Keeping a different kind of “limited” journal – a “while-people-are-boarding-the-plane” journal.

Last week, I posted about the anniversary of keeping my one-sentence journal. The enthusiastic response showed me that the idea of a one-sentence journal intrigued a lot of people – and that many people were keeping similar journals.

The common thread is that people find the idea of “keeping a journal” to be enticing, but overwhelming. We all have visions of writing with an ink pen in an elegant journal for forty-five minutes each morning – which, for most of us, is just NOT going to happen.

But instead of giving up the idea entirely, it’s possible to keep a limited journal, to enjoy the satisfaction of keeping a record of experiences or thoughts, but without the guilt or burden of constant upkeep.

A reader sent me an email describing his version of the one-sentence journal, and I thought the idea was so terrific I asked him if I could write about it here. He – I’ll call him “John” – said to go ahead.

John has to travel a lot for work. He keeps a small notebook in his briefcase, and every time he gets on a plane, while everyone is boarding, he fills a few pages about what’s happening in the life of his family. He plans to give the journals to his three children.

I think this is a brilliant idea, for several reasons.

 We overestimate what we can do in the short term (an afternoon) and underestimate what we can accomplish in the long term, with constant small steps (over the course of a year). By writing a few pages every few weeks, by the end of the year, John can accomplish a sizable amount of writing.

 The time spent waiting for people to board a plane seems like a frustrating, wasted period. John reclaimed this lost time to do something enjoyable, creative, and productive.

 By keeping the time devoted to journal-writing very limited, John kept it manageable. When we set a new goal, it’s tempting to set the bar so high that it’s impossible to sustain. Reforming eating habits, taking up exercise, learning a new language, planting a garden…initial enthusiasm turns to guilt and anxiety when we don’t follow through.

 Pierre Reverdy observed, “There is no love, there are only proofs of love.” Keeping these journals to be a link between himself and his children is an active proof of love. We think we act because of the way we feel, but in fact, the way we act shapes the way we feel – so performing loving actions boosts loving feelings.

 Studies show that one way to boost happiness is to keep happy memories fresh. Happy people don’t have more pleasant experiences than unhappy people, but they remember them better. Keeping a journal (which for most people skews toward the happy experiences) will help keep good times memorable.

I want to copy this idea myself, but I haven’t yet figured out how to adapt it to my life. I don’t travel often enough to use John’s plan. Also, my handwriting is so messy that I can’t keep a written notebook, but need to do all writing with a computer.

But there must be some kind of ongoing task that I could fit into the interstices of my days…

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A fellow contributor to LifeRemix is Dumb Little Man, which is glorious collection of "tips for life" -- everything from improving your writing, getting better sleep, to getting a raise, even doing magic tricks. A treasure trove of information.

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Comments

[otherdeb]

I journal, and informally teach journaling to others, and have done so for years. Here are some of the insights I have gleaned over those years.

In her wonderful book, Writing Down he Bones, Natalie Goldberg stresses that one of the most important parts of journaling -- indeed, of any writing -- is being kind to yourself. To me, this means not putting constraints on my journaling unless I am doing some sort of specific challenge. I don't even try to write every day, although there are periods when I have several entries per day. (For those who find the idea of journaling overwhelming, let me remind you that one of the most famous journals is a Japanese pillow book that had one entry every seven years.) I find that a brief look at the last entry or two will show me where I left off, and what I need to catch up on.

The other issue I find most people have is privacy. With a paper journal, this is obviously a bit easier than with an online journal, since it cannot be googled. Still, people have asked me how to handle privacy issues with paper journals. One way is to keep it with you at all times. Mine resides in my purse, both for privacy and ease of use. Second, talk with those who share yur living space. Note that these are private thoughts, and that -- just as you respect their privacy and belongs -- you expect them to respect yours. If they choose not to do so, find a hiding place. One woman I know hides her journal in her laundry room closet because she knows that her housemates do not ever go there. Be creative and you will come up with a way to keep it private. And a further privacy note: You are not bound to show your journal to anyone. If you choose to show part or all to someone, that is your choice. Otherwise, it's nobody's business what's in there except yours.

That said, I love the idea of a one sentence a day journal, and intend to make that my next challenge.

[Sharyn]

I have kept up daily journal (lined blank book) entries for close to 25 years by writing either right after I brush my teeth each night, or sitting up in bed in the morning, just before I get up.That gives it just a little leeway, but not too much. It's so much a habit, I'd have a hard time not doing it. I probably average 4-5 sentences a day, unless a lot happened. Vacations are especially well-chronicled.
As to the privacy issue mentioned above, from the beginning I just covered the "facts" of my life, and made a point to never write anything I would really have any problem with anyone else reading.

