1.23.2012

The One Line Journal


Back in December I started what I call a One Line Journal. It has since become part of my nightly routine and I absolutely love it. For Christmas I created a One Line Journal for my friend Maile and she has found it to provide her the same level of joy. Maile says that she loves the art of routine and her One Line Journal has helped her create a nightly routine that excites her.

What makes the One Line Journal so great?
If you’re anything like me you probably have a container or draw that is full of partially full journals. I always get excited about the idea of a new journal and the endless blank pages dying to be filled with words. I’ll spend hours decorating my new journal or listing inspiring quotes on the inside of the cover. Then when it comes time to actually “journal” I start off really strong, I commit to writing every night and begin to fill up page after page. Sure enough, a few days/weeks will pass and one night I just don’t have the energy, then the next night I’m not as invested after already skipping one night, then by the third night I’d have too much to write so I don’t even know where to begin…. You see where I’m going with this? On top of that when I go back to read my old journals (if I ever do), I find that my thoughts and experiences 1.) aren’t really as exciting to me now as they were to me then and 2.) always make me chuckle because they really have no purpose or meat to them. The One Line Journal is a simple and fun solution to all of that.

So what exactly is a One Line Journal?
It’s actually quite simple, and something you can start today.

Supplies:
Journal
Pen

How:
Step One: Write the date.

Step Two: Reflect and think about the events of your day.

Step Three: Write one line that sums up your day or one line that jumps out at you about your day. These can be a synthesis of your day, a question you’ve been pondering, a feeling you had, something you or someone else said, a Haiku (sure, we can count that!), a song lyric, a quote ect… (it can even be a run-on-sentence… hey, after all, it is your journal)

Step Four: Make it count. You only get one line a day, what was most important or impactful? What do you want to be sure to remember?

Step Five: Do it again tomorrow.

What I love about doing this is that it provides an opportunity for me to reflect on my day & determine what is most important by helping me put my life into perspective. It also forces me to get creative & think more visually rather than just being focused on the product of writing. It helps eliminate the boring details of my day that aren't important but that I had felt compelled to write about for the sake of “writing.” Along with all of this I love going back and looking at my writing as if the lines were little snapshots of my days or experiences. Some entries are very reflective and insightful; others may just be a funny quote... none-the-less that simple one line always takes me back to that feeling or experience (good or bad).

It’s kind of a like a more personal and purposeful Twitter.

1/22/2012
The sweet wouldn't be as sweet without the sour.


1 comment:

  1. I'd like to think of this as the Twitter approach to journaling :) LOL great idea though!!

    ReplyDelete