Hi everyone!
Welcome back! I hope everyone is doing well and excited to soon launch into the fall season. I’m excited to be sharing with you all some of my favorite ways to journal everyday. From daily devotionals to weekly writing prompts, these types of things are my favorite!
Writing about your day, thoughts, ideas, and stories all in one heap can be quite overwhelming. Often times, I find myself exhausted after a long day, and I glance over at my journals, reluctant to pick up my hand and write once again. Instead of jotting down a lot, I tend to do just a few words and/or sentences each day; however, in the morning before I start my day, I tend to write a whole bunch!
100 Days to Brave
By Annie F. Downs
This book does exactly what the title reads; throughout the course of 100 days, you will be answering just a few questions after reading a short reflection that will stimulate your thinking towards achieving bravery. I picked up this book at Target this January and finished it around March/April.
The author explains what it means to be brave. She details her life story into compartments of moments of weakness and bravery, lost and discovery, and disappointment and hopefulness, among many other things. For each daily devotional, she also includes a quote from the Bible. You do not have to be a Christian to complete or understand this book. The author includes these scriptures as a framework, or rather a quote, that summarizes the essential point of the devotional.
When I finished it, I was very bummed out that it was over. I want to now pass on this book to someone else who might like it! Consider handing over some books like these to friends who may find it interesting and helpful.
Q&A A Day
For every single day of the year, there is a small question to answer. This is perhaps the simplest way of keeping a daily journal. Some questions are yes/no answers, while others ask you to write down what your latest meal was, or how often you cried in the past week. This Q&A A Day journal lasts for five years. I’m currently on year three, and it’s amusing to see the changes and similarities in my answers.
Weekly Prayer Project
If you are seeking a greater connection with God, Christianity, or with the Bible, check out the Weekly Prayer Project, a weekly journal that only requires no more than ten or twenty minutes of your time each week. Each entry begins with a quote from scripture and has a theme of the the week to focus on, on which you will read and write about.
This prayer project is intended to last an entire year, with themes ranging from sorrow to happiness, to requests and prayer intentions. I have loved my experience with it, and it has forced me to see different parts of the Bible that I would have often overlooked. Consider giving this journal a shot!
Delight Ministries
For college-aged women: This ministry is incredible! Consider finding a chapter near you, as well. You can check online here. This group has different volumes of books that cater to women in college. Their books have daily devotionals that have small reflections, stories, and questions to answer from college women. I highly recommend!
Tips for Daily Success
It’s easy to forget a goal you have in mind when a bazillion other things are going on. Here are some ways to stay on top of your journaling and continue heading towards success. If you forget, don’t be so hard on yourself. Often times, for journals such as Q&A A Day, I will answer questions for the past week that I missed.
- Put the journals next to your bed or on your desk. Place them somewhere that you have easy access to. Putting them in a drawer you barely ever open or in a place that’s always so difficult to access won’t let you have a good time responding to these journals.
- Set a reminder. Easier said than done. Put a reminder on your agenda, on your phone, or maybe on a white board.
- Designate a time to do them. For me, I journal in the morning and at night. Once when I wake up, and another when I fall asleep. I will often journal during the day, too, but these are the two times when I especially make time for myself to write. Perhaps on your lunch break, journaling works. Maybe while you wait for the bus or are on the metro.
- Time your practice. If you are worried about spending too much time journaling, set a timer. I do this for so many things, including my study time and my blogging. Take out your phone and set a five, ten, fifteen minute timer to your liking. When time’s up, you can finish your thought, close the notebook, and get going.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Journaling is one of my most cherished things to do. From gaging the content on this blog, I have no doubt you will find this true. Feel free to leave me any comments or recommendations on new daily journals. I keep adding more to my collection, and I always seem to make more time for them. Of course, some other important things get cut, haha!
Keep on keeping on! You got this.
With love,
Victoria
Quote of the Post:
“Don’t let the noise of other people’s opinions drown your inner voice.” – Steve Jobs