I realized that the last journaling sample that I uploaded is three years old and my setup and journaling format changed considerably, so I decided to post an update.

I currently use a Stalogy 365Days B5 grid notebook in light blue. This is the second such notebook that I’ve used, the previous one being black. Before that I used Moleskines, and it’s quite possible that I’ll return to using Moleskines, but currently I enjoy both the smaller format of the Stalogy B5, and its fountain pen friendly pages. The notebook is thick but the pages are thin, so there’s show through (and sometimes bleed through) on every page. It doesn’t bother me, but if it bothers you then you’ll need to either write on only one side of the page or choose a different notebook.

I exclusively use fountains pens in this notebook, whatever is currently inked, though I prefer fine nibbed pens.

My journaling format has also changed, and it’s now as follows:

• Gratitude – I tried writing this in the evening but I found that it works better to write this part as early as possible in the morning. Sometimes it’s divided into sections (health, family, work, home, etc), but it’s usually a bulleted list of around 4-5 things. I try to be specific, and I try to remember even the most mundane of things. Especially during tough times it’s super helpful, and it also serves to get me journaling early in the day. Some days I only get this done, but those days are rare.
• Notes on what happened during the day. I used to try and be a completionist, but that was just a source of frustration and eventually gaps in my journaling practice. Instead I now journal only things that are meaningful, which means that I journal less to record the day and more to reflect on key moments in it. I try to include a story of some kind (like seeing something interesting on the bus drive to work), and a reflection or insight of some sort (for example, my thoughts on someone being fired, or what the news appears to do to people’s mood and patience).
• I end with something out of Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is a note on how I tried to advance each of my chosen values (for me it’s self development, courage, creativity, fitness and friendliness). This helps me manage my PTSD, especially during tough days. I know that I’ll be keeping myself accountable in the evening, so I try to keep them top of mind throughout the day.

I journal in the morning, and usually also once or twice during the day and once in the evening. I’m trying to develop both a shutdown routine and a task switching routine, and use them both as opportunities to journal and reflect.

Apart from these, once a week ever since the beginning of the year I reflect on how well I achieved my goals for the week, and once per month I reflect about the month. At the end of the year I review the entire year, and that’s usually the longest entry in my journal for that year. I tend to write 2-3 pages a day, though some days it’s just one page, and some days it closer to 5-6.

Sometimes I sketch in my journal, but it’s rare, and unlike my Moleskines, I don’t glue things in my Stalogy (so not ticket stubs, tags, stickers, business cards, etc).

I keep a folded piece of A5 blotting paper in my journal, as the ink takes time to dry in the Stalogy, and without it the whole page becomes a mess.