how i start a new journal
a.k.a. overcoming my fear of messing up the first page
Hello there! I hope you’re all having a great start to May. I honestly can’t believe May has come already. I thought there was at least one more week left in April. Obviously I have lost track of time and probably have been under utilizing my planners… That’s a discussion for another day.
Today, I want to talk about journals. Particularly, how I start a new journal.
I tend to have a bit of anxiety when approaching the first page of a new, pretty journal. The fear of messing up the first page is real. Over the years, I have found a couple of ways to start my journal. Having a formula to follow has made the process much easier for me.
1. The Cover Page
Probably the easiest method for starting a new journal is for me to treat it like a cover page. Usually, I’ll cover the first page with an image or a sticker and title the journal. It’s sometimes very literal: a picture of books with “Reading Journal” written underneath. Other times, I’ll take a page from Ellie’s book (Ellie’s Corner on YouTube) and simply cover the first page with stickers. Either way, it gives my journal some visual appeal, and allows my brain to move on from the fear of messing up the first page.
2. The Introduction
If I don’t do a cover page, I’ll typically introduce the journal. If it’s a personal or memory keeping journal, I may start with answering some “where am I now?” type of questions or I may write about how I want to add more photos to my journaling habit or get back into journaling daily. If it’s a commonplace book or reading journal, I may write about what a commonplace book or [insert journal type here] is, what type of things I’d like to research at the moment, or what type of books I’d like to read for the year. In some respects, you can compare it to the “currently” section some planners have where you write in what you’re currently reading, watching, listening to, eating, etc. It’s an easy topic to write about and can make approaching the first page a bit easier for me.
If you treat the introduction as a reflection of where you are now, it’s also interesting to end the journal the same way to see how you’ve changed over the course of the journal. My journals typically last months, but this may not be as interesting if you go through a journal very quickly.
3. Leave It Blank
My last method is to simply leave that first page blank. I’m not at all scared to admit that sometimes I simply skip the first page and start journaling on the next. This is very easy to do, but it doesn’t actually solve the problem. It simply avoids it. It’s okay to avoid some problems on occasion, right? 😂
How do you approach starting a new journal? Do you ever fear messing up the first page? Let me know in the comments or by replying. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
🩷, Amy
P.S. Do any of you use Substack Chats? I haven’t used the IG Channel feature much lately largely because no one can really respond back. It doesn’t give me a sense of community at all. I may start a chat for this newsletter and see where things go.
P.P.S. I have a review of the latest Field Notes quarterly edition coming up this Friday. I’m excited to see how my review posts evolve over time. Also I won’t be posting any newsletters the week of May 12 because I’ll be traveling for work, but if I find Substack chats fun, you may be able to find me on there. 😊