Journal, Diary and Planner Lovers!

[WheresMySquishy]

Hi everyone!

I tried the QR code idea and it worked out great. I generated a QR code with one of those free generators. Then I made a custom 'This Planner Belongs To' insert to fit my ringbound planner using a free design website and inserted the QR code into the page. I punched the page into my planner and I could scan the QR code from the page!
Some QR code generators use text that is embedded into the image, while others generate a webpage with your text. I'm not sure how secure the webpage ones are though.
I also made a DIY dashboard for my planner with a blank tab insert and stickers.

Another idea I have is to use washi tape to identify sections of a planner or diary if it doesn't come with tabs. You could wrap the tape around the edge of the page to find stuff easily.

[DruidChild]

What a cool thread @WheresMySquishy !!! 

@Bananatime04 @xXLexi_Lou122Xx how have you guys been going with bullet journalling? It looks so artistic and cool 

I’ve found that structured journalling isn’t for me, but I started freestyle journalling about 3 years ago and now I have lots of messy volumes full of ramblings and breakdowns and love letters and poems and little drawings and notes! My current journal is just a paper notebook I got from woolies and I wrote a quote I really like from a play called Angels in America on the front: “But still, still. Bless me anyway. I want more life. I can’t help myself, I do.” 

[WheresMySquishy]

That's so cool @DruidChild! Like you, I also have little volumes of journals I've filled over the years. It's so great to have a physical thing that you can look back on.
I've experimented with both structured journaling and freeform journaling. Sometimes, I prefer writing long paragraphs and sometimes, I prefer writing just a sentence a day on a certain topic. I've also used a lot of journaling apps.
Your current journal sounds awesome! What a nice quote!
I remember when I was younger, I used to write stories in cheap exercise books from Coles or Woolworths and decorate the covers with stickers. They weren't very durable and the paper quality wasn't great, but I loved writing in them every day.

[DruidChild]

@WheresMySquishy So cool! I love the flexibility of your approach, mixing it up depending how you feel! Also such a lovely story, I’m glad childhood you found a way that you loved to write out your thoughts/ideas/stories! 

Have you found any good journalling apps? I’ve yet to find one that’s not too glitchy for me 

[WheresMySquishy]

@DruidChild  Urgh! That's so frustrating that your apps have been glitchy! I've encountered that sometimes. So far, I've used these journaling apps:
tinythoughts (this one has prompts)
Writeaday (this one has prompts but you don't have to follow them)
Journal It! (I use this one on a daily basis but mostly for tasks, habit tracking, notes and categorising things. For example, you can use it to create a travel journal, a record of your activities, study notes etc.).
Grid Diary (this one has prompts that you can customise)
Journey (I've mostly used this one as a travel journal because it lets you see the places you've made entries at on a map).
Some calendar apps such as Jorte also have a diary feature.
I'd love to find some more though! I used to have a game on the DS as a kid that had a journal that you could decorate with stickers etc. It was great but it filled up quickly. The old Animal Crossing games also had a diary feature that you could write in. One day, we started the GameCube game up again and found entries that I had written years ago when I around 8 years old.

[TOM-RO]

This thread is awesome! 

@WheresMySquishy I've also found freestyle journalling a bit better for me too. I usually end up with a bit of a mess of a journal though  I haven't really been good at sticking to a schedule when it comes to journalling. 

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to be more consistent? 

[WheresMySquishy]

@TOM-RO  I also struggle with being consistent with journaling, especially if I have a lot of stuff going on. Sometimes, my journals just end up being rants because I would only write in them when I was in a bad mood. I've tried to do a self-isolation journal with specific prompts I've come up with to make something a bit more positive that I can look back on.
I try to schedule a specific time of the day to journal and set reminders on my phone. Some journaling apps have reminders built in. Another thing you could do is trying a different style of journaling, such as a five-minute journal, a sentence a day journal, a stream of consciousness journal or a microjournal (for example, describing the day in a few words or with your mood and the activities you did). Sometimes, I find it a bit easier to start with a prompt and then writing whatever comes to my mind afterwards.

[JullyBean]

I love how these are different ways to practise journalling. I think I feel hesitant to 'journal' because I've always thought of it as writing out thoughts like a diary but it can really be anything. I'm a big list maker and I think I want to incorporate some lists and affirmations like you've put in these examples into journalling. I have a gratitude journal I write in each night but I've also wanted to do some journalling in the morning so these ideas are great for that!

Thanks so much for sharing!

[Bananatime04]

Since my mum went through my diary and I stopped writing, I have just made a new secret alphabet. I replaced every letter with a symbol and each symbol has a meaning so it’s easy for me to remember. I just wrote my first short paragraph with them after practicing writing each letter like over 20 times. No one will know what I’m writing now

here’s the short paragraph: 

[xXLexi_Lou122Xx]

That’s awesome @Bananatime04!

Can you show me what the letters are equivalent to, so I can use them too?
I’m sorry that your mum went through your diary... I hate it when random people go through things, when you haven’t given permission to do so...