Sunday Letter: One Notebook
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The more I journal, the more people in my life show up in its pages. This morning, Chris Brogan wrote about what happens when I tell them about it. I started writing in a journal years ago, but it wasn’t in one book. It was all over the place. My journal became so cluttered with to-do lists and work projects, I grew frustrated that I couldn’t keep my thoughts organized. During the pandemic, I tried something new. I gave myself permission to let all of my thinking show up in my pages, with only one rule. I had to keep everything in one notebook. Separating the parts of my life didn’t work for me, because it isn’t the way I live. I am a multidimensional person who blurs the lines between work and life. I always have, so why shouldn’t my journal reflect that? My pages include pieces of advice, ideas, quotes from books, reminders, insights, nature connection, and projects. As soon as I stopped fighting against my way of thinking on paper, it revealed things to me. The thinking practices I learned from others and brought into my journal connected us. Their living questions play in the background of my own. If I focused solely on my inner landscape in my journal, I would have missed the exchange between Chris and me, and his lesson would have remained hidden. Who do you invite into your pages, or as Chris asked, how do you use your journal? |
Kathy Donchak
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