Posted by Krishma Bhagat
There is something very satisfying about a brand-new journal.
- No distractions.
- No low battery.
- No tabs to check.
Just a blank page that is eagerly awaiting its fill.
Although journaling is becoming increasingly popular for reasons ranging from gratefulness and positivity to productivity planning, you do not have to devote several pages to your feelings every morning in order to become a "journaler".
Your journaling routine can take many forms, and it does not have to include writing long stories about your day-to-day experience.
A journal can be:
- a planner
- a sketchbook
- a brain dump
- a place to jot down ideas
just somewhere you write down stuff you don't want to forget.
But the more appealing your journal is (like an embroidered one with beautiful colors and designs), the more likely you are to keep using it.
Here are a couple of realistic suggestions on how you can incorporate an embroidered journal into your daily routine as well as some gifting tips on how you can offer a journal as a gift.
Use it for a 5 Minutes Morning Brain Dump
No need to wake up at 5 a.m. and write perfect three pages before sunrise. Just 5 minutes are enough.
Keep your journal by your bedside table or wherever you usually have your morning tea/coffee. Before checking your messages, write down these three questions:
- What should I do today?
- What am I thinking about right now?
- What am I looking forward to today?
And that is it.
The purpose of this activity is not to come up with some wonderful writing, but just move a couple of thoughts from your mind onto paper.
During particularly hectic mornings, even a small list can help structure your day.
Moreover, because embroidered journals look good lying on the table rather than being hidden in a drawer, you are likely to leave your journal somewhere visible rather than store it somewhere and forget about it.
Make it Your Personal Idea Book
Idea moments happen in the most unexpected moments.
- In a taxi.
- During your coffee break.
- At night, before going to sleep.
- While speaking to someone about something totally different.
Do not trust yourself to remember your ideas later because it never works.
Use your journal to collect your ideas.
Write down your business ideas, concepts for your blog posts, recipes you want to try, places you wish to visit, gifts you need to buy, books you have been recommended or any other thoughts you may need later.
They do not have to be neatly organized.
The purpose of this journal is to just capture them.
With time, looking through those pages becomes surprisingly interesting because you can start noticing the patterns in the things you think about and come back to again.
Use It as an Offline Planner
Online calendars are practical, but writing your plans still has its unique effect. You can dedicate several pages every week to your schedule. List there your appointments, deadlines, tasks and personal plans.
And then add small sections for things you tend to forget such as:
- People you need to call
- Things you need to buy
- Bills to remember
- Content you need to post
- Birthdays coming soon
- Places you want to visit on this weekend.
It does not require any complex organization or perfectly clean handwriting.
In fact, a journal becomes more helpful after you stop trying to make each page look pretty.
Create Your Night-time Brain Dump
Sometimes at night your brain finds the perfect time to remember all the stuff you need to do. A journal can help you with this. Have it close to your bed and jot down whatever is circling in your mind at that moment.
- Tomorrow's tasks
- Thoughts about the conversation that took place recently.
- Something you are afraid you will forget.
- Random thoughts.
Once you jotted down all that, you will not have to think about it anymore. This activity does not require from you any reflection exercises unless you want it to.
Sometimes the most helpful journal entry is a simple note such as:
"Call the dentist tomorrow."
Decorate Your Work Space with It
An embroidered journal does not have to go into a drawer after you use it. It can become a decoration of your working space. Put it by the side of a few books, or next to your laptop, or along with your pen holder and other office supplies.
As the embroidery naturally brings extra texture and uniqueness, the journal can serve as a decorating item when you are not using it.
If you work at home, or work a lot from your desk, nice office items can add personal touches to your work space. A journal is one of those few items that are functional as well as visually appealing at the same time.
Make it Your Memory Journal
Not every journal needs to be related to productivity. Use your journal to save the things you really want to remember.
- Attach a ticket from a concert.
- Write down something funny your friend said to you.
- Add there a photo from your vacation.
- Keep a handwritten note.
- Press a flower from your holiday.
- Write about your good days before they fade away.
With time, it will turn from a regular notebook into your physical memory book, containing all the stuff you want to remember.
And those are sometimes much more meaningful memories to be able to revisit than perfectly organized to-do lists.
Why Embroidered Journals Make Such Good Gifts
Journals are placed in the very nice position when it comes to gift-giving. They are personal items, yet you don't have to know the exact size, preferences and wishlist of a person to whom you intend to give it.
Almost anyone can find a use for it.
- For a friend who started a new job, it can become his/her desk notebook.
- For a student, it can hold there his/her plans, notes and ideas.
- For a creative person, it may become a sketch book.
- For a traveler, it can become his/her travel diary.
- For a bride-to-be, it can hold her wedding memories.
And because of the embroidery, your journal already possesses a gift-like quality.
Make the Gift More Personal
A journal allows you to personalize a gift-giving process without changing the journal itself.
- Write a note on the first page of it.
- Attach a good pen.
- Provide there a bookmark.
- Give a handwritten letter.
Or make a self-care gift-set with a journal, a nice candle and a couple of your favorite treats.
Your Journal Does Not Have to Have Any Rules
There is no "right way" to use a journal. You do not have to write in it every day or you don't have to start it from January, you don't need beautiful handwriting.
Missing a week does not mean that you failed in your journaling. The best journal is the one you keep using. It may help you to plan your week during Mondays, and hold a list of movies to watch on Sundays.
And it is perfectly okay.
A journal should complement your routine, not become another task for your routine.
DesiDramaQueen embroidered journals add a little bit of extra personality to something very simple: to write with a pen on a paper.
