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razielimDoing a thing I found!
I for one, would not in the least be upset if we got all the way into July and beyond still calling various prompt challenges "Snowflakes."
JS1: "What draws you to planners and/or journals? What about them makes you happy?"
I don't think it's the journal itself that really makes me happy, so much as my life when a journal is involved. My life feels more on track, and if it feels off-track and I've been forgetting to fully utilize the journal, I still feel like a lifeline exists out there somewhere, even if I'm too executive dysfunction at the moment to grab it. It's reassuring!
Occasionally, I do also really enjoy decorating or just writing neatly in my journal, though. (I say journal, but it's a planner. I occasionally journal in my planner, but I primarily plan.) When art is a job, it's very nice to find visually creative activities that I don't have to market or sell. I might still have objectives and disappointments with the quality of my decorations, trying to learn and improve over time - I absolutely cannot "just have fun" - but all of that is just for me. Baking, writing, and bass may be "creative" but they don't scratch that visual itch the way correctly placing a sticker or combining pen colors does.
But the most important way that a planner supports a happier life for me is by making it more obvious what is a real priority and what is just rattling round in my head. I don't "forget" that I need to paint, but I might underestimate how much time I need to dedicate to it if I don't get reminded of the week's goals, what next steps are reliant upon their completion, etc. Without writing it down and seeing it, playing Animal Crossing all day seems like an equally valid choice. I want to do it, right? I'll make time to paint later. It's only with the planner than I really start to conceptualize how limited time is, and how important the small daily tasks are to reaching bigger goals that I want a lot more than goofing around if only I take a moment to weigh those choices.
JS2: "Share a picture of your cover!"
On the left is my current planner. I'm not too fond of it - I had imagined it would be a deeper, warmer burgundy, but it's this cooler-toned maroon, which I'm ambivalent about. It's also craft paper inside, which I thought would be ~aesthetic~ but it doesn't work well with my favorite pens and the dot grid is too large (5mm!!), so I'm just... adapting rather than in love.
On the right is my favorite beloved Hobonichi cover, but the second photo of it below came out truer to color...
So on the right, that's the cover I used for the last like... 3 fucking years, and adore, and will likely go back to once 2023 starts, never questioning or betraying the Hobonichi Cousin planners ever again. (3.7mm grid!!)
And on the left is the cover for my 5-Year Hobonichi which I write in every day before bed. Next year will be my last year in it before I have to buy a new one!
JS3: "Recommend two or three planner/journal youtube channels or instagram feeds that you think people would enjoy."
Today's prompt hasn't posted officially yet, but I'm going to just check the box for the day and say that I don't typically enjoy hobby/how-to accounts... so here's a related recommendation instead!
In addition to all his thoughts and pep talks on art and happiness, Struthless occasionally offers ideas for what to journal about for motivational and mental health reasons so that might be worth checking out if you're feeling trapped in a dead end.
I for one, would not in the least be upset if we got all the way into July and beyond still calling various prompt challenges "Snowflakes."
JS1: "What draws you to planners and/or journals? What about them makes you happy?"
I don't think it's the journal itself that really makes me happy, so much as my life when a journal is involved. My life feels more on track, and if it feels off-track and I've been forgetting to fully utilize the journal, I still feel like a lifeline exists out there somewhere, even if I'm too executive dysfunction at the moment to grab it. It's reassuring!
Occasionally, I do also really enjoy decorating or just writing neatly in my journal, though. (I say journal, but it's a planner. I occasionally journal in my planner, but I primarily plan.) When art is a job, it's very nice to find visually creative activities that I don't have to market or sell. I might still have objectives and disappointments with the quality of my decorations, trying to learn and improve over time - I absolutely cannot "just have fun" - but all of that is just for me. Baking, writing, and bass may be "creative" but they don't scratch that visual itch the way correctly placing a sticker or combining pen colors does.
But the most important way that a planner supports a happier life for me is by making it more obvious what is a real priority and what is just rattling round in my head. I don't "forget" that I need to paint, but I might underestimate how much time I need to dedicate to it if I don't get reminded of the week's goals, what next steps are reliant upon their completion, etc. Without writing it down and seeing it, playing Animal Crossing all day seems like an equally valid choice. I want to do it, right? I'll make time to paint later. It's only with the planner than I really start to conceptualize how limited time is, and how important the small daily tasks are to reaching bigger goals that I want a lot more than goofing around if only I take a moment to weigh those choices.
JS2: "Share a picture of your cover!"
On the left is my current planner. I'm not too fond of it - I had imagined it would be a deeper, warmer burgundy, but it's this cooler-toned maroon, which I'm ambivalent about. It's also craft paper inside, which I thought would be ~aesthetic~ but it doesn't work well with my favorite pens and the dot grid is too large (5mm!!), so I'm just... adapting rather than in love.
On the right is my favorite beloved Hobonichi cover, but the second photo of it below came out truer to color...
So on the right, that's the cover I used for the last like... 3 fucking years, and adore, and will likely go back to once 2023 starts, never questioning or betraying the Hobonichi Cousin planners ever again. (3.7mm grid!!)
And on the left is the cover for my 5-Year Hobonichi which I write in every day before bed. Next year will be my last year in it before I have to buy a new one!
JS3: "Recommend two or three planner/journal youtube channels or instagram feeds that you think people would enjoy."
Today's prompt hasn't posted officially yet, but I'm going to just check the box for the day and say that I don't typically enjoy hobby/how-to accounts... so here's a related recommendation instead!
In addition to all his thoughts and pep talks on art and happiness, Struthless occasionally offers ideas for what to journal about for motivational and mental health reasons so that might be worth checking out if you're feeling trapped in a dead end.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-17 20:25 (UTC)This is my goaaal, that's such an awesome thing to have!!
My first thought on seeing the covers was "omg I love that purple one" before reading this is your least favourite đ I think it renders well on pictures, at least!
no subject
Date: 2022-02-17 21:39 (UTC)But yeah, that notebook has a nice velveteen texture and itâs an elegant deep color even though itâs not the color I thought it would be when I ordered it!
I definitely think that lifeline sense is just something that develops with time. Once you get traction, falling off the wagon for days, weeks, or even months feels more like a temporary madness than any moral failing. (Or you wake up one day to realize itâs a sign to find a new system for priorities you hadnât realized shifted while you werenât looking. Switching too often can create unnecessary chaos, but a tool that isnât getting regularly used might just not be the right tool.)
no subject
Date: 2022-02-19 11:36 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-18 01:18 (UTC)*hugs Dingbats to bosom*
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Date: 2022-02-18 01:56 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-19 05:49 (UTC)These are incredibly pretty!! :D
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Date: 2022-02-28 10:40 (UTC)Actually, your whole day one answer is <3, especially the bits about conceptualizing time and making art that is just for you.
Sorry to hear that the purple/maroon mushroom planner is not all you'd hoped. I'm going to have to check out the Hobonichi planners. My entire system right now is just "making things work" and have yet to find something that fits well for me. They also look really cool.