Jenny B. from Chicago writes . . .

Tamara, can you share some of your listography with us so that we can get an idea of what kind of lists to list?  I think this can be a really cool idea but I’m not sure I fully understand.”

Sure, Jenny!  Thanks for writing.  Here’s a glimpse of some of my lists to list . . . .

• Steppingstones i.e. learning points in my lifetime,
• Places I want to go visit,
• Teachers and mentors I’ve had along the way,
• Life lessons learned,
• Pets I’ve had,
• What I’m grateful for,
• Adventures I would like to have,
• Books I want to read,
• Books I have read,
• Things I miss about my parents,
• Losses,
• Inspiring quotes,
• Classes I want to teach,
• Workshops I want to create,
• Bodies of knowledge that I want to learn more about,
• Skills I want to learn,
• My favorite sounds,
• Favorite recipes,
• Ancestors I want to research,
• Things to do for date night,
• Health goals, and
• Favorite charities.

I keep adding to my list and, when the mood strikes or when my writing runs dry, I pull out my list, pick one and go!

Jenny, I hope you get the idea . . . .  If it’s important to you and it can be put into a list, then I think it’s a perfect addition to your own journaling and your own listography.

I am a fan of listography. There’s a book by this name, The Listography Book. And, there’s a web application by this name.  But what I’m talking about is the use of list-making to document your ideas, to document your journey, and to help you get started (or re-started) with your journaling.

Have I got your attention, yet?  If so, perhaps you would like to get started! Here’s an idea for that first journal entry . . . . How about a list of lists?  Just take the time to brainstorm a list of things that you think might be of use or interest to you down the road . . . . Later on, when you feel like it or whenever you get stuck and don’t know what to journal about, you can return to your listography,your  list of lists, choose one and begin to create it!.

Better yet, share your list with me right here!

Here are some of my favorite books and websites on journaling.

Families Writing
Peter R. Stillman

Harvesting Your Journals: Writing Tools to Enhance Your Growth & Creativity
Rosalie Deer Heart & Alison Strickland

Journey Notes: Writing for Recovery and Growth
Richard Solly and Roseann Lloyd

Keeping Your Personal Journal
George F. Simons

Life’s Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest
Christina Baldwin

Writing the Natural Way: Using Right-Brain Techniques to Release Your Expressive Powers
Gabriele Lusser Rico

Inspired to Journal

LifeJournal for Writers: Writers’ Journal Software

Visual Thesaurus

Do you have other great resources for journaling?  If so, share them with me below.

Penny Dot from New York City writes in . . .

I’ve been working with my sticky affirmation like you suggested and things are changing . . . . Can you please tell me how to get started journaling?  I’m not sure what to write.  I’ve kept diaries before but they end up being boring and then I quit.   Is there some trick that I don’t know about?”

Hi, Penny!  I’m so glad you wrote!  Yes, there really are some tricks to help your journaling come to life.  Her are five tips to get you started . . . .

1. Your journal is for your eyes only.Where can you keep you journal safely put away?  Don’t leave it out on your bed for roving eyes to see.  If necessary lock it up or password protect it if you are using a computer.
2. Do you prefer paper or a personal computer? I prefer to write on paper but I have clients who sometimes prefer to keep their journals on their computers.
3. If you are opting for a paper journal, take a shopping day to explore the fabulous possibilities for your journal.  Although any notebook might do, it is helpful to really think about what types of paper feel best to you.  Do you like coarse brown paper or fine onion skin paper . . . ?  Do you prefer lines, graph paper,  or blank pages? . . . .  Do you want inspirational sayings or journal prompts or images on the pages of your journal . . . .?  And, what do you want on the cover of your journal?
4. Speaking of your cover for your journal, you may want to decorate it yourself! Personalize it so that it represents YOU!
5. After you choose a notebook, I think your writing tools are really most important.  I find that by choosing very special pens, pencils, markers, and even crayons that are used only for  my journaling, I set the stage for my time with my journal to be very special.

Now gather your journal and writing tools and give yourself give yourself permission to journal just a bit every day.   No expectation about the nature of your writing.  No pressure to write long pros.  Just commit to putting pen / pencil to paper every day and let’s see what happens!