Last year, I attempted (and mostly succeeded) in participating in the One Book July challenge. Most of the conversation about it occurs over on YouTube and was the brainchild of Carie Harling, MissVickieBee and Rhomany’s Realm (all video links).
If you have stalled out in your daily journaling, planning, drawing, writing or just felt like you need a bit of a kick start to get back to basics, the One Book July Challenge is a great chance to commit to a specific notebook or planning system and figure out if it works for you. Always wanted to try bullet journaling? Have a beautiful Filofax that’s been languishing in a cupboard? Have a Traveler’s Notebook cover and a stack of inserts you keep waiting for the perfect time to use? This is it.
In the US, we are looking towards a long holiday weekend this weekend giving many folks a bit of downtime to streamline and reflect. The weather predictions here in Kansas City are foreboding so working on my journal/planner/notebook is an optimal use of the upcoming few days.
At the moment, I’m carrying both a new Roterfaden (I’ll have more information about this in an upcoming post, I promise!) and a Traveler’s Notebook plus a pocket-sized Traveler’s Notebook and my sketchbook which doesn’t necessarily travel (I have one at home and one at work). So, some streamlining is in order for sure.
I feel like the pocket notebook is exempt as its the “jot down a quick note” cover for when I carry nothing else. When I go out for dinner, groceries or shopping, I take my wallet, keys, phone and the pocket-sized TN. But am I kidding myself? Should I throw a few index cards in my wallet instead?
So, I’m going to try to pare down and focus. I’m also going to try to do a little 30 day drawing project in July from an old issue of Flow magazine. It’s from Issue 13, One Letter A Day to get back into the habit of drawing more regularly.
What are your plans?
(FYI: This is the Paper Geek Co Fauxdori cover)
Good luck, Ana — looking forward to hearing how your plan goes! I hope you’ll share your daily drawings!
Tina
Don’t you just love Flow Magazine? I’ve been subscribed for ages to the Dutch version; glad to see it’s catching on overseas as well 🙂
I’m in a bit of a funk with my journals atm. I have a bullet journal at home which I barely use nowadays – haven’t really been doing anything after work is done lately… Besides that I have my journal which I use sporadically. I’m still a bit unhappy with the 2-book setup, but not sure how I can ‘marry’ the two, except by using 1 book and using the ‘flip upside down’ method.. Hmm…
My bullet journal at work is just wonderful though, so that is going well.
I’m pretty settled with a two notebook system, and I’m content with it. Hobonichi Weeks for calendar, to dos, memories. It has numbered pages in the back, which I really should resolve to use more than I do, for lists or catching fleeting ideas. I do supplement that with occasional index cards for more detailed daily schedules (and have the tiny NockCo index cards in my wallet for notes on the go, though they are so far unused!). And notebook number two is a skinny A5 notebook, for work/writing. (Usually something Japanese such as Life, though currently I’ve got a NockCo A5 notebook in that niche.) Its a very portable combination, which is one of my goals.
(Though your beautiful photos make me want to get out my blue TN and buy a Roterfaden! I’m looking forward to that review.)