Project: Journaling - One by One

[Janet]

In listening to all of you in the other thread about where you are in your scrapping (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38428) (keep chiming in there - I'm finding LOTS of inspiration for projects that hopefully you'll find helpful), and with our upcoming vacation, it got me thinking about how to break down the task of journaling to make it work when life is busy, when it seems to fly so fast that you can't hardly recall the blur of the day, let alone yesterday.

It's hard to start journaling if you've never really done it before - don't worry, this is EASY - and there's NO grading! LOL!

For those of us who LOVE to write, journaling too much can be the problem. I need to just jot a sentence or two to remind me of the moment, but instead of doing that, I don't write anything, thinking I'll get to it later.

So - whether you're like me and can fill reams of paper, or if you have trouble even getting a title out, this challenge is for you. :)

Start this now or in June - but we'll mainly focus on recording June. It will also work NICELY with the 365 Stuff (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=831) - though you only need to do 30.

ONE BY ONE THROUGH JUNE
One sentence at a time. One photo (or photo subject) at a time.

All you have to do is take the ONE STEP. That's it. Just do it each day.

Get yourself a *SMALL* notebook - something that fits in your purse or pocket easily. It can be a leather bound one, or a spiral one. Something 'formal' or completely informal. (Spiral ones can have the pages ripped out to staple to a page, or glue to the back - voila! Hybrid! :rofl:)

Keep it with you. Oh, and something to write with. :rolleyes:

When you have a spare moment, write down what you're doing, or what you did earlier. It can be and probably should be the mundane stuff. For example, I could write in mine right now, "Paid the bills - and even with the recent cost of the root canal, we still have enough to make for a nice vacation. YAY!"

If you forget it - don't worry - don't fret - just jot some notes before you go to bed. If you miss a day, there's always another one coming up. :) THIS IS PRACTICE to see if you like it and it'll work for you. All you need to commit to is 30 days - just June.


That's it! You can capture the Darndest Things Kids Say (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38430) in there - or even just make a note of the cost of gasoline and how much it cost you to fill up. Staple a grocery receipt in there. Whatever seems to work. Add in the time of day if you're inclined to do that, or don't. Is there a photo that goes with your sentence? Take it if you can - or not - some photos you can take anytime (like I can take a macro photo of my checkbook or the way I keep track of our bills).

Just in June - we can do this. 30 days, though, can get us in to the habit of it. So if you want to learn to journal more (or less in my case), this should help get us all taking it ONE by ONE.

Post any layouts in the thread here - and of course, it's open for your thoughts on this. :)

[stitchmich]

Great idea, Janet!! I love it. I guess if I can take one picture a day and can write one sentence a day too :D

[jemtred]

Oh gosh, gulp surely I can do this!

[Janet]

I've started mine. :) Actually finding it hard to keep it short! LOL - so I'm thinking of this as tweets to myself.

[debilou]

Oh, I wish I had kept my movie ticket ...

We went to the movies today.. had a date...

I have the perfect journal...

[Janet]

WOW - I'm amazed at how just jotting ONE sentence (or two) at a time is giving a clear picture of what's happening in our family. It's helping me to see pages to scrap and what photos would work with the stories to tell.

Anyone else started? :)

[stitchmich]

I did a couple of days, but I need to get better organized and get a journal just for this. This works so well with P365.

[Janet]

Hmmmm - maybe this needs to be moved over to the P365 forum...I'm using it pretty much the same way - to keep up with today and to journal enough to remind myself of how each day progresses.

[Janet]

Moved! :)

[Donut]

Im so glad I found this! Great idea Janet, I'm definitely going to do this, and stick to it through June...hmmm, if I start now I'll get in a couple of days practice so that hopefully I wont forget to do everyday in June!! I've been trying to take a photo a day, (but we wont talk about that, and how many days are missing! ;)) I think doing this as well will help me not only remember but keep up with the photo a day too!

[Janet]

Glad to have you join in. :)

I haven't written in mine since this morning - so need to think back on the day and write at least one more sentence (I was buried in work today, so it's not terribly exciting stuff).

What did you do today? Any little moments stand out?

