There are so many uses for it, so many different ways you can go about it.
And, at the same time, so many ways to get overwhelmed.
Some people fear a blank page.
Some people worry about other people finding and/or reading what they've written.
Some people think their handwriting isn't good enough, or their days aren't worth capturing.
And then there's people like me, who love journaling, have all sorts of notebooks and pages and journals that we work in from time to time and spend a lot of time worrying about making sure that whatever vessel we choose is the right one.
Which is where I'm at right now.
How in the heck are you supposed to choose which notebook is going to be the right one?
I've not figured that out.
And so, I spent the better part of the beginning of last week on the subject. It was very overwhelming.
Do I use my ARC junior? It's a nice size, though I have to use heavier weighted paper in it for it to work nicely as I don't have any of their special paper in that size.
Do I use my Field Notes size traveler's notebook? Though the pages are small, filling up a notebook quickly is kind of a pleasure all in its own. I've got a few empty ones on hand, it'd be quick and easy to start.
Do I use a standard size traveler's notebook? Oh, but which one? And what insert? Do I use a Midori one, or print up some grid paper and make my own? Would it be worth sacrificing a Midori one for, in the case I don't fill it up for months and months (because of lack of use, as I'm used to doing)? Or is it worth going to the trouble to print grid paper, cut to size, and staple together a notebook for something that may not be used for more than a few days?
What about my full size ARC notebook? I haven't used that in ages, and I feel bad having it just sit around empty. I have tons of refill paper for it; though if I were to keep it close at hand, it does take up a lot of room.
After a few days of that off and on, I said "screw it, I can't take it any more." It was much too much to choose from.
So, I grabbed some loose-leaf lined paper from a binder and just wrote down what needed to get out of my head. And it felt so nice to just get all that stuff out, but also to have that "which is best?!" concern gone as well.
"Which is best?!?" is really a horrible question.
It serves no purpose other than to get nothing done and create extra worry and stress. There's no need for it, but I've yet to not find it along the way.
Growing up, I was able to write in whatever was handy, no concern of places or organization or anything. Spiral notebooks, actual journals, regular lined paper - if it was lined in any way and it wasn't specifically for a class at school, you can bet I filled it up.
There was no concern about anything, other than writing stuff down. It was great!
And it only became un-great when I found all these other and "better" ways to do it.
It got complicated. Needlessly so, I do believe.
Because, really, what difference does it make where I write down that I need to remember to take meat out of the freezer for dinner, or that I needed to grab recipes off Pinterest, or to remember to brush my teeth (because sometimes I forget), and to tell myself to take an evening mostly away from the computer.
It doesn't matter where all that goes, it just needs to get out of my head and onto paper.
So, for now, regular lined paper it shall be. Messy and scribbled and filled with whatever comes out my head onto the page.
I can't care any more about it being the perfect place for it. It's a waste of mental energy, and it's really quite a silly question anyway - especially considering that I've never actually had a problem using any of the systems I've used before, just a matter of wanting something better.
Better, really, should only mean out of your head and onto paper. Best is when you can find it again. Pretty sure that applies across the board.
What about you? Do you battle the where-do-I-put-this? Or do you have the greatest journaling system you could ever want?
~ Havok
P.S. I will admit, I'm dating everything and taking notes on things and being my normal self in that manner, but I'm also numbering the pages and creating an index as I go along (sort of like a bullet journal) - as being able to find what I wrote is important to me. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that plain lined paper does the job just darned fine.
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I think that there is no point in 'saving' good notebooks for something special but having them in your home, specially since there are always so many more to buy if you find that you need another one! I don't know many people who totally fill up any notebook, so you shouldn't ever feel guilty about blank pages in one. Besides, you might go back to it for something else later on! I think you should use the notebook you like the best and makes you happy when you look at it.
ReplyDeleteOh I agree about the not saving good notebooks. My problem is they are just the fancier version of a spiral notebook (but at 6 times the price and about 1/3 of the pages, ha!). They're decently easy to get ahold of, but just complicated enough to get (or have the money to spend on them) that they're worth not filling up one page a year ;)
DeleteAnd I agree about using which one you like best - I like them all best, though! I'm just a fan of writing on paper, it doesn't much matter what paper. But I do tend to want it to be exactly perfect for what I'm doing, which is an odd thing to want, ha!
Either way, I got it sorted and much less complicated than it had been and I'm enjoying it so far! Thank you so much for stopping by! :D