Eight Tips for Setting Up, and Continuing, a Reading Journal

This is something I've been wanting to do and stick to for a while: setting up, and continuing, a reading journal. Additionally, A Clockwork Reader (Instagram and YouTube) recently published a reading journal that I actually wanted to try out (see here on Goodreads). So, I bought it (as I'm writing this post, I'm waiting for it to arrive).

Since I decided to buy it and give a reading journal a whirl, I thought I'd share some tips. Most of these will come from my previous experiences, and hopefully will help you (and myself) avoid starting one and just stopping soon after. Here are eight tips for setting up, and continuing, a reading journal.

Tip One: You don't have to design a whole journal - buying a basic journal is okay as well.

I did this way too often when I would try to start a new reading journal: I would try to design each page a certain way so that it would be "perfect." But then I would want to write past the design I set up, or there was too much space. Additionally, after a while, it would get to the point where I just didn't want to put in the effort to design every single page, get it matching to previous pages, and so on. As a result, you don't have to create an elaborate design for your reading journal. It can be as simple as a lined notebook.

Tip Two: Buying a pre-set-up journal (like A Clockwork Reader's journal) is perfectly okay!

Let's say you want something more elaborate, but don't want to (or can't) do a designed journal on your own. Buying one, like A Clockwork Reader's journal, from Amazon or any other bookseller is a great way to do this - that way, you have something creative and designed, but you didn't have to do it on your own.

Tip Three: Don't buy a new journal until you're almost, or fully, done with the reading journal you're currently working on.

This was another habit I fell into: I would be halfway through one journal, and one day, be walking through Barnes & Noble and see a cute journal I'd want as a reading journal. Then I'd buy it and never finish the one I was halfway through. Try not to fall into this habit. If you're almost done with a journal (let's say, 25 pages or less to go through), or if you used one up, then buy a new journal. But don't buy a new one before then!

Tip Four: Your reading journal does not have to be fancy.

This is something that I, and many others, think we have to have: a "fancy" reading journal. I'm here to tell you that no, your reading journal DOES NOT have to be fancy. As I mentioned under Tip One, it can be as simple as a lined notebook.

Tip Five: You don't have to record every single read (unless you absolutely want to).

Again, another habit I would fall into: attempted to record every. Single. Read. However, there were times I would be too busy to record every read in my reading journal, and then I would just drop it off because I wasn't recording every single book. Unless this is something you want to do, it is not necessary to record every single book you read.

Tip Six: Include the important stuff: title, author, a rating of some sort, and a few of your thoughts.

Most pre-designed journals only have space for this information, so it's okay to keep the record simple. Additionally, including some of your thoughts is always a good thing, because then you'll remember why you did or didn't enjoy a book. Quotes are also a good way to go about this!

Tip Seven: If you decide to include a review, it doesn't have to be paragraphs upon paragraphs.

Unless you want to do a 5-or-more-paragraph review, a single paragraph is enough for your review. Additionally, unless your reading journal is a simple, lined journal, you won't have enough space for a review of more than a single-paragraph review.

Tip Eight: Record some of your favorite scenes.

I don't recommend this verbatim. But doing a simple overview and page number(s) of your favorite scenes is always a good way to go back and remember the specific things you enjoyed.

6 Tips for Journaling

Now that yesterday's post is up and published, I figured it would be nice to have a post that focuses on tips for journaling.

As from the overall theme of yesterday's post, there are pros and cons to journaling. However, the activity isn't for everyone, which is perfectly okay. If you are unsure whether or not you should journal, go through them and decide if journaling is something you would like to start and keep up. If you still don't know, you can try it for about a month, incorporate these tips, and see if it's something you'd like to continue.

Here are 6 tips for journaling.

Tip 1: Figure out what you want to journal about.

If you decide to go for a general journal - i.e. your journal includes everything and anything - then go for that. If you decide to do something more specific - i.e. movies, books, etc. - then make sure you know what you want to journal about before you start your journal.

Tip 2: Decide on a journaling "schedule."

Whether you journal daily, weekly, or monthly, make sure you know when you plan to journal. An alarm or reminder for each day, week, or month so that you know roughly when you should/want to journal.

