Journals and Papers

I’ve been noticing recently that retired seniors are coming up with activities they can do, which are meaningful, creative and a lot of fun. Some of these activities are off-chutes of others, such as scrap booking and taking journal writing to a new level.

I’ve met one lady who wanted to take photos of me at my home-based business office. We both live in a rural area, and “just for fun – and something to do”, she was taking pictures of local businesses, printing them, adding business cards and brochures, and notes about the business and compiling it all into a scrap book page. One thing to note here is that in the country, not all businesses of the norm. Some are quite different and encompass anything from ranching to knife carving to taxidermy. Once her project is finished, she’ll have a memory book full of interesting businesses and people she met along the way. (In the future, it can always be donated to the local library.)

Not knowing what to do with his time when my Father-in-Law retired, he decided to continue his computer work, but made a shift from business to personal writing. His days are always busy and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all he does. So everyday at night or during the day he writes a few paragraphs about his activities and people he was with. He adds such things as ticket stubs, cards, receipts and photos. He’s not even six months into his daily journal and he has already filled up a 3 inch binder full of writing and collectibles from his activities. He loves doing this, as it is an activity that again lets him interact with others, not to mention his children love it too. Now we get to know what keeps him so busy!

I am sure there are many other ideas on how seniors are keeping journals. Please comment on them and share your ideas here on this blog.

Hope is something we conjure up in deep times of sadness and grief. Hope comes from within, an awakening, a desire, something to believe in. Hope moves us forward, gives us a sense of purpose. Hope is anticipation of a better time to come.

When we journal, we sometimes journal for hope, especially if we are going through a rough time. We journal to write words we believe in, words to give us comfort. A journal becomes a cane in times of hardship. We can lean on it; use it for support and strength.

If you have cancer, or know of someone who is suffering from the disease, or are survivors, the Hope Every Day Journal by Compendium is a delightful gift for the journal writer. It features uplifting, meaningful quotes on every two-page spread that give hope and inspiration.

With every cancer battle, there also come many success stories. Explain first steps taken, fears that are faced and conquered, healthcare workers who have helped. Write about friends and family who have stayed with you and provided support. This small gem of a journal is a wonderful tool for wellness and to track a powerful journey of hope.

One thing I have wondered is: when sticking to a lined journal, am I limiting my creativity? I am a writer and have very little artist flair inside of me, so I prefer a lined journal. I write - period. I only doodle when I am on the phone. I very seldom draw, add to or trace anything into a journal, unless I am specifically doing scrapbooking.

Should I expand my journal experience and buy an unlined or blank journal? Would I feel compelled to doodle or draw in it? I know if I write poetry I might feel more inclined to add a flower or something to the page. If you are like me and are looking for more creativity with your journal writing experiences, and want to expand your entries, try adding some visual effects and details. Artwork added to journal pages help to define your story in more detail.

With a blank journal, you can add photographs, sketches, make a collage or do calligraphy. What about using color? Perhaps describing a vibrant sunset with splashes of reds and oranges across the page. An angry entry might be embedded within a dark shadowy cloud. There are many different types of colored pens, and acid free archival pens that could be used to color words, sentences or drawing on a blank journal page. Play around with calligraphy and different writing styles.

If your inner artist wants to come out, by all means, draw, paint or sketch around a paragraph. Use inner imagery to show your feelings. Test your journal page first to make sure that the medium you use won’t destroy pages below it. You can protect the rest of your journal by inserting a piece of waxed paper with a blank sheet of paper on it and place it underneath the page you are working on.

I’ve seen some journals, where people use ribbon to create an attractive border. There are many scrapbooking tools that are available, such as stamps, decals and specialty paper for cutouts. If you are describing a favorite walk, what about picking up a special leaf or small flat-sized pebble to attach to the page.

Journal creativity doesn’t have to exist with just words. Try embellishing your journal today. I am always envious of playschool children. They never seem constrained to the page they are working on. Color and words flow, things get added to the page, and they do it with such flare. Don’t be afraid to release the inner child and expand your journal entries.

