Journal pages that don't quite work

A huge part of my creative process involves the pursuit of journal ideas that don't quite work. I know this part very well. Somewhere along the way from initial idea to final draft, a creeping sort of doubt sets in. I find myself staring at the page or screen thinking, hmm, this isn't how I imagined it. Maybe if I try it this way. Nope. How about this way? Also nope.

It takes a lot of nopes, but eventually, in order to move on, I have to concede that an idea isn't quite ready for sharing and might never be. My folders are overflowing with printables and posts in various stages of completion that don't quite work.

Here's an example...

My original idea was to create a variation on my alphabet-inspired pages, with colourful letters serving as writing spaces.

I can't tell you how much fun I had arranging the letters! That little m. Who says all the stems have to be the same length? It was so much fun that I also made a numbers page and a few other variations. I couldn't stop! Writing the prompts was also a treat -- some are easy-breezy and some a little more challenging.

But when the time came to journal the page, writing into those simple letter shapes kind of ruined it for me. The end result looked messy, which is usually fine by me where journaling is concerned, but not in this case. Some letters didn't offer enough space and some offered too much. I mostly sorted it out in a second attempt by writing along the inside borders of letters, but still felt the page needed to be filed away.

Until today.

Today, I thought I'd share it with you anyway.

Maybe it truly doesn't work or maybe it does after all. Or maybe it's a step along the way to a better idea. It's often hard to tell the difference and in the past I've been hesitant to write when I just don't know. But now I'm wondering if sharing what I'm up to, even when it's not quite working, might be an opportunity to chat about our creative projects, to revisit ideas we aren't ready to give up on yet and cheer each other on through the nopes.

I'll start. If you'd like to give this page a try, you can click here or on the image above to download it. I'd love to know your thoughts. Truly. And if sharing ideas that don't quite work -- yet! -- is something you'd like to see more of in future posts, just leave a comment below to let me know that too!

P.S. The pdf page file includes two page sizes: letter and A4.

Backstitch journals

Tinkering with a new journal project. These are the first four tiny journals, each containing short journal entries focusing on one step forward in my thinking and doing.

I’ve pared down my process to two simple prompts: “last time,” then “this time”. Each new journal is connected to the one that came before. One journal’s “this time” is the next journal’s “last time,” which gives me the chance look back for a moment and reflect on what I’ve done so far before deciding what to do next.

That forward-backward rhythm reminds me of the backstitch in sewing and embroidery, which creates a strong, unbroken line by bringing new stitches back to connect with the ones that came before — until finally you’ve created something that endures.

Backstitch journal project - covers!

Three little journal covers.

"backstitch" journal project

The beginnings of a new journal project.

I’m calling it backstitch because the prompts I’m using remind me so much of the way a backstitch guides the shape and direction of the forward stitches. Also, this project involves lots of thread!

A new journal page collaboration with Derek Tellier

Two journalers, one journal page. How exciting is that?

I'm thrilled to share a new set of journal pages created in collaboration with Derek Tellier, a dedicated 5th and 6th grade teacher, journaler, thinker about the world today and young people's experience of it, and a huge supporter of his students' learning and growth.

We began our journal project with the understanding that recognizing good things about ourselves and our efforts doesn't always come easily or naturally. It takes time, effort, patience, and courage to reflect on our abilities and accomplishments and to share them with the people around us.

So why not make it a team effort? Why not create a journal experience that encourages positive exchanges of observations between journalers on the things they do and make?

The result is a set of pages made for swapping.

It begins very much like previous journal adventures, with a set of prompts inviting you to write about one thing you do well or know how to make.

Here's the twist:

After you describe your process for doing or making your thing, you hand your page to a second journaler who is invited to add their reflections before passing the page back to you for some final thoughts.

Derek's students have been enthusiastic participants every step of the way. They worked through early versions of these pages, providing feedback on their experiences and suggestions for improvement.

Here's what they've said along the way:

Filling this out made me realize how many things I don't realize.

I found it a bit challenging, cause when we look at ourselves, it's hard to tell what you're good at. This made us really look at what we have done, and how we do it. I like this because it makes us more aware of who we are.