[SVChick]

I used to travel a lot for business as well and brought along my small journal for my travels. I usually wrote while in airports, planes or having dinners by myself. Now that I don't travel as much, that journal rarely gets filled up.

At home, I also have different journals to which I try to designate specific writing purposes but find it difficult to maintain over time.

At any rate, I love the one-sentence journal approach!

[Leanne]

I love this idea. It's not too stressful to think of just jotting something down and also to have a specific time that you do it so that it becomes automatic... so it's not just another thing on the to do list.

As for privacy, I think it is ok to write a journal with an audience in mind. In my case, I am writing for the future audience of my daughters (ages 2 and soon-to-be-born). Maybe they will find my journals when I am gone, maybe I will share them when they are teenagers or when they become mothers. Journaling doesn't have to be for cathartic purposes only, but like you said to remember happy times. What a gift!

[Karen]

Love your blog. I have had a problem keeping journals over the years, but recently found a solution. I often am running late to meetings or dropping off/picking up my son. So now I keep a journal under the seat of my car and try to arrive places a few minutes early. I then spend the wait time writing. It feels good to arrive on time and to fill the journal. I also have privacy and no one interrupting me...heaven. Another journal (small 4x6) is kept by the bed of my five-year-old son. We try to fill it every night with a short list of what we did that day. I write and then my son "writes" in it. His writing is primitive at best, but it is a good habit for him to get into. We often miss several days, but then we just write an entry detailing what we have been up to lately. I think it will be nice for him to have later in life and it is building his self-esteem to list all of our daily accomplishments.

[John Hightower]

Since your handwriting's not good and time is a big factor, how 'bout a voice recorder to carry around? I've been doing that a couple of years and it solves the same problems for me. I can even record a sentence while I'm moving, something I can't do with writing.

[Kris]

This blog is your 'notebook'. Seriously ....

[Martin Polley]

If you're handwriting is too messy and you don't carry a laptop around with you everywhere you go, you could always use your mobile phone for writing a few sentences, like that Italian guy who wrote a book on his phone (http://www.techshout.com/mobile-phones/2007/30/nokia-6630-used-by-italian-writer-to-pen-384-page-novel-during-his-commuting-hours/).

[Yolanda]

True. Keeping a journal doesn't have to be a burden for constantly writing even with the time constraints. We can make a journal our own way which is more fun and without the pressure.

[Kath]

Kris beat me to it!

You can now publish blogs in hardcover as well.

[Sharlene]

Here's another idea I've heard for filling in those little waiting times. If you make a habit of carrying a few little notecards or postcards with you, you can use a few extra minutes to write a thank-you note or drop a few lines to a friend to let her know she's in your thoughts.

[Helen]

I also like to keep a journal of my everyday activities, but considering the time we need to spare in doing it, it would be hard to do it regularly. However, I believe that the moment it becomes a part of our daily routine, it wouldn't be a problem.

[Dwayne Melancon]

Wow, Gretchen, what a cool idea! You're really nudging me into a more formal journaling. I tried it a couple of times in electronic form (a la Doogie Houser) but it didn't hold my attention. And my blog is a great outlet, but somehow different.

The "artifact" of a written journal has some special power, at least to me.

Thanks for yet another dose of insight and happiness.

[Laura]

This reminds me of my promise (2 years ago now) to journal while riding the train to/from work each day. Ooops. :)

[Tom]

Reading Gretchen's post again and all of the comments just made my day! I'm "John" the airplane journal guy. The field journals that I have from my Dad are some of my most treasured possessions. They are mostly filled with his field observations but have personal entries about us (myself, my siblings and our wonderful Mom). That was my inspiration to start my airplane journal for my three children and incredible wife.

I would challenge Gretchen and others who claim that their hand writing is too messy to keep a paper journal to just go for it! After the first year of keeping the travel journal, I started writing entries in cursive. Talk about terrible writing... I did it because I needed to practice cursive again as my oldest son was going into the 3rd grade and they were starting to learn cursive handwriting. I needed to be prepared to help him. So just go for it and you might just be able to leverage that writing practice elsewhere. :)

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[Taz]

I had gifted a small journal to my best friend before she left for her trip to France. On her trip before going to bed, she would write her days experience. It was written addressed to me. With our inside jokes. When she came back as a souvenir she gave it to me. This was 10years back. Now she is in India and I am in USA. When I feel lonely I read it, its the best "feel good" book I have!