I’m not into planners with all the stickers and the colored pens and the frills and stuff. It just seems like a big waste of my time.

But I frequently do informal journaling. I don’t feel the pressure to draw in a smashbook or place any stickers in a planner. Having something fancy is just overwhelming.

Journaling is a great way to be cognitive of little successes.

I’m always writing.

I keep a food and exercise journal on my smartphone.

I make notes for future blog posts in several places.

But this past year, and especially this past winter, I’ve gotten lazy and sedentary.

Some days, I look back and it feels like I did virtually nothing.

I recently began journaling my days to realize how much I do accomplish.

I don’t write down every little bitty thing, but I sketch out my day so I can look back and see what I did, because some days, it feels like I just watched Netflix all day.

I have just plain little spiral notebooks for my daily journal.

I read and write a lot.

And sometimes, it feels like I spend most of my time in the kitchen – prepping, cooking, and cleaning.

I was sick for a week, so I didn’t actually do so much. I needed to really rest and recharge. There wasn’t much to write about.

Then, I got back into gear.

Most of these aren’t great accomplishments by most standards, but they help me to feel better about how I spend my days.

I try to be peaceful and use my time wisely.

I don’t like to be busy or rushing. I like to move in easy rhythms with the seasons and holidays.

I love the daily examen from St. Ignatius:

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and focus prayer around it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Download an Examen prayer card here.

I have some simple daily goals:

I want to read, exercise, complete lessons and read alouds and Bible study with my kids.

I also have a prayer journal.

I write scripture every day with monthly themed plans from Sweet Blessings.

I write prayers and praises – with dates so I can go back and look at it.

I write my exercises and travel experiences.

I recently got a recipe journal to track our favorite meals since I always tweak the recipes and forget.

Journaling is a great way to relax and keep track of events, milestones, thoughts, dreams…

Make a list of things you do every day.
Make a list of things that make you happy.
Compare the lists.
Adjust accordingly.

How journaling helps me:

Stress relief – it helps me to stay peaceful.
Personal growth – it helps me to learn about myself.
Helps clarify my thoughts and emotions – it helps me to work out issues with my past and present.
Problem solving – it helps me to be metacognitive.
Purge emotions – I can write about troublesome issues privately.

A Baker’s Dozen Reasons to Journal:

Exercise log
Foods you’ve eaten, especially to rule out allergies or sensitivities, or to save favorite recipes
Quotes you love
Travel
Art
Nature
Poetry
Books you’ve read or want to read
Movies you’ve watched or want to watch
Memories
Wines or beers you’ve loved
Daybook or daily log
Prayer and/or Scripture

Do you journal? How does it help you?

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I have a prayer journal for our family each year.

I love going back to view the answered and unanswered prayers and see our spiritual growth and blessings.

I had this lovely lilac journal lying around for just the thing. Isn’t it lovely? I bought it at Walmart (It’s a Dayspring product and I can’t find it anywhere online; must be discontinued) a while back because I thought it was so pretty.

Here is a similar Prayer Journal that I like too. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d use it for, but God knew I would come across it and He was ready to nudge me to start this prayer journal.

My first prayer journal entry.

It’s about my eldest because she’s the child I am most worried about this school year.

I hadn’t thought about format, but here I starred the topics where I most want to see improvement. Only God can do that and if He uses me to help do that, I am willing. I dashed off a few ways I am already planning to help her in those areas. I’m sure God has His own agenda. He always seems to, eh?

Often, I have to get out of the way.

Then I prayed right there on the page.

I hope my prayer isn’t too selfish.

I need her to be independently working so I can teach the middle kids and keep the toddler interested in tot school and out of trouble.

I know I often expect too much of my eldest. She has so much responsibility. I often rely on her too much.

I also pray that I can keep on schedule and on track with planning lessons so that everything runs smoothly this year. No more winging it with three officially in school and a toddler on the loose! I have to be diligent with meal planning, lesson planning, gathering materials, library books, printing and laminating, and being cheerful about it all.

That cheerful part is the hardest, let me tell ya. My husband doesn’t like coming home to The Grouch.

I think my next prayer entry should be about me and my attitude and how it affects my family.

I hope, in the spring or early summer, I can look back over my prayers and concerns and successes and failures to see how God has moved through our homeschool, through our family. How he has pruned us to be fruitful.

We are so blessed to be able to teach the kids at home.

It’s been years and I still update my prayer journal every fall and spring and it’s such a blessing to see where God has led our family!

As a military family, we often pray for great opportunities for our family when we PCS every few years. It’s getting more and more difficult as the kids get older for them to find extracurriculars and friends. It’s like the community falls away more and more as the kids get older.