very much hope that this is the case – why not spend a bit of time looking back and thinking about what you’re grateful for?

People tend to think the end of the year is about looking forward: New Year’s resolutions, change, a fresh start. Why look back? I’m often surprised how many people say: ‘I’ll be pleased when the year is over’ – as though it’s something you should turn your back on and not think about again.

Of course, some will have had a tough year. There will have been setbacks, upsets and maybe even tragedies. But for most, there will have been good things, too. Even if someone has had a very difficult time with a bereavement, say, there will be some positive, heart-warming or life-affirming moments too – perhaps the way friends rallied around or a partner supported you. If we only focus on the future, determined to look forward and put difficult experiences behind us, we risk missing these little gems.

In consigning the whole year to the waste bin of life as an annus horribilis we don’t get to see the glimmers of goodness that were probably also there.

THE strength of our memories tends to be closely related to the strength of the feelings attached to them, particularly in the case of negative emotions. This means we remember things that provoked strong reactions much more vividly than others. It’s very normal to find a few upsetting events dominating our memory of a year, while the lesser, but enjoyable things, fade or are forgotten.

This is why I always recommend keeping a journal. We often forget all the moments of fun and joy we had, despite everything else that might have happened. I’m not talking about a Bridget Jones-style diary with endless entries covering all your thoughts and worries. It’s actually enough to have an old fashioned datebook or calendar with a record of the things you did, where you went, people you saw. If you don’t have a physical diary, maybe you keep notes on your social engagements in your phone calendar? If so, I highly recommend that, in the time between Christmas and New Year, you spend a few hours just flicking through it, remembering everything you did.

You’ll be surprised how many fun, interesting and enjoyable things you’ve done over the year, and simply forgotten. The reality is, if we don’t reflect, we don’t get to be grateful. Finding the good things in the rubble of life often doesn’t come easily. Sometimes you have to force yourself to spot them – and to say thank you.

Psychologists call it ‘gratitude therapy’ and it helps you focus on the positives in your life. It comes out of a branch of psychotherapy called ‘positive psychology’ which has become increasingly popular in recent years.

It’s quite a shift from traditional psychotherapeutic approaches which tend to focus on the problems that someone has in their life. Positive psychology, in contrast, makes the focus of the work about exploring what is going right in someone’s life and thinking about the things they can be grateful for.

It is an important weapon in the arsenal to tackle life’s difficulties. Countless studies have shown a robust association between high levels of gratitude and long-term mental wellbeing.

It is thought to work on several levels. By focusing on the positive, we reduce toxic emotions such as anger, frustration, envy and regret.

Research has shown that saying ‘thank you’ to the people in your life helps solidify friendships and form new relationships, meaning people have better social networks. This in turn helps to stave off loneliness and improve mood. It also helps to improve empathy and decreases interpersonal conflict.

Showing gratitude for someone who made an impact (however small) in your life over the year doesn’t have to involve getting them a lavish present. Often something as simple as a phone call to wish them a Happy Christmas or a Christmas card with a thoughtful message written in it is all that’s needed.

It shows you thought about them, that you remember and appreciate them. We all know how good it feels to be on the receiving end of that.

AND it’s not just something you can do in the brief bit of downtime at the end of the year. Advocates of gratitude therapy recommend people make a conscious decision to set aside a block of time a day – say, 15 minutes – during which you reflect on the positive things in your life. The key is to really think about everything you are grateful for, which is why it’s recommended that you actually write it down, rather than just cycling through a list in your mind. The act of putting pen to paper provides a physical, tangible focus.

It’s also very helpful if you find yourself having an overwhelming negative emotion or thought. Pull out your list and remind yourself that not everything in life is bad – even if it might feel like that at times. I hope you find many things to feel grateful about this season.

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20241223/282127822086939 

People are saying this 6 Minute mindfulness Journal ‘changed their life’

From metro.co.uk 

Ok, we’ll cut to the chase: keeping a journal is hard work.

Committing 20 minutes a day to get down your thoughts can quickly start to feel like a slog, especially without prompt or if you spent the day (or plan on spending the day) in a blanket cocoon eating noodles.

So, if your 2024 New Year’s resolution was to be more present, more reflective and keep a journal, and if you’ve already fallen off the wagon with it, then we may have the solution for you.

We’ve found the ultimate helping hand when it comes to documenting your day, thoughts and ambitions in a way that is actually beneficial – and most importantly, easy to stick to.

Yes, this may be the best time of year for the 6-Minute Diary to cross our screens.

        Change your mindset (and maybe even your life!) with the 6-Minute Diary (Picture: Amazon)

According to the brand, the main goal of this diary is to help us achieve a happier and more fulfilled life.

Big claims for a little book, but with 5,400 five-star reviews and over 600 sold in the past month, it’s clear Amazon shoppers are loving it.

‘This has been a game changer for me,’ one five-star reviewer wrote. ‘Self-reflection is essential to self-improvement, and this has created a positive base for that.

‘Having used it for several months, I recommend it to everyone. The answers to your best self are internal, and this helps you reach there. What more do you want?’

The main aim of this popular book is to help you communicate with yourself through targeted self-reflection, help you find out what really makes you happy, and then build positive habits around them – such as gratitude, optimism, and daily self-love.

The brand reckons that instead of relying on motivation, you should rely on small, constant routines which should make you stronger over time.

Therefore, each page is split into two – a three-minute morning routine and your a minute evening routine, with five questions to help you reflect at the end of the week.

Each page is split into two – your three-minute morning routine and your three minute evening routine, with five questions to help you reflect at the end of the week (Picture: Amazon)

Your morning routine is all about setting yourself up for a great day as it asks you to reflect and write down three things that you’re grateful for on that day, a few lines on how you’re planning on making your day great, followed by a positive affirmation for the day.

The evening routine is focused on reflecting – asking you to write down a good deed, a plan for improvements and three great things you experienced.

By starting the day with motivation, thinking about your intentions, and finishing the day reflecting on the positives, you’re set to make each day that much better than the last.

The creators of this nifty little diary have transformed complex research results into a simple idea: that a small daily effort can make a large impact.

The result should be a calmer and more positive mindset, greater motivation and thus success rate, less stress and greater clarity.

Bliss.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/01/11/shoppers-say-this-6-minute-mindfulness-journal-changed-life-20094709/