Tip 3: If you decide to not have a journaling "schedule," decide when and why you will journal.

It's okay to not have a "journaling schedule." If you don't schedule it out, though, decide on your motivation for journaling. If you have a movie journal, maybe you'll journal soon after watching a new movie (a similar idea with a book journal). If you decide to journal on your thoughts and feelings, maybe journal when you have a good day, and why it was a good day; you can also journal when you have a bad day and discuss why it was a bad day. Just decide what your motivation for journaling will be.

Tip 4: Figure out how you want your journal(s) to look.

As mentioned yesterday, your journals can look however you want them to look. Having a rough idea of how you want your journal to look is a good starting point. And one journal doesn't have to look the same as another.

Tip 5: It's okay to have multiple journals, as long as you use them.

Maybe you have a lot of unused notebooks. It is okay to have 2+ journals. However, it would be a good idea, in my opinion, to decide what notebook will be used as what kind of journal. Maybe one will be a general journal, another could be a movie journal, and so on.

Tip 6: It's okay to go change up the theme of your journal month to month, or even day to day.

Your journal doesn't have to be all cohesive. It is your journal, and it can be however you want it to be. If you want something simple one day something a bit more extravagant the next, that is perfectly okay. However, this tip does require a little less planning and structure to each individual page.

4 Pros and 4 Cons of Journaling

Journaling is a topic I've been thinking about recently. A lot of readers do it, and I've occasionally done it. Over the past week or two, I've considered really getting back into journaling and doing it consistently. However, I've been really trying to think about it. I've asked myself the following questions quite a few times: "What are the benefits of journaling?" "Do those benefits actually help me in any significant way?" and "Am I going to stay committed to it this time?"

I thought I'd do a post like this. Why? If I'm asking myself these questions, then there are most likely others out there asking these as well.

Why journal? Journaling can be a fun way to express yourself. You can do it in a physical notebook or use a notetaking app like Goodnotes or Notability. In both cases - physical or electronic - you can personalize your journal/notebook to be "more you." It's a very good way to record thoughts feelings. Journaling can also help you understand why you're thinking something or feeling a certain way. You can also journal about dreams, books, movies, travel, and so much more. The following link was my Google search for journal ideas.

With all that said, let's get into 4 pros and 4 cons of journaling.

Pro 1: It's a point in time where you can just sit and reflect.

Your reflection can be on anything you want to reflect on: a book, movie, show, your feelings, a dream, and so much more. Journaling simply acts as a pause during your day, week, or month.

Pro 2: The influences of other people don't need to be in play.

Journaling is about you. You don't need to bring up another person's thoughts or feelings on what you're reflecting on. Unless you want to reflect on your relationship with another person, then you only have to focus on your own thoughts or feelings.

Pro 3: It can be as simple or as extravagant as you want it to be.

Whether you prefer something more simplistic or something more embellished, your journal can be however you want it to be. And if you're journaling throughout an entire year, it's okay to change it up from month to month to fit how you're feeling.

Pro 4: It can be done in any format.

Whether you choose to have a physical journal or an electronic version, it's very easy to journal either way. You simply need to choose the format that works best for you.

Con 1: It is taking time out of your day.

No matter how often you journal - daily, weekly, or monthly - it does take time out of your day when you do sit down to work on it. And if you're in a really busy period of your life, you may not have the time to sit down, journal, and keep it up as a habit.

Con 2: It can be a hard habit to begin and maintain.

This is the case with any habit. If you're not used to journaling, and you don't do it regularly, it can be hard to begin and implement it as a habit. And oftentimes, if you stop for a day or two, you may forget to pick it back up and continue.

Con 3: You may just have too many notebooks for whatever reason.

I, too, am guilty of this. I have bought quite a few notebooks in my lifetime, started using them, and then just stopped partway through. And because the first couple of pages "don't fit into the theme of what I want my journal to look like," I just leave the rest of all of these notebooks empty.

Con 4: It can be difficult to be consistent in theming, spacing, etc.

This con is really dependent on having themed journals: i.e. book journals, movie journals, etc. When you're writing down your thoughts, you may have left too much space on a page, or maybe you didn't leave enough. No matter what the "issue" may be, it can be hard to be consistent with journaling.