I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
I think the biggest change I made in December was that I started journaling again, except that I’m using an electronic journal instead of a paper journal. The decision was a tough one to make because I love the tactile feel of a paper journal, but I also had to consider what I wanted to get out of journaling.
I wanted to do a variety of things, including logging my meals (I needed to figure out what I was eating that might be triggering some health issues) and my exercise, and recording what I did during the day for my writing and also outside my writing.
I was originally going to use the SparkPeople app for my meals and exercise, but I decided to give e-journaling a try and found that I am more likely to log my meals when I don’t have to figure out portions and calorie count. I still can see where I overeat and when I snack mindlessly, I just don’t see the calorie count. Also I have a reminder on the journal page template to exercise, and I found myself being motivated to check that box every day.
I tried out the Day One Journal app for the 7-day trial period and ending up really liking it. It lets you have several journals, so I have a journal for food and health, a journal for general activities, and a journal for writing.
What surprised me was that I started using my e-journalling to also help with my To Do list, which I had previously used a Reminder app for. I have found myself being much more productive because I am in my e-journal intermittently during the day (it’s on my phone), and so I am reminded of what I need to do that day. I found myself more likely to get those things done and check off each item in the list. During the day, I add things to the To Do list as I think of them, and I’m more likely to get to them in a timely manner.
I also took the idea from the Bullet Journal about having a month at a glance page and a year at a glance page. I use both to list different types of To Do lists, and I have been using the Month at a Glance page to list my accomplishments as well as record events. For example, I recorded when I cleaned up my office, when I cleared out my email inbox, and when I finished taking notes on some key research papers I had been meaning to read. I’ll probably condense that down to list in my Year in a Glance page.
I’ve also added photos I snap with my phone, so I have a nice visual record of things I’ve done, like the things I’ve knit or how my trees in the garden are flowering (my plum tree was budding right after the new year!).
So far, I’ve enjoyed journaling on my phone like that. It has helped with my productivity and my health, and it also helped with my writing goals and writing To Do list. I hope to continue to journal consistently to record what I do, my thoughts, my memories of events, and improve my productivity.
Do you guys journal? What do you use? I’m always curious about other people’s journaling methods, so please leave a comment.
I wanted to do a variety of things, including logging my meals (I needed to figure out what I was eating that might be triggering some health issues) and my exercise, and recording what I did during the day for my writing and also outside my writing.
I was originally going to use the SparkPeople app for my meals and exercise, but I decided to give e-journaling a try and found that I am more likely to log my meals when I don’t have to figure out portions and calorie count. I still can see where I overeat and when I snack mindlessly, I just don’t see the calorie count. Also I have a reminder on the journal page template to exercise, and I found myself being motivated to check that box every day.
I tried out the Day One Journal app for the 7-day trial period and ending up really liking it. It lets you have several journals, so I have a journal for food and health, a journal for general activities, and a journal for writing.
What surprised me was that I started using my e-journalling to also help with my To Do list, which I had previously used a Reminder app for. I have found myself being much more productive because I am in my e-journal intermittently during the day (it’s on my phone), and so I am reminded of what I need to do that day. I found myself more likely to get those things done and check off each item in the list. During the day, I add things to the To Do list as I think of them, and I’m more likely to get to them in a timely manner.
I also took the idea from the Bullet Journal about having a month at a glance page and a year at a glance page. I use both to list different types of To Do lists, and I have been using the Month at a Glance page to list my accomplishments as well as record events. For example, I recorded when I cleaned up my office, when I cleared out my email inbox, and when I finished taking notes on some key research papers I had been meaning to read. I’ll probably condense that down to list in my Year in a Glance page.
I’ve also added photos I snap with my phone, so I have a nice visual record of things I’ve done, like the things I’ve knit or how my trees in the garden are flowering (my plum tree was budding right after the new year!).
So far, I’ve enjoyed journaling on my phone like that. It has helped with my productivity and my health, and it also helped with my writing goals and writing To Do list. I hope to continue to journal consistently to record what I do, my thoughts, my memories of events, and improve my productivity.
Do you guys journal? What do you use? I’m always curious about other people’s journaling methods, so please leave a comment.
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