When you begin journaling it will likely occur to you that having more than one type of journal might be the best way to keep everything organized better. When you have more than one type of journal, you can simply go to the specific journal to work on one issue at a time or keep something organized so you can make better decisions.
1. Bullet Journals
This type of journal is useful for anyone who has lots of to-do lists, loves using a pen and paper, and who enjoys goal tracking and productivity. Your bullet journal should have a table of contents that you create as you add to the journal so you can find things. You’ll use symbols, colors, and lines to make your bullet journal. You should be able to understand at a glance what’s on the page.
2. Vision Journals
You may have heard of vision boards and this is essentially it, except it’s a journal that helps lead you to your vision. The way it works is that you set up the journal to have only one goal per page. Then you can write words, add pictures, or draw something that enables you to make plans to reach that goal. When you do reach the goal, be sure to go back and add the date of achievement.
3. Line a Day Journals
Basically this journal is what it’s called – you write down only one line a day. Keep it simple, no more than a sentence or two. These thoughts can be happy or sad, excited or angry, but they should reflect the most significant thing about the day. When you’re done, you’ll have a wonderful, and perhaps even eye-opening, look at the last five years of your life.
When you finish the first five-year thought journal, you’ll have documented five years of your life. Some people like using a calendar and a pen for this. Try our 5-year one thought a day bucket journal.
4. Bucket Journal
Many people have bucket lists of things they would like to accomplish in their life. This could be anything from visiting all 63 National Parks in the USA to visiting the zoos and aquariums in the region where you live. The possibilities are endless. Having a specific bucket journal for your adventures gives you one specific place to record your memories of these trips. It also become a handy way to share your excitement with friends and family in the future.
5. Classic Journal
This is simply a diary, and you can write whatever you want in it every day. It can be long, short, or you can skip days if you want to. The classic journal is just like the diary that you maybe kept as a child. You write whatever you want in it daily.
6. Dream Journal
Some people really like tracking their dreams because they believe that dreams provide signs for life. If you want to track your dreams, you have to train yourself to write in your dream journal every morning while you still remember the dream. Keep this journal right next to your bed and write about the dream as soon as you wake up. Then research what it means and write about that too.
7. Food Journal
Write down everything you eat every day. Some people like to include the calorie contents and so forth. It can also help to write down why you ate that certain food, how you felt about eating it afterwards, and things you might want to do differently. Many people also include their daily water intake in a food journal.
8. Prayer Journal
This is a particular type of journal where you essentially act like your diary or journal is your higher power. Write God your prayers instead of, or in addition to, saying them. Write prayers down so you remember them and can look back on the things you were grateful for, struggling with, and the people you wanted to bless. This is also a great journal to teach children how to use. Looking back on a year, you might be surprised how prevalent the hand of God is in your life.
9. Travel Journal
A wonderful way to remember your travels is to keep a travel journal. Some people like making one for each trip so that it’s easier to remember. You can write your thoughts in your journal, but you can also attach tickets, pics, and memories. If you are traveling for a bucket list goal, like visiting all US States and Territories, it can be helpful to have a planning and travel journal for those too.
10. Gratitude Journal
This is just what it sounds like. A gratitude journal is meant to help you record each day what you’re thankful for and grateful for. Nothing can be negative in this journal because it’s designed to help you think more positively. There are many benefits to expressing gratitude daily. They range from sleeping better to improving your relationships with others.
11. Project Journal
This is a handy journal to keep, especially for anyone who regularly works on projects. Keep a journal of each project you work. Be sure to record not only things to do, but actions taken, results, and data. This will help you improve every project in the future and will also help you look back on each one with excitement and a sense of accomplishment.
Ideas include:
- Planning your handmade gift giving ahead of time
- Organizing your home management and cleaning schedules
- Any work related project
12. Hobby Journals
Many times in your life you may have hobbies that you enjoy. As you are learning to master it a journal comes in handy. A hobby journal can give you a direction to head for new ideas, a place to track the things you've accomplished, and your goals for the future. Think of it as part project journal, part vision journal, and part bucket journal.
Things to track in a hobby journal
- Food preservation like canning and dehydrating
- Garden planning
- Barbecue recipes
- Golf courses and improving your swing
- Even the Amusement Parks you want to visit!
Journals can help you work through a problem, record a special memory, or organize you for the future. Keeping different kinds of journals for specific areas of your life is an effective way to go about this. It’s also a great way to gather your thoughts and memories for the future in a more organized and useful way.
Imagine how powerful these ideas will be to you, and your posterity, in the future!
What kinds of journals do you keep? Is there another journal you would like to try?
