a girls guide to journaling 

It’s hard to journal.

Let’s admit it.

When I was younger, I was obsessed with notebooks. But here’s the funny part: I never actually used them. I was literally only addicted to owning notebooks, not actually writing in them. Hence, I now own this huge pink box that now contains about twenty half-filled notebooks.

Such smoking dreams are piled up in there . . .*quickly closes lid*

So maybe you’re like me and you honestly do want to journal, you just don’t have the time or don’t know where to start. Because, I mean, we do have some good points as to why this is so freaky: it’s pretty foreboding to stare at a blank white piece of paper and know that you’ll be reading this entry later, thinking you used to have the most boring life on the face of the planet.

Journaling isn’t very . . . stimulating.

You sit in your room and, half an hour later, are suffering from a cramped-up hand, ink-choking pen, and about two paragraphs describing how you went to school. And did homework. And then cleaned your room.

Good stuff, my dear ma’am! What riveting details! What a thrilling ending! Encore, encore! TELL US MORE!!

And. Yeah, no.

That’s it.

So what do we do?

Never fear, I have the answers right here!

You don’t have to have a notebook to journal. *gasps of disapproval* I know, I know; what I’m pretty much saying is journal heresy, but allow me a second to explain myself.

There is an easier way to journal, and it’s taking the world by storm!

Last year I was looking for the perfect present for my friend and I found this amazing... 

It’s small (a little bigger than my hand) and to the point. And the best part? This baby will help you keep track of five whole years!! Whoa! That’s like . . . forever!

Every day for five years, it’ll ask you questions (and not dumb questions like “What is your favorite color?” Well, okay, I think that’s in there once . . . but most of them are less let’s-break-the-ice-at-a-dying-party). There are a total of 365 questions with five blanks for each question. Most of the questions don’t require a ton of time and thought, and the blanks are modest-sized so you don’t feel as if you have to write a whole saga on what you ate for dinner that night (Ode to Meatloaf, Vivaldi’s Four Courses . . . etc.). Since there are five blanks for each question, you’ll also get to peek back on previous years and see how your answers have changed. How cool is that?

Perhaps you find 365 a foreboding number. Well how about 52?

gives you a list for every week of the year. You can fill out the blanks and they’ll help you make your dreams a reality. The prompts correspond with each season too!

Or maybe you’d like to work on being more grateful and happy. Check out

 It, like the first journal I mentioned, helps you journal three to five years. But instead of asking you a question, it shows you a quote and has you think on it and then write your thoughts below. BECAUSE YOUR THOUGHTS ARE AMAZING.

Another fun spin on any of these is to purchase one for your friend and compare answers every day. That’s what I did with my friend when we both got the Q&A journal! It was a lot of fun seeing how different our answers were, and it helped us learn more about each other too.

Oh wait . . . are you an artist? I can’t forget about you! 

I bought 

a few years ago and had so much fun with it! This book only goes through a year, but it helps you grow in your doodling (if that’s even a thing . . . isn’t doodling just supposed to be kinda free and fun?). It gives you prompts every day, and sometimes tells you about funny days you can celebrate.

join the conversation! 

So, do you like journaling? What do you journal about? Do you have any special journals? Is journaling a challenge for you, or nothing but fun? 

about the author

Some have described this five foot brunette as "fierce and dramatic." She agrees wholeheartedly.

Amanda Brown is a 17-year-old writer, composer, and ice cream addict. When not pasted in front of a computer screen, Amanda feels most at home dancing in the rain, reading Jane Austen, and playing soccer with her brothers. Amanda does not like egotistical guys, flirtatious girls, or books with poor plots. She is renowned for her terrible sense of direction, but also for her loyalty and compassion towards those she loves. Amanda's favorite quote is: "The same God who fashioned the stars and the oceans said, 'I need one of YOU too.'"

"Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you."
1 Samuel 12:24