This is the fourth post in the series that covered my journalling in 2023. Here are the other three: The First 13 Weeks, The Second 13 Weeks, The Third 13 Weeks.

Based on my experience this year, here’s what worked:

• Journalling in a book with a place for each day: I rarely missed more than a day in a row of journalling, so nearly every day was filled. In the past, I could go weeks without journaling, usually in the late summer. Having a space to fill was an incentive to do it.
• Journalling in color: I wrote in Black and Red and it did what it was supposed to do in drawing my attention to the more important stuff when I was reviewing it.
• Journalling my theme: My theme lasted the whole year. In 2023, I concentrated on Making Art with Friends. I did that by joining groups of likeminded people and starting a tech meetup. In my journal, whenever I did something on-theme, I made sure it was in red and circled.
• Journalling my meals: I kept a log of what I ate each day in the right margin. I keep it simple so it’s as easy as Taking a Picture of What You Eat, which is enough to keep me mindful of what I’m eating.
• Journalling on paper even if I also use software: In these last 13 weeks I’ve also started working on personal task management software. I have been using it in addition to my journal. It’s redundant, but so far I’ve used both as they give me different benefits.