"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/

100-Year-Old Woman Has Journalled Every Single Day for 90 of Those

From timesnownews.com

Nearly 33,000 entries later, she is still at it. Even childbirth or illness could not keep the centenarian from writing 

A 100-year-old American woman has journalled every day for 90 years. Evie Riski, of Lakota, North Dakota, started recording the daily events of her life on January 1, 1936, a week before her 11th birthday, and hasn’t missed a single day of journaling—she has nearly 33,000 entries to show for it.

Riski’s first diary was a gift from her father, who wanted her to record each day in writing, just like he did. Nine decades later, she has created an expansive time capsule of a lifetime of daily events in her hometown.

The centenarian, who was recently featured by The Washington Post, grew up in Niagara, about 20 minutes from where she lives today. According to her daughter, Michelle Locken, 59, she has seen the world change right before her eyes.

                                                       Riski's diaries chronicle major historical events, like the introduction of electricity

“We didn’t have a TV or a radio or a telephone, and I can tell you exactly when we got electricity—It was 1944,” Riski said.

For her diary, she has always used cursive, even in the post-digital world, where virtual letters have replaced much of what used to be the written word.

“Grandma’s were at our place. Clarence walked from Aunt Alma’s this morning,” reads an excerpt from her formative years.

It’s been seven years since she moved into a retirement home, but Riski’s still at it.

“We often realize too late that time passes quickly, but Evie has found a way to memorialise her life, page by page,” Anna Halvorson, the administrator at Prairie Rose Independent Living, said.

Even childbirth or illness could not keep her from writing. When Riski was admitted to the hospital, she would write on scrap paper. After coming home, she would transcribe her notes into her journal.

“There was really no excuse for me not to write in it,” she said.

Riski’s diaries are all stored in her cedar chest.

“Every night, when I finish writing, I always look back one year to see what I was doing the year before,” she said.

https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/100-year-old-woman-has-journalled-every-single-day-for-90-of-those-nearly-33000-entries-later-she-is-still-at-it-evie-riskis-diary-a-stunning-time-capsule-of-a-lifetime-of-events-article-118199526

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/

"I kept a diary of how I use my phone. The results were depressing."

From theguardian.com

By Rhik Samadder

In week 2 of Rhik Samadder’s detox, he hopes to change his behaviour by tracking it. Can he detach himself from his most intimate possession? 

        My favourite thing on my phone: the little dot that indicates I have new messages. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Is phone addiction a real thing? “It’s not a classical addiction, which typically involves a substance. It’s more of a compulsion.” I’m speaking to Mike Bishop, founder of Summerland Camps, a program of digital detox adventure trips for adolescents.

Bishop believes we will look back on our unregulated screen use the way we regard the indulgent treatment of smoking in the 1930s. He has seen the developmental implications of excessive phone use in young people, but some costs apply to adults too. As examples, he lists negative effects on self-regulation, time management and frustration tolerance (ever been enraged by a video that buffered for longer than five seconds?).

Most clinicians working in this field use cognitive behavioural therapy in their interventions; I think I can borrow some of these principles. The first step is keeping a diary of how I use my phone.

“Any major behavioural change program involves tracking,” explains Bishop. “You have to start writing it down, and develop awareness.”

Monday

Initial observation: my phone is my most intimate object, next to my body all day. It buzzes to get my attention and if a few minutes pass without interruption, I’ll check it anyway. I sleep beside it, reach for it before I’m fully awake. It’s also the last thing I see at night, an ersatz lover.

Here is how I use it: unlock it for a specific task, get distracted by a notification, rabbit hole for a few minutes, then put it down. Remember what I needed to do, pick it up. Get distracted. I presumably repeat this process until I am an old man under a thin blanket, dying of regret.

Tuesday

My favourite thing on my phone: the little dot that indicates I have new messages. It’s like Gatsby’s green light at the end of the dock, the dream of connection. I made a new group of friends last year, and we WhatsApp constantly. We share dating tales, idle thoughts, swap pictures of our hands to judge who’s more dehydrated. We wish each other goodnight like the Waltons. Of all the reasons I pick up my phone 800 times a day, this one gives me a lot of joy. If I do transform my phone behaviour, texting will be the bellwether.

Shopping is a problem: while watching TV, I’m also shopping like a crazy person. My online cart is filled with birdseed and calf rollers and cheese plants, and by the time the credits roll I’ve forgotten what I’ve bought. It’s often a nice surprise to open my door and find these items. Every day is Christmas. It’s a surprise to open my bank statements too.

The idea of being bored for even a few moments is intolerable. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Wednesday

I’m awestruck by the speed my fingers fly between apps. Opening, flicking up, switching, tapping through, circling back. It feels like my mind is made of mercury. It can be frantic too, as if I’m searching for something I lost.

A notification dot feels like being loved. Sometimes I think that more than the new content – a joke, a link, appreciative words from someone who cares – the dot is really what I want.

No notification dot is like no love. More than simple loneliness, I start to doubt whether I exist.

Thursday

When I think about what fascinates me about any kind of social media, I bear some personal responsibility too.

Say I’m watching a video. Not necessarily anything controversial or political; it might be a small otter indicating to a vet that it wants to be stroked. I’ll head straight to the comments, looking to see exactly how a fight breaks out. Not if, how. It’s always brutal. “This behaviour is unnatural, the animal is traumatised. Pls take this down” is typical. To which others will respond, “cry about it” or, “shut the F up babies are dying” or, “your wig is on backwards Karen.”

This culture war battleground makes me despair. But deep down, I’m thrilled by it. There’s something compelling about the inevitable bin fire of comments: how awful people are, how we can’t get along, and ruin nice things. I’m deeply troubled by this part of myself, which is in all of us.

Friday

I consult a group of friends about their phone use. Most admit to doomscrolling, checking their phone in the night, waking up tired. “I can’t read a book that doesn’t grab me in 45 seconds. But I find time to watch 45 chihuahua TikToks,” despairs Susan.

Not everyone is wringing their hands. “Phones can be a way of carving out time for yourself, if your day is otherwise scheduled by a boss, or kids,” remarks Kate. One introverted friend finds scrolling a mental reprieve from draining group interactions. It starts a debate around “phubbing” – ignoring people you’re with to spend time on a phone. “Why is it any more rude than reading a book?” asks Kate. “That’s snobbery. Get over yourself.”

Saturday

The urge to check my phone kicks in when I’m between activities, when I wait for the bus, when I’m going to sit on the toilet. I will put off going to the toilet until my stomach cramps, if I can’t find my phone. The idea of being bored for even a few moments is intolerable.

Sunday

This has been a sobering week. I have the very clear sense I’m not really a proper adult. I definitely look younger than my years, and don’t dress for them. But there’s something about the childishness of social media I find mortifying to observe. I spend so much of every day looking at silly videos, or running toward a colorful light.

People have written a lot about the gamification element of many apps, but I’m not sure that analysis goes far enough. This week has made me cripplingly aware that all day I reach for, and tap at, virtual rainbow baubles, like a baby in thrall to a mobile.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/08/phone-quitting-diary-week-two