Finally stuck with a weekly spread for 3 months straight

I read this post last week from someone saying they always quit their journal after a month because they try to do too much... and honestly that hit me hard. I used to cram my weekly spread with like 8 different trackers and color codes and doodles. But last fall I stripped it down to just three things: a to-do list, a mood dot, and a little space for one highlight of the day. Yesterday I counted and I've kept it going for 13 weeks now without skipping a single day. Has anyone else found that cutting way back actually helps you stick with it longer?

3 comments

3 Comments

nelson.wren10d agoTop Commenter

Heard a podcast once where a guy compared journaling to eating vegetables, and how the simpler you prepare them the more likely you are to actually eat them regularly. Stripping down to just a to-do list, mood dot, and highlight makes total sense because it removes the pressure to be perfect. Have you noticed your mood dots follow any patterns over those 13 weeks?

adam_baker10d ago

Wait, wait... 13 weeks? That's over 90 days straight without missing a single day? Man, I can barely remember to brush my teeth that consistently. Did you really not miss a single day that whole time?

gavin_kim10d ago

Yeah, "removes the pressure to be perfect" really hits home. That's exactly why I think the simple format works for me, because if I had to write a full paragraph every day I would have quit by week two. As for patterns, yeah I've noticed my mood dots tend to be low on Mondays and higher on Fridays, which is probably the most obvious thing ever but it's still kind of validating to see it on paper. Also, a bad mood dot usually follows a day where I didn't sleep well, which I guess I knew but never really admitted to myself. It's nice to have proof instead of just guessing.