*creepy, over-the-top, infomercial spokesperson voice*

Hi! Are you constantly having to use different journals for different things? Are you plagued by poly-journalism? Are you forever having to lug around millions upon millions of journals with you wherever you go? Wish there was an easier way to organize and keep track of your writing/daily crud? Well, luckily, there is! Thanks to…the EVERYTHING JOURNAL! The Everything Journal is SUPER easy to set up, as easy as 1, 2, 3! (4, 5, 6…)

• Step 1: Pick the perfect journal. Now, there are many things to consider when picking the perfect journal such as…size, color, texture, and design. These things may not seem important, but you would be amazed at how the aesthetic of a journal can either discourage or encourage a person to write in it. Also, you’ll be more likely to use your journal if it is able to fit into you bag, purse, backpacks, etc, but don’t pick one that’s too small; you won’t want to use it and it won’t be able to meet your needs. Finally, make sure the pages are durable enough to stand up to constant wear and tear, this includes the medium you chose to write with.

• Step 2: Pick the perfect writing utensil. I personally prefer the no-bleed Sharpie pens, ball-point pens, and/or erasable gel pens. Whatever type of medium you chose, make sure it doesn’t smear, bleed, or dry out. Also, it would be a good idea to pick a utensil that can easily fit inside your journal for when you’re on the go. It doesn’t matter what color (I’m a fan of plain, old black), as long as you like it.

• Step 3: STICKERS!!! Lots and lots of them! The smaller the better since these are how you will categorize your entries within your Everything Journal. (I usually put them on the upper right-hand corner right by the date, but you can put them wherever.) Craft stores like Michael’s and A.C. Moore have a really great selection; big packs, low prices. They are my go-to when it comes to my sticker stash. 😉
• Step 4:  Make a Sticker Guide. This is the key by which you will create categories for all the different things you are likely to write about in your journal. Above is a picture of one of my Sticker Guides from my 3rd Everything Journal so you can see some of the categories I’ve create. Feel free to organize this whichever way works best for you. As a fun little tidbit, I like to pick stickers that remind me of each category, and I often dedicate stickers to different story projects.
• Step 5: Write down EVERYTHING in your journal and “stickerize” it as you go. I usually go a few weeks before stickerizing, since it allows me to leave the stickers at home.
• Step 6: Finally, once you’ve completely finished your journal, go through and decide what needs to be transferred (either to your computer or somewhere else) and what doesn’t. Use a red pen to check off the entries you’ve sorted through/don’t need to transfer, and above all, WRITE THE DATE FOR EVERYTHING!! I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to be able to see my writing progress throughout these last months, and how frustrating it feels when I don’t write the date down and therefore unable to remember when I wrote something down. 😛

*back to creepy infomercial voice*

And there you have it! The Everything Journal is an easy, cheap, fun, and wonderfully creative way to keep all your notes in one place as well as track your story progress(es), and for those of you who have trouble keeping a diary (LIKE ME), think of this journal as a writing diary. You may not write about your day, but you’ll be able to see how you spent it, which I think is pretty darn cool. 🙂

Much love and writing progress,

YW