Keeping a Journal: {Part 1}

I love notebooks. Recently, I was cleaning out my stuff and discovered a whole crate of old notebooks, folders and journals that I have kept for years. The thing is, I have a drawer or two full of more notebooks. And a bookshelf. And a desk. *sheepish grins*  (I'm not ashamed about that at all...I'm a writer. :p)

I have a small fascination with the office supplies section of the store, which is where I can find all of those amazing pens, pencils, desk organizers,  highlighters, and....notebooks. Most of these notebooks are put to a good use, however. I have several of my "books" from when I was younger, short stories, poems, drawings, and random notes. I also found several of my journals that are half-filled (mainly because I would get bored with the current one and start over), and I realized that when I was younger, I was really big into journaling. I know that journaling isn't everybody's thing, but for those of you who enjoy keeping a journal, or if you are looking into starting one, I came up with a list of some different kinds of journals that people like to keep, so if you are interested in doing something like that, you can find a method that is fun and enjoyable for you!

 1.) Devotional Journal
This is one that I have just started doing recently, and it is also one that is easy to do at the same time as other ones. When I sit down to read my Bible, it has been really good to be able to take notes and write down passages that I want to remember. I actually have a book that is specifically designed for Bible Study notes and journalings, but any regular notebook works just as well. There are even some Bibles with really large margins specifically designed for writing out notes or even little diagrams and pictures.

2.) Daily Written Journal
I have kept one of these for as long as I can remember, and I still do to this day. I try to write in it every night before I go to bed. It is really helpful to take a little time at the end of each day to look back on how the day went, put my thoughts down on paper, and I have found that it really clears my mind and helps me sleep better at night. 

3.) Travel Journal
This journal can be used to document road trips and adventures that you want to take or ones that you have taken. These are even more fun to add pictures of your vacations and postcards to. You can write down all of your favorite places to go, your favorite memories, new experiences, things that you learned, etc. There are some really cute travel diaries that you can buy and fill out as well, so if you are anything like me and don't possess the talent of drawing your own adorable designs, you jump at those kinds of things! :p *slowly pushes away drawing pencils* 

4.) Gratitude Journal
Gratitude journals are something that I have loved keeping. Anytime during the day, just take a minute or two to write a few things that you are thankful for. It can be a few words, a sentence, or even a paragraph, but when I am taking that time each day to thank God for the many blessings (big and small!) that He gives, it drastically improves my attitude and outlook on life. (I designed a journal for this purpose at the beginning of the year with some pictures and quotes that I found online, so if you want to make one of your own, you can find that tutorial here.)

5.) Creativity Journal
I love the idea of a creativity journal. While I don't have one right now, I want to start one soon! The idea is to write down all of the creative ideas you have, whether it's a craft project, novel/story idea, poems, songs, a bunch of inventions you hope to do someday, or anything else your mind can come up with! You can leave a space to write down when/if you do that project, how it turned out, etc. 

I hope this gave you some journaling inspiration! There are soo many more journals out there that I didn't list, so if you want more ideas, there are some great lists online that you can find to get even more inspired! :)

Have a lovely day, and Happy Journaling! 

~Megan ♥