Aug
25
2009
10 Reasons to Keep a Journal

In the 16th century journal keeping was so conventional that journals were called “common place books.â€Today most people use journals only when something important or particularly memorable happens to them, especially when they’re feeling sad or angry. A sounding board, a calm companion, a repository of secrets and experiences, a journal also provides solitude for reflection. Now let’s explore some other reasons to keep a journal:
- Travelogue. “All of my life should be lived like travel,†a writer once wrote, “such avid attention to detail.†Try keeping a journal when you go on a trip. The act of writing spurs us to be more observant, making places come alive in our memories.
- Dream keeper. Dreams are wispy as smoke and as easily forgotten. Keep a journal by your bed to record your reveries. It’s handy at 4 a. m. when you’re still sleep-befuddled after a vivid dream of a flying-trapeze vampire.
- Common log book. In this day of texting and e-mail,, when was the last time you scribbled a note to a friend? Shared among your closest friends, a journalist is a more intimate way to keep in touch.
- Idea book. Document a hobby, research or a special interest like gardening or renovating a house. Stick flowers and swatches with your notes and ideas.
- Notebook-planner. Brainstorms make your to-do- lists, jot down ideas, set goals and business plans. You’ll discover the most practical everyday uses for the blank pages.
- Creative outlet. Many writers and artist find journals essential to their art, and so can you. Paint or draw on the blank pages. Record images that might trigger poetry as a trove of ideas and inspiration, journals actively encourage our creativity.
- Electric inventory. File your favorite quotes or words, songs, puns, conversations overheard, anecdotes, newspaper, clippings, illustrations, anything you find worthy of note.
- Collection holder. Stamps, souvenir, photos, whatever your pleasure, your collection finds a home in the blank pages of your journal.
- Memoir. Years later you’ll be able to reread your journal and remember who you were, how you’ve grown and changed. And your kids will get to know a different side of you.
- Simply as a correspondence to one’s self. A friend of ours keeps a grateful list, another writes scattered musings when she’s bored. Write freely without self-censorship, confide without reservation-journals turn our attention to little things that matter, give us a deeper appreciation of life. Best of all, it’s private. No matter how embarrassing or banal, no one need ever read it but you.



