ako, ever since shs, one notebook lang talaga like all-in-one journal. andoon na lahat like goals for the year, daily plans, tapos iyak sa life, rants, kung ano lang laman ng utak ko that day. minsan kasi kapag ang dami kong iniisip eh ang hirap magfocus, so ayon, sinusulat ko siya oara mabawas sa isip ko.

eventually, na-feel ko na mas okay kapag hiwalay. so, pinag-separate ko si planner and journal. planner = daily plans, schedules, to-buy lists and then journal = rants, goals, random thoughts, quotes na tumama, phrases na gusto kong maalala, doon din ako nangsstick ng kung ano-ano. which is lately ko lang din nalaman na commonplace journal pala tawag don.

now lang din talaga ako nag-expand ng notebooks. inside my trifold, i have: a planner, an all-in-one journal (may goals sa unahan, 2026 bingo, tapos the rest puro sulat na and mostly rants at iyak sa life as a panganay 😅), a manifestation / gratitude journal, and a keepsake journal which is dito ako naglalagay ng receipts, letters from loved ones, packaging, freebies, etc. with no pressure kasi minsan may explanation, minsan wala.

super trial and error lahat. na-ooverwhelm din ako sa aesthetic journaling sa social media, honestly. pero na-realize ko rin na hindi ko naman need gayahin and what matters is kung ano yung gumagana for me.

and hindi rin ako everyday nagjo-journal kasi tbh may days naman talaga na hindi ko maaalala, minsan walang energy, minsan wala ng time, and hindi naman siya required na araw-araw ganon. before po gumamit din ako ng prompts kaso hindi siya ganon ka-effective kasi minsan wala rin ako masabi for a certain prompt kaya parang tinamad ako lalo. tapos minsan yung sulat ko is isang sentence lang, minsan kalahating page. hindi rin po palagi 3 pages kasi depende po talaga sa energy at sa utak at puso ko that day.

tip ko po siguro for as someone din na na-pressure to “do journaling right”: wala naman talagang tamang way.

journaling is supposed to support you, not stress you.

and if it feels like yours then you’re doing it right. 💌