[Janet]

Done - 3 minutes! - and even chatted a bit with DH about a few things I needed to fill him in on. :)

[Donut]

I've done mine for today! :)
Bought a GPS on Trade Me, chatted to my sister on Skype with our webcams for the first time, took my daughter for her contact lens fitting appointment and went to work!
Quite a few happenings, and things that I'd forget in a few weeks if I hadnt written them down.

[sanra]

I am going to try. I use to write a lot for my web site and the online support group but recently, can't seem to get anything down on paper. Will try some each day. :)

[shazzt]

I had a notebook with me today while at my son's soccer practice and ended up writing the journalling for four pages from my recent trip up North. Even more shocking, I actually came home and made a page. Not fancy but done - yay!! It feels good :)

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/data/500/thumbs/huntertwasser.jpg (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=319082&ppuser=1660)
Hundertwasser (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=319082&ppuser=1660)

Having the journalling pre-written made the page feel half finished before I even started it!

[Janet]

Keeping two journals jump started both of them - the long version one where I write to my heart's content and the small one that's "Just the Facts, M'am" - and I'm finding myself looking to the Just the Facts one for what to lengthen for the long version one. In other words, this really works well for me. :yahoo:

[stitchmich]

Keeping two journals jump started both of them - the long version one where I write to my heart's content and the small one that's "Just the Facts, M'am" - and I'm finding myself looking to the Just the Facts one for what to lengthen for the long version one. In other words, this really works well for me. :yahoo:

Very good idea, Janet. :tup:

[Janet]

Just a gentle reminder - jot a sentence or two about what you did today. :) We always think we'll remember, but if we don't have something to remind us, it's often just gone...*POOF* (or at least that's how my memory goes).

[Donut]

Just a gentle reminder - jot a sentence or two about what you did today. :) We always think we'll remember, but if we don't have something to remind us, it's often just gone...*POOF* (or at least that's how my memory goes).

Thank you Janet!
You are right, I thought about this when I woke up this morning, but then it had gone, POOF! I'll go and do mine now before I forget again!

[Lauri]

This sounds like a great project for me. I'm the opposite of you Janet, I don't do a lot of journalling on my pages at all, so I'm going to use this to make myself find the important things and then journal them!! It is great to link this to the 365 project as well! I've been doing PAD for quite a while, I just need to journal about why those photos are the ones I picked to represent my day.

[jemtred]

I managed to put some journaling on a LO today!!! I am considering going back to my old "arty" LOs (see that other where are you in your scrapping thread) and doing a 2nd page with some more candid photos and some journaling but using the same kits etc. This would turn my single page ointo a 2-pager but would be more suitable for the album I want to create for my kids. This post would also be more suitable for that thread!!!

[shazzt]

That is a good reminder Lauri. Many of us doing the 365 day project write a short description of our photo - it would be great to use for journalling too :)

[shazzt]

Being the lazy type, I like it when other people do my journalling for me. In this case, I took a photo of a thank you letter my son gave me for helping out at school camp. Great way to preserve his handwriting too :)

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/data/500/thumbs/snellcamp.jpg (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=319598&ppuser=1660)
Year Five Camp (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=319598&ppuser=1660)

[sanra]

Being the lazy type, I like it when other people do my journalling for me. In this case, I took a photo of a thank you letter my son gave me for helping out at school camp. Great way to preserve his handwriting too :)

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/data/500/thumbs/snellcamp.jpg (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=319598&ppuser=1660)
Year Five Camp (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=319598&ppuser=1660)

Sharon what a great way to use your sons thank you note.

Janet, thanks for the little nudge to do more journaling. I am writing something each day and even adding a little more to my layouts.

[uk_jw]

i've always ben a bit afraid of journalling so trying to write a little about the day on my 365 layouts feels like its helping find my voice for this sort of writitng - also helps cover up the odd missing day!

Jo

[shazzt]

Remember that you don't need to write huge amounts of journalling. You don't even have to write complete sentences! Ever since I started digi scrapping, I have done a year in review album with one page per month. The journalling on each page is simply a bullet point list of things that happened that month. Easy yet great to look back on (it is surprising how quickly you forget things!)

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/data/500/thumbs/yirdecl08.jpg (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=298439&ppuser=1660)
December 2008 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=298439&ppuser=1660)

So never feel bad if you don't have a lot to say - the important thing is to say something!! :)

[moog25]

I haven't done daily journaling since I kept a dream journal way back in the 70's but I saw this and decided to try it. I sat down to write a sentence or two and ended up writing an entire page,and it took all of a few minutes. I think I can definitely do this, as long as I can remember(now there's the drawback!).

