Just a pen and a piece of paper.
But many of us love to search out that perfect journaling notebook. My current favorites have lux-leather covers with embossed patterns. I use them in church for taking notes while listening to the sermons Sunday mornings.
I personally journal in several ways.
Although I love the feeling of physically writing on paper with a comfortable pen that fits my hand, I do keep my main journal on computer. My favorite program is The Journal by David R Michael.
I'm transferring my physical journals to my computer journaling program because I now have so many books around my house that I'm having trouble trying to find a place to store them. I need to get rid of some of my binders, books and papers!! This will definitely be a long term project for me to type in what I have already written but I'm enjoying the process of reviewing my life as I am typing...
When I first started writing in a journal, it was an inexpensive spiral bound notebook from the grocery store. I started with 8X10 size but later moved to the smaller notebooks that were handy to carry around with me. I started around 30 years ago, and I'm now seeing some deterioration of the ink in those notebooks - it's got pretty fuzzy with the effects of humidity and age. I used a fountain pen at one point and that ink especially has fuzzed out. If you are going to keep a journal you should consider using archival paper and inks if you intend them to be around 100 years from now :-)
Later, as I found that I wanted to add stuff (extra pages - handouts etc) to my journal, I moved to a small three-ringed binder - It's the same size as a desk sized planner book - which is convenient since I do order a 2 page per day planner every year. The left page is for to-do's and planning - the right page is for quick jotting down of things I did and what I want to remember about the day. Of course, that's not enough ROOM for an avid journaller, but I add extra pages when I want to write about events more in depth, or write about feelings and ideas and my thinking process. I keep all my pages in a storage binder for the year. Some years I wrote enough for two storage binders. I just got a new TV stand that has extra shelves with a glass door on the front. I put all my journals in this enclosed shelf so I can keep the dust out. The binders are black and I keep them at the back - the shelves are deep. I can put other stuff in front so it doesn't look too ugly... I'm just glad to FINALLY have a good place to store them all! You can accumulate a lot of journals if you write all the time. Some people write MORE than I do!! Maybe you will be one of those avid journal writers. Think about where and how you'd like to store your writing so you can read it 30 years from now and enjoy the memories all over again!
In the meantime, grab a spiral bound notebook, or a plain ole piece of paper and any old pen you have handy and start writing about;
- What kind of journal you would like to use
- How often you'd like to write
- Write about your trip to the stationary store to see what's available for your journal writing adventure
- Write about your new pen you purchased that fits your hand and is so elegant it makes you WANT to write
- Google Journalling Software. Write about what you found out about computer software that you might like to use for journaling. Download some free trials and try 'em out!
- Write about WHY you want to keep a journal and what you think this new habit of journal writing will do for you in the future.
Make sure you put the date at the top of the page so you know when you started your fabulous writing adventure!
Just write!
Deb E
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