Confessions of a Journal Hoarder

Hi, I’m Berrak, and I’m a journal addict. It’s been 89 days since my last journal purchase and seven days since my last pen purchase.

Like most people, I’ve always had every intention of using my journals on a daily basis. I mean, I’m a writer. I need to put pen to paper, to feel the words flow through my body onto the page. I’m a prolific documenter.

Of course, I can’t go one day without journaling.

Of course, I need to use my planners to keep track of the million projects I’m juggling.

There are some things technology can’t take away from me.

Except…well, we know better, don’t we?

By the time I make it off the computer at the end of the day, I’m so worn out, my hands barely work. My handwriting has gotten awful. I mean, most doctors have better handwriting than I do these days. But as I mentioned in the first post of the year, this is the year I’m going to change that.

Right?

Right.

I mean, I didn’t buy all of those lovely pens and markers just to have them lying around. (Let’s not bring my stationary and pen addiction to this session.)

So, how am I going to make this new habit stick?

Step one: Take inventory

It should come as a surprise to no one that I have a few blank journals laying around my office. What I was curious about were the guided journals I bought to jumpstart my inspiration and force myself to focus.

Here are the journals I purchased with every intention of writing in every day, and yet, there isn’t a single pen mark in them:

• Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal – I bought this when I first moved to Seattle because of new beginnings & all that. Well, four years later, I’m giving it another shot.
• 712 More Things to Write About – “I’m a writer. I need inspiration.”
• The 52 Lists Project: A Yearly Journal – I’m excited about this one.
• Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You: A Journal – This was a birthday present from my best friend. Needless to say, I didn’t take its advice. That changes now.

Step two: Set up a system

It’s not enough to just to want to be better about journaling. I needed to do something drastic to force myself to do this. Bad habits are hard to break and right now, my bad habit is losing myself in the computer, unable to break away and then completely becoming useless.

So, it was time to try something new. Enter: bullet journaling.

If you haven’t heard of bullet journaling, don’t worry. I didn’t know about it until a couple of months ago, and then I became obsessed. A little intimidated but mostly obsessed. You can learn more about bullet journaling here. I’ll be sharing my journey about it in the next week or so.

Step three: Hold yourself accountable

This is where blogging and social media comes in handy. I’ve always shared my life with you guys, and as I said before, it’s been missing from my life the past couple of years. What better way to hold me accountable than share my journey with you guys?

I won’t be blogging about these things daily, but I’ll be sharing regular updates on Instagram and Snapchat. Some of the writings in the journals may also end up on this site as blog posts.

Step four: Just do it

Are you a journal hoarder? Is there a habit you’re trying to form or break in the new year? Share your confessions in the comments, and let’s help each other take it one step at a time.

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Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. The products and service I recommend are ones I use personally.