[Janet]

So glad to see all of you willing to write a sentence or two now and again! :) I've been down and out with a rather nasty headcold - and a lightning strike that took out our router (blogged that one that'll eventually become a scrapbook page (http://snowmoon.us/blog/?p=958) ).

Still jotting sentences here and there, though. :)

[shazzt]

So it was YOU who gave me this cold Janet!!! Who knew real viruses could travel down the phone lines :)

[Janet]

Sorry, Sharon! LOL! I ended up giving it to DH as well.

[stitchmich]

Remember that you don't need to write huge amounts of journalling. You don't even have to write complete sentences! Ever since I started digi scrapping, I have done a year in review album with one page per month. The journalling on each page is simply a bullet point list of things that happened that month. Easy yet great to look back on (it is surprising how quickly you forget things!)

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/data/500/thumbs/yirdecl08.jpg (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=298439&ppuser=1660)
December 2008 (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/../gallery/showphoto.php?photo=298439&ppuser=1660)

So never feel bad if you don't have a lot to say - the important thing is to say something!! :)


Sharon, I love this set of pages you did. The grid of photos and bullet point notes are terrific and the continuity of all the pages is great. I bet it's a gorgeous album. I've had trouble doing a year in review before because I usually get to a month where I have little or no photos. I'm looking forward to being able to do that now that I have P365 underway and jotting down the journaling. Should come together in a snap. (right?)

So glad to see all of you willing to write a sentence or two now and again! :) I've been down and out with a rather nasty headcold - and a lightning strike that took out our router (blogged that one that'll eventually become a scrapbook page (http://snowmoon.us/blog/?p=958) ).

Still jotting sentences here and there, though. :)

Sorry to hear you both are sick. Hope you're feeling better soon.

[Donut]

I'm managing to keep at this, I've journed a few lines for everday so far. My trouble is keeping it brief, looking back over the past 8 days since I started this my 'jottings' get longer everyday! lol! It is a busy time round here right now though, my sister is visiting from UK so we are out and about getting up to all sorts which makes it hard to keep the journaling to a few short sentances, but I'm not stressing about that, I'm SO glad I'm doing this, it will be great to look back on, and also for any pages of her stay that I manage to do eventually!
I am always in awe of Sharons year in review layouts, they look so good and sum everything up so well. Once again, I tell myself I WILL finish mine this year! lol!

[Janet]

Good for you, Donut! :) It really doesn't matter how you make it work for you, just make it work for you. :D

Thanks, Michelle - both of us are feeling better which is a good thing as we're strarting our vacation! Just waiting for the housesitter right now, and for DH to finish his day at work.

[Janet]

Gentle reminder - keep taking notes on what you do each day. Just a sentence or two if nothing else. :)

I'm on vacation right now (watching it snow...sigh) and those notes really seem to help me keep track of what's happened when.

[mom2triplets04]

I've managed to keep this up since I started Project 365 on Jan 1. Each night I upload my photo for the day and write about that day on facebook. I usually write long stories and when it's time to do my actual pages I make a shorter version of what I wrote or take the entire thing. It's great with catching up on my weekly layouts since I have fallen behind a month or so.

[Donut]

I've just been away for a few days, and kept up my nightly journaling, it's going to be invaluable when I come to sorting out my 1000+ photos and making layouts of our trip! Thanks again Janet, I'm so glad I started it!

[Janet]

I'm finding the same - taking the short and sweet notes through the day really helps to keep track of the vacation!

Fun detail from yesterday - the most amazing Random Act of Kindness done for me:
I ended up in a bathroom stall with no TP - but I was warned by others there, so grabbed some from the other stall. Thinking that was nice of them to tell me - but then, one of them went and FOUND someone who could GET ANOTHER ROLL and then BROUGHT the roll to me! WOW! Thanks to the gal at the lower Store at Old Faithful for being so amazingly kind. What a loving act to offer to a stranger!