I thought it was kind of cool because at first I didn't know what I was good at, so I wrote the first thing that came to mind and how other people thought on how I did that made it easier to understand that I'm better at doing that thing than I thought I was.

They're already asking when we'll have more journal pages ready for them!

Derek’s classroom

Derek Tellier

We won't be running out of ideas for new pages anytime soon! This project has opened the door to other exciting avenues of exploration around meaningful feedback, the impact of words, and asking constructive questions.

For now though, these pages still feel very much like works in progress. We'd love for you to try them with your class, discussion group, or meeting participants. They work with groups of any size, but all it really takes is two or more journalers to get the ball rolling.

If you don't have a group in mind, invite your best friend, colleague, parent, or child to write with you. I've journaled both pages with my 14-year-old daughter and we ended up having fascinating discussions about the things we love to do and make.

And please let us know how it goes!

We'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback and suggestions on making these pages the best they can be. Send us a note or leave a quick comment below anytime.

You'll find both pages all ready for download right here.*

We hope they’ll spark delightful insights and fantastic conversations!

*This page is offered in two sizes: letter and A4.

J is for Jettison - New alphabet-inspired journal page

I used to think of the word jettison in simple terms, as a synonym for throw away or toss out, but after coming across it in my dictionary while working on today's alphabet-inspired journal page, I realized I've been missing an important part of its meaning.

Yes, it's about getting rid of something, but it's the why that makes it special. Jettisoning is about removing something in order to lighten the load. It's the thing you do to keep a heavy cargo from bringing the plane down or sinking the ship. It's the thing you do to keep going.

It has interesting parallels when you think about it from a personal perspective. Are there parts of your day, for example, that weigh you down? Things that make it difficult to get to the end of the day feeling like you're still in one piece? If you could jettison one of those things, even just for today, would it lighten your load and make it easier to keep flying?

In my own planning, I've been thinking about it in terms of narrowing my focus. What's one important thing I want to accomplish today? Is there anything on my to-do list for the day that makes it more difficult to accomplish that one thing? What would happen if I jettisoned it?

Poof! It's off the list! Not necessarily forever, just until I get the important thing done. Then I can circle back, but with the added confidence and motivation of having achieved something that matters to me.

How about you? Is there one task, big or small, you can jettison from your day in order to lighten your load?

If you'd like to journal the letter j with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me one item you'd like to jettison from your to-do list today. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll also send an email in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this alphabet-inspired journal series, I'm sharing the process with you -- and these printable journal pages! -- as I go. You can find more information about pages a through i, plus some of my other page projects, here.

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

Everyday Journaling - How to Listen

I feel like good listening can be hard to come by. Even so, I think we know it when it happens. To be truly heard — to be gifted with someone’s full attention and encouraged to say what you think without interruption or dismissal, even if it doesn’t quite make sense yet — is deeply validating.

I know I can be a better listener. It’s something I think about all the time, mostly after I’ve sucked all the air out of yet another conversation. I can be impatient, distracted, and sometimes more in need of validation of my own perspective than interested in working to understand someone else’s. Often, I don’t recognize that I’ve missed an opportunity for a deeper, more meaningful discussion until the discussion is long over. All of which prompted this journal page — to give myself a dedicated spot to think about good listening and hopefully generate some helpful insights about how to put that thinking into practice.

I found it really helpful to consider elements of good listening in lots of different circumstances. I started to see different layers of listening, one on top of the other, that could lead to better understanding. Going forward, I’m working on giving conversations my full attention and a chance to unfold without jumping straight to conclusions about where they’re headed or what they mean. I’m working on asking better questions about another person’s perspective and experience rather than assuming I already know. I hope it will lead to more understanding and engagement and also more fascinating discussions!

P.S. This page is part of my Everyday Journaling series, in which I create on-the-spot journal pages inspired by everyday experiences. If you’d like to jot down your own thoughts and observations about how to listen, you’ll find this printable journal page right here in my shop.

Everyday Journaling - Even the Stuff that Feels Silly

I can’t decide if this is something I should share. I’ve gone back and forth a hundred times in my mind. I’ve written it up and deleted it twice. I may delete it again. (Regardless, I’m already imagining a whole new page just to sort through the misgivings I’ve had about this one.)

