☆Starting in a new journal is such an exciting thing. You feel inclined to make changes and you often set new goals for yourself you wish to keep up. There are so many ways you can get comfortable with using this new journal before you even put pen to paper and start expressing yourself creatively. I like to start by decorating the inside cover with artwork, quotes and stickers. I find it so much less intimidating to have something already in my journal by the time I want to use it.
☆I usually set up this front cover as I am finishing my current journal. I like to add anything that brings me joy when I look at it as this will be a place I flip to quite often. As I am in no way an artist, I like to showcase other's prints or illustrations. This front cover is also a wonderful location to include your name and contact info in case your journal was ever to get left behind or lost. On the page right next to the inside cover, I like to keep a little pocket that holds journaling prompts or ideas. This paper can be later pulled out when I am feeling a lack of motivation, or have no daily events to record.
☆The front cover should also hold the start date of the journal as well as a space to hold the date you finished. As you begin to accumulate more journals over the years, you will be thankful you wrote in which journal tells the story of which time period of your life.
☆The very first page of the journal is perfect for an index. This is a place you can come back to and keep track of certain entries you want to remember. With this in mind, you will want to number your pages as you fill them out as well as include titles. Theses titles are mainly for the purpose of keeping track of which entry tells what story or event so keep them functional and to the point.
☆On the back cover of the book, I keep an enveloppe that stores little notes, pictures and tickets. This part of my journal is perfect for things that aren't quite worthy enough to be put on a page, but are still important to you in some way.
☆Once you have set up your journal and you are ready to start writing, I recommend the first page be an "about me" entry. Every time you start a new journal, make a page similar to this so that you can look back and compare the years. You will be able to see how you've changed, what hobbies and passions stayed the same or what goals you kept. This is a great way to track self growth as well as a reminder of what your initial motivations were when starting new projects or careers.
I hope theses quick tips help as you start your new journal. I find so much peace in this process as I am a lover of new beginnings and a believe in the magic found within them.
-- Sarah
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