BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Journals How many is too many?

I have a dream journal, my regular journal, my weight loss journal (which will be BURNED when I'm done), and a gratitude journal.

My gratitude journal is teeny, and goes with me everyone, because sometimes I just need to write what I'm grateful for because my day may be sucking or something. And it's only gratitudes. My regular has things I'm thankful for too, but also talks about my day to day stuff.

I don't feel so bad now! LOL. I have a dream journal, a spiritual journal, a gardening journal and a daily journal. However, I do NOT write in them regularly which pains me. I did have a gratitude journal but it took up so much time because I am grateful for so so many things. Everything!

In fact, that is my main problem about journaling. It takes up too much time--I mean hours and hours!

When do you know when to stop writing?!?!

HA HA...... when my arm starts cramping up LOL!

I always liked Julia Cameron's idea about the morning pages - stream of consciousness for about 3 pages should do it she'd say

Three pages (from each journal) seems to work for me

Yes, I read Cameron's book and morning pages suggestion.

Hmmm. I'll try it again. Three pages a day for each journal. But still, that will take at least an hour for me with all the journals I have. You've inspired me to restart them. Thanks!

he he he.... I usually do my gratitude journal later in the day, so that saves me a little time.

This morning I sat with my dream journal and sighed. I'd had one of those epic dreams. About 9 pages worth LOL!! I didn't even get to my regular journal HA HA.

I also have several journals. I often feel I do not have enough. I have my daily journal (which I do not write in daily - so I guess it should be titled "normal stuff"). I have my Spiritual Growth journal which I write in often (dreams, visions, being in Nature, etc.). I have my poetry journal, which is often very spiritual and very private. I have my Writer's Journal that keeps track of my writing skills and how I have grown as a writer. I have my Diary, where I post very personal feelings. Then I have a quotes journal, which has quotes from friends, family, my children, grandchildren.

I am thinking about starting a journal on my wardrobe and home: how my wardrobe likes have changed over the years and how I decorated my homes over the years. This would not be written in often, but it might be fun for future generations to read.

I saw on a food show that a woman keeps a food journal. Not a food journal that tracks what she eats during the day but a list of foods and dishes that she considers her favorites or must-trys.

Now that is a foodie!

Ah.... I have a small notebook I carry with me for writing ideas. And I have a poetry journal - though I guess I hadn't considered it a journal.

And I have a spiritual growth journal too... one where I put in the exercises I've tried - and how they worked for me, visions, and the strange, metaphysical stuff that happens to me. Of course, those encounters always make it into my other journals too because I'll usually be pretty excited about them. But having them in one journal makes it easy to go back and track things, rather than having to read through all the day to day stuff too.

There is a movie I LOVE, Last Holiday, with Queen Latifah.

She is a chef, and she takes pictures of the fantastic meals she cooks,and puts them into a picture journal.

It's so cool!

I loved that movie! Queen Latifah is such a gifted actor!

She is SOOOOO fantastic!! And what a voice! She was excellent in Chicago!

But her food journal in Last Holiday really got me to thinking! Don't you think a picture would be cool - like a mini-vision board!

Oh my goodness...

I had to post this. You want to hear talent? This is phenomenal! Solid raw talent from start to finish!

Jackie Evancho

Yes! I loved her journal, too! It is like a mini-vision board! My friend and I started one for our travel dreams but we never got far with them. We should revisit that, no pun intended.

I will dig out my old journals (and restart my online journal).

Hey, what about starting a notebook that features all of the things, people, places, foods, quotations, causes, etc. that we love? A love journal. Now that's sure to make you feel good whenever you read it or look at the pics!

Oh Lori, I LOVE that idea! A LOVE journal - it would feel so delicious to go back through it!

That would be totally FEEL GOOD!

I'm going to go find a journal right now!

She is very talented Eleise, thanks for sharing.

It's amaizing where real talent will be discovered next. I had no idea a voice like this was even possible.

I had a request for this video and i couldn't find it. So, I had to trace my steps back to here. I had thought it was youtube, but it's been transferred to Hulu. I'm still learning how this stuff works.

Happy journaling though It's the best place I can think to collect things.

I have two journals. One is my evening reflections journal and the other is my morning things-to-do journal. I haven't written in my morning one in a LONG time because it's at a desk in our 'music room' which is really our 'junk room' which was literally too full of junk to walk into. Now it is finally clean! So maybe I can start writing there in the morning! The desk overlooks the bird feeder and I really liked doing that. I will make an attempt to do that Monday morning. It really helps to take even 15 minutes to get focused and set before I delve into my email pile.

At night I have my regular journal which I have been writing in almost daily for I think two years now. This forum here has really helped me with that. I'm just about done with this current book which I began I think in February - and then somehow I have 3 new books to choose from for the next one! I got one, lost it, got 2 others and then found the first. So I have three empty journals ready to do. I'll post when I get to that step about which one I choose!

I have been very inspired to write more too since I've been so active here in the forums! I really feel like I'm moving forward now!

I have a regular what's going on in my life journal, a movie I've watched journal, a books read journal, a decision journal and a quotes journal I'm keeping on Googledocs.

Leah,I like the idea of a quotes journal. So far, I have a folder in my gmail that saves all the quotes I receive that I like. Now, I just need to get them into manageable form.... Ah... I'm feeling an article for the Inspiration site coming on LOL!

I think a cool thing would be a quote randomizer that you feed quotes into, and it puts a different one on your desktop every half hour

How many is too many?

It's only too many if YOU think it's too many. That's all.

The nicest thing about journaling is that you can have as many- or as few- as you like, and can change your mind any time.

As for me, I'm afraid I only have one. I'm just too flaky to have a bunch and try to keep 'em straight... I do, however, have quite a few indexy-type sections, like "Poetry"- "Quotes"- "FFR"(For Future Reference) and my hodgepodge of mishmosh, "The PhooBar and Grill"!

I have been thinking about starting a separate spiritual or religion-type journal, reason being I've been writing and thinking about spiritual things so much lately, trying to more or less sort things out.

One of the reasons that I have never gone for separate journals is because I get to writing and my thoughts just kind of segue from one thing to another and I'd get all mixed up... So, those of you with multiple journals, how do you deal with that? Is there repetition, or do you write See other journal, or what?

I'm planning to start a journal too..A life journal..in which I can write anything I feel to.