Are you someone who finds pretty notebooks and desires to own them all? Are you someone who has a lot of notebooks with no clue as to how to use them? If you are so, this post would help you. If you are not someone who buys notebooks at all, this post would help you more. In spite of all the digital components we can use, using notebooks for writing help us come out of the digital cocoon and explore what our creativity, hands and our mind have to say. Sometimes, traditional is the new modern! Here are 7 ways that can help you utilize your notebook for self development. I use all of them on a regular basis, so I can vouch for their effectiveness!
1. Morning pages:
The Artist's way by Julia Cameron will be my all time favourite self help book and of many reasons, it is because it introduced me to Morning pages. It is the stream of conscious writing first thing in the morning. This reduces the anxiety and eliminates many unnecessary thoughts that peek from several corners of the brain. So, here is how you do it:
1. Take or buy a fresh notebook
2. Buy a nice pen.
3. Keep them on your bedside table.
4. As soon as you wake up, fill up 3 pages of conscious writing.
This is your notebook, not anyone else's. So grammar, spelling, handwriting and the content doesn't matter!
2. Bullet Journal:
Maintaining a personal journal is the best way to stay organized, to plan for goals, track your progress and attain goals. Although several creative people take their journal spreads to another level of elegance with calligraphy and art, I would like to keep it simple and effective to save time and most importantly, to retain the motivation to continue writing even when I don't feel fancy. So, here's what to do:
1. Take a bullet journal notebook or any fancy notebook.
2. Buy couple pens with varying ink flow.
3. Get started with spreads.
More on this, the spread ideas, setting up a bullet journal are going to arrive on this blog soon!
3. Gratitude Journal:
I have this on my night stand, I give my entry everyday, without fail in this notebook. This notebook is a collection of what I am thankful for. It probably has a lot of repetitive words but that doesn't matter, all that this writing does to me is to remind me why I should be happy. I might have had a bad day, my health might have given me issues, my baby would've kept me up the previous night, I might have had an argument with my husband and writing on this notebook is a gentle nudge to say 'I am blessed'.
1. Take a notebook.
2. Take a pen.
3. Write at least 5 sentences about what you are thankful for.
4. The Reflections:
Just before you go to sleep, instead of going through the day or things that bug you on bed, with eyes closed, which makes your bedtime 10:00 PM and your sleep time 1:00 AM, you can write those on a notebook. You reflect on your actions, reactions and inactions for the day. You can summarize and if there's a learning from the day from someone or something or yourself, you will know that here. Carry on only the knowledge for the next day if you wake up at all and not the grudges, jealousy and regrets. I write only 1 long page but like morning pages, you can choose to write 3 pages too.
5. The mind-map notebook:
If you have read my previous posts, you should know that I use mind-mapping and brain dumping religiously to declutter my head and to organize the unorganized thought flow. Brain dumping- Write all the keywords from all corners of your brain, then categorize it, if useful and actionable, work on it, if useless, get rid of it from your brain. Mind-mapping is used as a brainstorming tool. Write a keyword and write the branching or rooting ideas surrounding that keyword. You need:
1. A long drawing sheet notebook or any notebook with a large size.
2. A sharpie or a sketch-pen or a mild-liner
3. Your ideal headspace and home-space.
6. Learning notebook:
Learning and knowledge gaining should essentially be a perpetual process. So, I would always have a notebook dedicated to learning. I study for CFA 2 right now, so I have 4 notebooks dedicated for this purpose, but otherwise, you can have a notebook to learn to code, or to learn a new language. You may learn a first aid program or some other online courses and a dedicated notebook ensures that you have an organized space to note all that you learn and that you have a pool of resources in your own writing, for you to look back when in need. This also makes you feel guilty when you don't use it, so you end up learning something- Added benefit!
7. Creativity workbook:
Creativity makes life useful to us, it also makes us useful to life- The Artists way, Julia Cameron.
Creativity lies within each of us, it is up to us to use it. You might have been an artist or you love doodling. You might like writing short stories or blogging. Whatever it is that gives you a sense of pleasure and satisfaction combined, like no other work, maintain a notebook for that activity. I have a notebook for poetry and I use it on a weekly basis. Nonetheless, I note down any creative ideas that pop up anytime. Maintaining such a notebook nurtures the creativity and keeps us in touch with our passion constantly. That link is what makes us human and keeps us in touch with the creator himself!
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