write in my journal more often

...almost an hour. I didn’t realize until I started writing how much had happened in the last week that I needed to write about. Writing about some stuff really helped me to think through it and feel better about it.

My graduate school advisor actually encouaged me to journal, and I’m not even in any kind of writing program. She just thought it would be a good way to reflect on my experiences in my program. So since I hadn’t written in my journal for a month or two, I decided to start again.

I feel like I’m writing more regularly. I counted how many days I’d written so far this year, and realized it was 51. I’d love to fill an entire blank book this year. That would be proof to me that I was writing regularly.

I only wrote in it 4 times in May. One day I wrote for 6 pages though.

I’m noticing a weird pattern, though. I’ll write short or no entries for a couple weeks, then I’ll write several long entries.

At least I’m writing regularly. In the past, I wouldn’t touch my journal for months at a time.

I’m trying to decide if I should set a June goal. I always manage to fall short of it, though, when I do that.

Maybe I should just write in it, and more than four times. I don’t want to set a daily goal because my work schedule is such that I work 3 long days instead of 5 shorter ones like most people. I’m too tired to write anything those days.

I only wrote in it 3 times for the whole month. I have been busier than usual with other stuff. I’ll try to get in the habit of doing this again.

My goal was 16, but I’m happy with 12. I mostly want to write regularly and not skip writing for months at a time, like I have in the past.

I will try to continue my trend of writing every few days in April.

I’m happy that I wrote in it 8 days instead of zero. I’m still trying for about half the days in any particular month. One good thing is that my entries were spread over the whole month, so I kind of have a record of my thoughts over the whole month. I’d rather have this than 8 days in a row and nothing else.

My goal is 16 days in March, which will double the number of days from this month, plus it will make my goal of writing something half of the days of the month.

Another thing I’m doing in a separate journal is keeping track of all the books I read, sometimes with a small paragraph of my thoughts on that book.

I wrote in it 12 days in January. I’m content with that. I don’t want to feel I have to write in it daily, or this goal would be worded differently. Some days, I’m too tired to write. Other days, I just don’t have much on my mind that I haven’t already thought through in my journal.

I want to just stay consistant in wirting in it, about half the days out of any given month, or more if I have a lot on my mind. What I don’t want is to neglect months at a time, especially since I have so many pretty blank books to fill.

I’ve written in my journal 7 days out of these first 11 days of 2007 which is really a lot for me. Some days I can’t think of a thing to write, or I am insanely busy, like today.

The other day, while I was working on my de-cluttering goals, I realized I have about 8 or so beautiful, unused journals. My goal is to fill them. I don’t know how fast, but I want to be fairly consistant.

I have been collecting quotes and writing them in a journal, and it got me thinking. Why do I feel like my journal has to be so formal? Why don’t I just write about what comes to mind like I do here, sometimes a lot, sometimes only a little?

I may include quotes, poetry and song lyrics along with my own writing, whatever is on my mind at the time. I used to be a big writer, but just don’t seem to have much to say anymore.

I have not done well with this one at all lately.

I really don’t have the motivation. I’d rather do other things.

I know I will become a big journal writer again eventually. I seem to write in it on and off. I may not write for months and then fill one of those little journal books in 4-5 weeks.

It’s funny about this time last year, I was writing a lot, just because I had a lot on my mind.

My mind write now is focused on completing fall semester of grad school instead.