Here's how to highlight and prioritise your best ideas when journalling
If you’ve been journalling for any length of time, you’ll no doubt have accumulated countless pages of writing. These will likely be filled with random thoughts – from lists of things you plan to do or have accomplished to descriptions of your fears, joys, disappointments, and wins.
In the midst of it all, some little sparks of genius will emerge. There might be solutions to problems, ideas for projects, or reminders of things you want to achieve. The more you write, the more insights you’ll develop. It may get to the point where you find it difficult to manage the volume of writing, especially if you complete a set number of pages each day. For example, American creativity guru Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, suggests writing three pages a day first thing in the morning, which means that by the end of one week you’ll have accumulated 21 pages of notes!
Even if you review the pages once a week, it could be too time-consuming to retrieve the nuggets that might be useful, and even more so if your handwriting is difficult to read (as can happen when you write quickly to capture a thought before it disappears). But there are ways to make sure that your flashes of inspiration are easy to find.
Seeing the sparks
Try these methods for making sure your lightbulb moments don’t go to waste, then turn the page for tips on bringing new life to old journals.
Tracking
If a useful idea occurs while you’re journalling, underline it. You can use a different coloured pen or a highlighter if you want to make it even easier to find. Whatever method you choose, be sure it’s quick. You don’t want to take too long and risk interrupting the flow of your thoughts. If your handwriting is difficult to make out, slow down enough that you can form legible letters when you feel an important insight coming. Alternatively, simply rewrite that part neatly and underline it immediately after jotting it down.
Sorting
Whenever you have the time, review the underlined or highlighted parts and decide if they’re worth keeping. Before you discard anything, ask yourself why you’re doing so. Does a thought seem too silly, impossible, or daunting to achieve? Don’t let fear get in the way. Sometimes, the scariest ideas will turn out to be the most rewarding. Remember, they’re only words written on a piece of paper at this stage. You don’t have to act on them. For now, just keep them for future reference.
Saving
Apps, laptop folders, dedicated notebooks, or binders? How you choose to save what you’ve written will depend on your personal tastes. If you prefer working on paper, you can transfer your most valuable thoughts to dedicated ‘ideas pages’ using loose-leaf paper and a three-ring binder. Use dividers labelled with categories, such as school, creative projects, trips, or hobbies. Go through your journal and copy everything relating to particular ideas onto the new sheets, crossing out the old entries as you go.
Acting
Now you’re all set to take action – if you choose to. Go through your ideas pages and pick something you’d like to work on. Once it’s complete, cross it out. Don’t feel like tackling anything just yet? No problem! Just because you had a fantastic idea for redecorating your bedroom, doesn’t mean you have to jump in straight away. You can rest easy knowing that your plans for the project will be there waiting for you when you have time to return to them.
Writing
Journalling can generate so many ideas that you may be tempted to stop for a while so you can get on with turning some of them into reality. It’s better to keep up with some daily writing, though, because those ideas you don’t have time to act on will develop and become more precise as you write, which might actually save time when you are ready to look at them.
Six creative ways to rejuvenate an old journal
Once your journalling insights are organised, what should you do with your used notebooks? You can keep them as mementos, of course. But if you’d rather give them a new lease of life, take your pick from these ideas.
- Turn them into a sketchbook by drawing or painting over the pages. Not sure what to draw? Use the words on the page as inspiration.
- Cut up pages to use them in a collage, either just as they are or after you’ve drawn or painted over them.
- Frame your favourite pages and display them in your room.
- Practise your origami skills.
- Create original bookmarks by cutting pages into strips and laminating them.
- Paint abstract designs on the pages and use them to decorate objects such as pencil holders or plant pots, or turn them into wallpaper.
