Journey of my journals 2: What to put in your bullet journal and writers journal

Hey everyone. After deciding to create a bullet journal/smashbook and a writers journal I needed to make a plan of what I want to put in them. So of course I took to pinterest for inspiration, you can see the board I created for it here https://au.pinterest.com/bosmoore/diy-notebooks/. There are so many amazing ideas and inspiration it was difficult to decide how I wanted to do this. I pinned designs, ideas on what to put in them, ways to make things like little envelopes to put in my journals and everything in between. Obviously you don't need to plan out every page but once you decide what is going into your journals it's a good idea to check how many pages the book has and how much room you might want to dedicate to each section. This is useful because if there is a lot of things you want to put in your journal or if you want heaps of space for particular sections you may want to limit the size of certain sections.

Writers Journal

In my writers journal I want things to help me as a writer, an area where I can store ideas and notes and I wanted it to help me keep track of my writing. There were many section and page ideas I found and came up with. I'm not sure of the order I will have them all in but these included:

General notes

An area to write down just general notes and ideas.

Writing prompts

Somewhere to store writing prompts that I or other people have come up with so when I want to practice or I hit writers block I have a list of prompts ready to go.

Notes for current novel

I'm currently writing a zombie novel and have notes and ideas for a second one. I needed a place to take notes specific to this novel to keep improving it and fixing up the gaps.

Novel ideas

A section for writing down any ideas for a novel or a story that I come up with. Even ones that I know I don't want to write might inspire someone else or might be the perfect story for another writer.

Tips

I want an area for general writing tips that I hear or read about online that might apply to me or my work.

Research

A section for taking notes when I research things for writing whether they be major plot details or simple writing techniques.

Zombie virus research

Although I also wanted a separate section for researching zombie virus theories and fiction because It's my preferred genre to write in and I often need these details for my writing.

Movies and TV shows to watch for inspiration

A list of movies and TV shows I could watch when I have writers block to give me ideas and inspiration. As I write mostly zombie fiction they will largely be zombie movies and TV shows which can really help in writing because they can show a different perspective or events you wouldn't have thought of. It's also good for visualising fictional worlds and the emotions of characters because you get to see some sort of visual of what you're trying to imagine.

Inspirational quotes

A couple of pages to show quotes from my favourite or favourite authors to keep me inspired and motivated to continue writing.

Books to read

Near the start of my journal I have two pages for books I want to read in the future. I based my design on inspiration from pinterest: http://productiveandpretty.com/bullet-journal-book-spread/ and will be drawing a bookshelf style list.

Practice pages

I intend to include a section for practicing writing.

Happiness Journal

My happiness journal largely surrounds my mental health, goals and obviously my general happiness.

Bucket list

Lists of things I would like to do and achieve before I die and before certain I'm a certain age.

Happy memories

An area to write down happy memories that come to mind so when I'm feeling down I can read these to cheer myself up.

Ways to cheer myself up

I've already started on this page, it's quick simple ways to cheer myself up when I'm feeling depressed. These will be different for every body but for me it includes things like having a hot chocolate, working out, watching one of my favourite movies or reading a good book.

Ideas for self care

Advice and ideas for taking care of myself when I start to forget and neglect myself. Simple things such as doing my nails or taking a relaxing bath.

Things that make me happy

A list of things that make me happy in life so when I'm down I can take a look and remember what it's all about and what makes life worth living.

Simple ways to be healthier

A list of simple ways to improve my health and stay healthy.

Ways to enjoy life more

Advice and ideas on how to enjoy life more.

Tips to kick depression

Advice, notes and well known strategies for fighting and preventing depression.

Comfort foods

A list of go to comfort foods for when I'm feeling low.

Things I'm grateful for

A section for listing things I'm grateful for to remind myself of the high quality things in life. Having a gratefulness diary or something similar is often said to be beneficial to improving mental health and increasing happiness.

Movies and TV shows for when I'm sad

I'm including a list of movies and TV shows that I can watch to cheer myself when I'm down along with a list of movies and TV shows that I've been wanting to watch.

Rainy day entertainment

Ideas for things to do to entertain myself on a rainy or boring day.

Simple adventures

I want to include a section for simple small adventures I can take close to home to calm the wanderlust when I can't travel.

Simple new experiences

I intend to include a section of simple new experiences to choose from. Regularly having new experiences makes life more interesting, helps fight depression and helps you break out of a slump.

Something to look forward to each week

A section I'm adding to my journal after my friend suggest it. An area to plan something to look forward to at the end of each week. This could be a big day out or as simple as a movie I want to see or a new episode of a TV show. Having something to look forward to in the future is a proven method for fighting depression and simply makes difficult days a little bit better.

If you didn't catch the journey of my journals post 1:

http://peaceful98.wixsite.com/escapingboredom/single-post/2016/11/27/The-Journey-of-my-Journals-1

Stay tuned for the next step in the journey of my journals!

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