You may not find a journal or work planner for every need. For example, if you are looking for a food diary or food journal, it may not be in the format you require.The same goes for a yearly planner. When I go planner shopping, I always come home empty handed because all the planners are the same! Hourly by day, by week, or by month. Keeping track of my work tasks and needs are different and to that end, I would like to share an article with you on how to turn a journal into a Weekly Work To-Do Journal/Planner Template. Whew that’s a mouthful.

Within this article, is a template that you can incorporate into any journal, lined or unlined. It explains how to use the template and provides some detail on how to keep a weekly work to-do list within a favorite journal. Download this article: Weekly Work To-Do Journal/Planner Templatefor more information.

My dad loves to write anything under the sun.  He can go on the whole day just writing about anything that comes to mind, he finds a sense of fulfillment knowing that he didn’t miss any thoughts he had in mind and kept it in a journal.

That is why I was thrilled to find a nice assortment of fine leather journals at this online store. Since father’s day is just around the corner, I couldn’t think of a better gift than this to give to my dad who has a great passion for writing.

These days, I’m finding that it’s extremely helpful to keep track of my thoughts and goals in a journal.  It harkens back to my days as a young adult and while it may come off as juvenile, keeping a personal journal allows me to maintain my day-to-day life with great ease.

Eventually I came across the Achieve Every Day Journal, a simple, yet beautifully bound notebook.  I seldom have found hardcover journals that I like, either due to poor stitching or ugly cover designs, but Achieve has such an understated look that I’m not ashamed of taking my book out in public with me. 

Many people keep multiple journals. If you’ve never considered this aspect of journaling, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. When would you want to write in multiple journals? Is it really necessary?

A daily journal is generally free form, a capture of thoughts as they occur every day. Random thoughts written in free form text style can be anything about your experiences today, to aspects that you wish to hone in on regarding your feelings.

Keeping another journal in addition to your daily journal might be to acknowledge a specific theme about a particular subject or hobby. It could reflect an extension of your personal interests and can be used as needed.

Examples of themed journals might be:

• travel journal,
• photography journal,
• sketching journal,
• hiking or physical activity journal,
• gardening journal,
• fishing journal,
• spiritual journal,
• gratitude journal,
• weight loss journal,
• … and the list is endless depending on your interests.

You can use your themed journal to compliment the practice of daily journaling, and to enhance the hobbies you enjoy. Keeping multiple journals can be likened to having many friends. Some friends you wouldn’t hesitate to ask to join you in certain activities, others, you wouldn’t dream of asking them. Selecting a specific journal is like talking to a friend who shares that particular interest with you.

Multiple journals each provide a specific focus. When you sit down to write, you already know the direction of your thoughts depending on the subject of the journal. You have narrowed down your topic, and may find it easier to write.

If you want a change of pace from continually writing in a daily journal, consider expanding your thoughts with multiple journals. It’s similar to visiting a different place, being in a different space and time.
This web log’s motto is… “One can never have too many journals!”

Paraphrasing the Oxford Dictionary, the meaning of a journal is to keep a book, where the writer records his/her daily experiences, thereby creating a permanent account, kept for information.

Delving into this meaning, the book can be anything from:

• loose leaf sheets of paper or fine writing paper, which are inserted into a refillable journal;
• spiral notebooks;
• hardcover journals;
• leather bound journals;
• notebook journals;
• to a sketchbook.

The book could be lined, blank, made for art medium or pen and pencil.

A writer who keeps a journal is anyone who wishes to write their thoughts on paper. The record could be of daily thoughts and actions – similar to keeping a diary, “Today I had the time of my life when…”. It might be a recording of in-depth ideas on a particular subject, or emotional thoughts that need to be released therapeutically without an audience. The record could be something as simple as writing down favorite quotes.

A journal is a permanent account, but only when the author chooses to make it so. Some people who keep journals have volumes and volumes, created and collected over years of writing, stored in home libraries. Others have small notebooks strewn about, kept close at hand for writing urgent thoughts, tossed when full and no longer needed. Some journals never see the light of day, hidden carefully away each night, the owner hoping it remains private.

Is a journal kept for informational purposes? In some cases yes, when the writer wishes to remember ideas and thoughts and share them with family and friends, or one day have them published. In other cases - no - the thoughts of the writer must find their way to paper as a release only, temporary; a writing never to be viewed again.