[sanra]

Oh my goodness.... I was just taking a drink of coffee when I read this. It was a very very lovely gesture but I just about choaked on my coffee I was laughing so hard. Loved the journaling. :rofl::rofl:

[Janet]

Today I'm tired after a good walk through some of the lesser visited thermal features in the Upper Geyser Basin - should write more, but the photos will remind me of this trip. So today's sentence:

We hiked to Daisy from Biscuit Basin, then out to Black Sand Spring/Basin and then down to Morning Glory and out along the other side of the River to the car.

[Janet]

Gentle reminder - jot down a sentence or two about what you're doing today! :)

This is a challenge you can jump in on at any time. If you've missed a few days, don't sweat it, just do today. :tup:

[sanra]

Thanks for the reminder. I have been writing a little something each day. Yesterday it was watching the bluejays and robins chase each other over the cherries in the cherry tree....

[Donut]

I've been remembering, (amazingly!) for yesterday I have -
"Mon 15th - Up at 6.15! Ferry to city with S, sunrise from the boat! Went to great book shop - lots of graphic design and architecture books - kept us both happy! Art gallery, met Bex, Victoria Pk market, shopping, Rain on and off. Bed early as kept falling asleep on sofa! "

[Janet]

I'm SOOOOO glad I'm keeping this journal on our vacation - the photos have helped in the past with figuring what we did when, but this covers so much more. I'm writing about 4-5 sentences a day.

Love hearing your sentences - the everyday stuff seems to be where all those memories tuck themselves away.

[Lauri]

Thanks for the gentle reminders!! I've managed to scrawl a few notes everyday - sheesh, we are busier than I thought!

[Janet]

It is amazing, isn't it? We all do more than we realize - and of course, the summer always seems to fly by!

Keep at it! :)

Here's an entry from yesterday:
The morning clouds and drizzle burned off to a gorgeous afternoon - we all ended up touring the lake in the bass boat. Simply delightful!

[Janet]

Gentle Reminder: Keep your notebook handy today and jot down a bit about all the amazing and yet ordinary things you do today. :)

[Donut]

Thanks Janet! I've just got up to date, I had missed a couple of days this past week!!

[lmilgram]

we've taken some ideas from this task...

for my daughter's last day of school I bought her a journal so she can remember all the things she did this summer and keep practicing her letters (she's only 4).

Each day she draws a little picture and I help her spell a description - one letter at a time. She's enjoying this a lot, though you need to remember the context of each page to translate.

[Janet]

What a treasure for her - the summer when she was 4 - and such a great way to instill writing for her! Love it! :D

[Janet]

Gentle Reminder - jot down a note or two about what you're doing right now. :)

Here's mine:
Decided to do a 15 minute morning - switch tasks every 15-20 minutes. Happily checking tasks off the To Do list.

[Lauri]

Thanks for the reminder Janet! I've been pretty good at keeping up on my notes for the day. I've found having a set time every day to sit and write up what happened during the day makes it much easier for me to stay current - I write a bit while I'm editing and uploading my PAD!!

[Marriedin79]

Decided to do a 15 minute morning - switch tasks every 15-20 minutes. Happily checking tasks off the To Do list.

What a great idea: 15 minute morning! Anyone can do anything (even something not fun) for 15 minutes! Setting a timer and actually stopping at the bell ... and then going off to do something else for another 15 minutes. I'll have to do that! Especially since I hate cleaning the kitchen, but I can tolerate it for 15 minute increments.

[Janet]

Hehehe - I do 15 min mornings or afternoons whenever I start to feel overwhelmed by my to-do list. :)

[Janet]

Extra challenge to this - Each Sunday, take a look back at your week. Pick one or two items that would work as a scrapbook page.

Take your short notes - the one or two sentences - and expand them out. Add details to help record that small story that helps to make up your life. Check to see if you've got photos to accompany that tidbit of a story - if not, can you take something now to work for it?

When you'r'e ready, scrap it. :)

(shhh...don't tell anyone that I'm doing this to have a variety pack ready for the speed scraps on Tuesdays (http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=852)).

[Tara]

Hey all you journalers. Make sure you check out the newest DSU class about Storytelling taught by...yours truly! :)

http://store.digitalscrapbookplace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=10752

[Donut]

Great idea Janet! I have already found my daily notes invaluable when scrapping events over the past month!

Tara that class sounds awesome!!