#journalling tips

[agirlwithglam]

☆ it girl journalling tips ☆ part 1

TIPS TO REMAIN CONSISTENT AND GET MAXIMUM BENEFIT:

TIP 1: dont follow the “pretty journalling trends" ... unless you know that it’s gonna benefit you in some way and you’ll actually stay consistent.

You know the ones im talking about. The ones with the aesthetically pleasing habit trackers and sleep trackers and water trackers. Those ones. Before you do them, save yourself the time and energy and firstly ask yourself:

If it’s a habit tracker you want: am i looking to develop new good habits? - Is there another easier and prettier way i can do this?(maybe online) - Will i stick with this format everyday? - Am i ready to draw this whole thing out?(except if you’re printing it or its already there, then skip that)

If it’s a water tracker you want: do i need to hydrate myself more and drink more water? - Is there an easier way i can do this? Etc etc.

If it’s a sleep tracker you want: do I need to/ want to fix my sleep schedule? - Do i need to check the best way i can sleep so i have a lot of energy the next day? Etc etc.

And so on. Me personally for example, I’ve decided to start a sleep tracker to figure out a) what time is best for me to sleep, b) what time is best for me to wake up, and c) how many hours of sleep should i get so i can get more energy the next day. This is all so that i wake up feeling less tired and more energised. (Sure you can take tests/ quizzes online on this, but experimentation is the best and also the most funnest.)

TIP 2: have a good and solid WHY

if you're just doing it for the aesthetics, sure it will be fun at first but then the hype will die down and you'll get bored and just quit. thats why its important to journal about something that actually means something to you. don't force yourself to follow what someone else is doing because something that they are trying to achieve and understand about themselves may not be the same as you.

if you know that you have quite a negative mindset, then everyday make the habit of writing down 3 things that happened that you're grateful for in your day!

if you want to get to know yourself better on a deeper level, search up shadow questions and write them out to answer in your journal!

TIP 3: romanticise it!

omg there is NO better way to get the full main character, it girl feel than romanticising it!! it can feel so good and sometimes literally gives me this tingly sensation!!! here are some tips to romanticise it:

light candles

play some music

soft, ambient, cozy lighting

hot chocolate / coffee

late nights

snacks / cookies

cute stationary- pens, notebook

hoodies

getting cozy (can be in bed!)

[secretsofdragonia]

Some Journalling/Scrapbooking Tips!!

• Never fret about how much stationary you have. You dont need a vast collection of washi tapes, pens and stickers to create a brilliant journal. Your collection will build slowly. Besides, I find that the best of spreads are made from stray scraps and hand drawn pictures etc.

• Also, (and this applies to general artists too) expensive supplies do not automatically make you a better artist. You may want to explore and find your journalling feet first, or at least understand that expensive supplies won't instantly make your spreads incredible, and that the best works can be made from anything, recycled, handmade, cheap, expensive... it's the artist that makes it what it is.

• Hold on to things. Receipts, labels, tickets. Keep these things in a folder too so you always have a treasure trove of bits and bobs.

• In the same vein, keep things like wrapping paper and magazine cutouts. When you don't have access to a printer but feel the inspiration for a spread, you can always resort to these. Plus, they look lovely as borders and backgrounds for pages.

• Dont be afraid to stick things down and just see where it takes you. You dont always have to have an elaborate plan for each and every spread. As I say, the greatest spreads are often the ones thrown together quickly and experimentally.

• Dont be scared to use your supplies!!!! I had this problem before. Your craft supplies are made to be used, so don't be stingy with them. Rip things up, tape things down, go crazy! It's what artists do.

• If you aren't happy with certain pages in your journal, don't rip them out!! It shows creative progress, good spreads and not so good spreads. A journal that was perfect the whole way through would become monotonous, no? In other words, a slow, fast, up and down, loop-de-looping rollercoaster is far more thrilling than a single-speed straight-tracked rollercoaster, isn't it?

• Don't be afraid of changing styles. Again, this book is your own and can be a fun example of how you've grown as an artist. So if you begin with a minimalist, planner-type journal and then decide you prefer aesthetic, scrapbooking styles, no worries!! It's your journal, no one else's.

• Write whatever you want! Your idols, interests, friends and family, life, anything you wish!! This journal is yours and yours alone. Use it like a diary, use it as an open letter to your idols, use it to chronicle your art skills, or just have fun making nice-looking pages! Why not? As long as your having fun, there are no rules or boundaries to journalling, just as there are no rules or boundaries to creating art. Just have fun!!

[agirlwithglam]

☆ it girl journalling tips ☆ part 2

-> part 1

digital or physical?

here are some pros and cons for deciding which one to go with:

DIGITAL pros: ♡ easy to edit ♡ easy to find/ search for things ♡ unlimited pages/ resources for writing ♡ portable- you can carry it everywhere & write anytime ♡ eco friendly cons: ♡ more screens ♡ distracting since its online ♡ less personal ♡ technical issues (glitch or hack might happen that makes it lose)

PHYSICAL pros: ♡ personal ♡ feels a bit more magical ♡ very sentimental ♡ writing by hand can be very nice & therapeutic ♡ helps process thoughts better cons: ♡ less convenient (may not be able to carry it everywhere) ♡ can take more time ♡ limited editing

my opinion; for things that you're gonna be doing daily (such as daily gratitude or daily lessons) it may be better to go digital since this is going to be a daily thing there will always be an infinite amount of pages/ space to write. then for things like shadow work journalling or talking about something important to you, use a physical notebook because it just feels more private and ✨magical✨

-> my digital it girl notion (includes journalling pages!)

[hypergraphian]

Hello! I am sorry to be a bother, but I was wondering.. what keeps you motivated and Inspired to continue journaling? I personally love writing, journaling, etc. but some days, I lack the motivation and energy to do so. I want to journal everyday, but I fail to do so because my anxiety drowns me. I'm so anxious that my handwriting won't be good enough, my journal won't be "perfect", the things I put in and write aren't good enough, etc.

Hey there @http-xwonderlxndx! You are most certainly not a bother! This is something I get asked all the time, and I think it is one of the biggest problems people have with journaling. As a closet perfectionist (and diagnosed OCD), it took me years to overcome this anxiety and really start to journal regularly, but even still, I find myself in slumps (especially lately). I don’t know what works for everyone else, but for me, I started writing in simple composition notebooks to ease my anxiety about perfection and help me to let go of the notion that I was potentially ruining a work of art. I found that by writing in something less intimidating, I was much more comfortable and able to let go of my inhibitions, and journaling became a lot like talking to a friend every day. The awesome thing about journals is that they are an extension of you, and along with that comes beauty in imperfection. Let yourself make mistakes and embrace them! With the same token, it’s totally normal to not have the energy or motivation to write every day. Life tends to be quite mundane sometimes and therefore it can be hard to draw inspiration from. I recently spoke to someone else who came to me with the same problem, and I told them that I don’t know what works for everyone else, but for me, since my journals are more for documentation, I try to find at least one thing a day that’s worth remembering. Like sometimes I’ll eat a really yummy sandwich and glue the receipt in my journal, or draw/take a picture of something and put it in. Also, if I have a song in my head or am deep in thought about something I just write it like a stream of consciousness. It’s kind of fun sometimes to write without thinking and go back and read it later. You learn a lot about yourself, and it’s a great way to let go of that writing anxiety!  Sometimes looking at pictures of other people’s journals or watching journal videos on YouTube also tend to get me in the mood to write, even if I’m just writing about having trouble writing! I’m sorry this is so long, but I really hope this helps even a little!! Happy Journaling!