Day 5’s Refresh Your Fall Challenge is to journal for 20 minutes today! We want you to be able to get to the journaling part and enjoying your Sabbath Day, so we’re jumping in with 5 quick tips and our favorite journaling resources.
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Why journal?
We loved Appleseeds’ list of 100 Benefits of Journaling. I enjoyed Michael Hyatt’s article about his journaling experiences as well. And one more for good measure: this beautiful list of quotes from 9 LDS church leaders about the benefits of journaling.
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If you’re new to journaling, keep it simple.
Mariah, Tara, and I all struggle with regular journaling. My sisters had a great tip though to type quick notes into your phone! Even simple lines can jog your memory about an adorable thing your child said or a favorite experience that day. Our sister Makayla made a beautiful journal with a word or phrase from each day on her mission–she’d record that word on a standard monthly calendar. It’s a beautiful, inspiring keepsake.
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Make journaling a priority and a habit.
I know someone who blogs about her family’s week every Sunday and has for years. My husband Joey has kept some form of journal since I met him over eleven years ago! They both have a time planned for when they’ll journal, a chosen method (blog/computer/formal journal), and have made it an important part of their lives. So impressive!
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Journals don’t have to be just an empty notebook (though they can be!)
MaLee loved using this Q&A a Day journal. It kept things short with a few lines a day and helped her develop a journaling habit. Plus the questions are fun! I didn’t successfully fill out this 5-year Happiness Project Journal (did I mention I struggle with journaling? One sentence a day, and I still didn’t do it!!) But what I did write in it a few years ago is so fun and helpful to read through today! I’m going to try again after writing this post. 🙂
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Think outside the “journal” box completely! Try blogging, scrapbooking, planner memory keeping, vlogging, writing letters, and more!
We think traditional journaling is beautiful and important. But don’t be afraid to branch out and try additional methods. I wrote a weekly letter including pictures to Makayla on her mission that shared about our family’s week. I’m going to try to start doing the same for our grandparents and our dad during his military deployment. I also love using Project Life (this is one of my favorite core editions) as I’m working on my personal history and might add in some fun weekly projects with my children.
We hope your journaling blesses your day!
-Maegan
Do you keep a journal? We’d love to hear about your experiences! And if you’re new to journaling or want to develop better journaling habits, join the sisters as we work on it too!
Check out the main Refresh Your Fall Challenge page to see the other tasks and links for this challenge.
I don’t currently journal, but now have the motivation to do so. I think it would be great to do, especially with a stressful job. I also want to start documenting all of my baby’s milestones and fun stories, so we’ll be able to look back on it when she’s older!
I haven’t been great at recording milestones for my children, but the stories, pictures, etc. I have saved are so precious to me! I think you’ll find it worth the time and hope you find a system that works great for you! -Maegan
I used to journal and I really enjoyed it. After reading your post I’ve decided that I might need to get back into it.
I like to journal and I need to make it a bigger part of my daily routine. It helps me do a ind of a brain dump from the day.