Is it okay to admit that all I want to do is watch TV? That lately I have this distracting urge all day long to stop what I’m doing, find a screen, and disappear into someone else’s story? Do I write about that sort of thing here?

The thing is, creating and journaling this silly, ridiculous journal page dedicated to the things I could be doing instead was really helpful. It generated lots of new ideas and resulted in a huge, handy list of better things to do for those moments when I can’t think of better things to do.

It also cheered me up. It reminded me that I can journal about anything. And that even the ideas that don’t at first feel worthy of serious consideration can lead to something good.

P.S. This page is part of my new Everyday Journaling series, in which I create on-the-spot journal pages inspired by everyday experiences. If you’d like to jot down your own handy ideas for things to do other than watching TV, you’ll find this printable journal page right here in my shop.

H is for Happiness - New alphabet-inspired journal page

The first prompt I wrote for this week's h-inspired journal page was about the headquarters of your home. Headquarters remind me of multinational corporations and skyscrapers and command centres, so why not apply it to our homes and see what happens? (So far, two rooms in my home are in the running, but I'm going to narrow it down to one.)

Then came humdinger (such a fun word!) and handbook. Then historic. That one tugs at me almost as much as the last one: happiness. At first, it felt like happiness might not be a good choice for this series, which is all about stretching beyond common words and themes, so I considered going with hubbub. But happiness is such a deep and awesome and uncomfortable subject, I felt like I couldn't leave it out. Even though I kind of wanted to. (Which is why I didn't.)

One thing I know about my own happiness is that it feels like it doesn't come naturally. I know I have to work at it. (It's something I've written about before.) I also know that even though a lot of my time is spent with thoughts and ideas, I'm happiest when I'm doing something about them, like experimenting with new ways of living and working, making colourful journal pages, and chatting about life's challenges and its wonders with journalers like you.

But why journal about it? Ultimately, I think, to figure out what it means uniquely to you. So that you can recognize your own happiness when it happens. (Because sometimes it's hard to recognize.) And so that you have a better understanding of how to repeat it or at least how to create the conditions under which it can happen again.

If you'd like to journal the letter h with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me one thing you know about your own happiness. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll also send an email in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this alphabet-inspired journal series, I'm sharing the process with you -- and these pages! -- as I go. You can find more information about pages a through g, plus some of my other page projects, here.

P.P.S. I first wrote about this page in my newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, along with my free e-book 10 Good Reasons to Journal, you can also subscribe here!

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

"F" is for Frank - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Frankly, I wouldn't say that frankness plays a significant role in my communication style -- with others or with myself. I would say that "meandering" is more my speed. I like to preface my comments with long explanations, provide lots of helpful context, and cushion any uncomfortable directness with an abundance of comforting qualifiers. Kinda like this first paragraph, actually.

I could go on (and on) about the advantages and disadvantages of frankness in conversation, about the people I admire for their awesome ability to call it as they see it -- no meandering, straight to the point; blunt, yet endearingly sincere. All of which would, frankly, just be my way of avoiding the undeniable fact that frankness is way, way outside my comfort zone and that I really don't know how to answer the prompt that I'm going to pose to you at the end of this post.

Paradoxically, this is what I LOVE about reflective journaling. I love the way it challenges me to adopt different perspectives about the littlest details (like a frank assessment of my day), which almost always gives me a better idea of the bigger picture (like how I interact in the world), and to explore new and different ways of being.

I hope you'll find that today's journal page, which tackles fibs and fiascoes in addition to frank assessments, gives you the opportunity to explore your world in new and uncomfortable-but-also-paradoxically-rewarding ways.

If you'd like to journal the letter f with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me one frank assessment of your day so far. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll also send an email in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this alphabet-inspired journal series, I'm sharing the process with you -- and these pages! -- as I go. You can find more information about pages a through e, plus some of my other page projects, here.

P.P.S. I first wrote about this page in my newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, along with my free e-book 10 Good Reasons to Journal, you can subscribe here!

P.P.P.S. In this post and the last one, I've included a sneak peak at new work-in-progress in the upper left hand corner of my new page photo. There are some new super-colourful word pages on the way!

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.