I’m starting a new journal this year, and as I work in it I’m thinking about a list of all the different things I’d like to put in it. Not only do I want to write about the experiences I’ll be having in 2020, but I also want to start making some lists! Lists are a great way to not only reflect on the person you were in that moment, but it can also lay out some ideas of things to accomplish or inspiration for the future.
Here are some list ideas that you can incorporate into your journal. These work well for bullet journals, standard journals, art journals – anything, really!
Goals.
Goals for the day, month, week, year, and beyond. Shorter term lists may look more like to-do lists, but they work towards a longer-term goal, right?
Bucket lists.
You might not be looking to acheive all of these things in this time, but bucket lists are fun to reflect on. When you look back on bucket lists, you may have checked off a few. Or maybe you no longer want to do some of them!
Movies / TV Shows to Watch.
This is a spread I’m making soon. There’s so many adaptations I’d love to see, although I’m not much of a TV person! That being said, making a list like this will help me keep track.
Books to Read.
Since I have my own reading journal, I already have a similar list – anticipated releases! If you have a lot of books you’re thinking about reading, you can list them and cross them off here.
Books Read.
This is also a list I have. It’s fun to reflect on all the books you read in a year – especially in visual form! I use the bookshelf spread as it’s fun to go back and color in the spines as they are read.
Places to Go.
If you like to travel (or want to), this is a perfect idea for you. You can make a list of the places you want to see in the world. You can also keep this list more local if there are some nearby places you want to go to. For an added touch, you can elaborate on why you’d like to go to these places and what you would do there.
Playlists.
Have you been listening to the same few songs on repeat? Or maybe you’re putting a playlist together for an upcoming roadtrip? Playlist spreads are fun to look back on because the music you listened to in that era speaks a lot to who you were in that point in time. It can also bring up lots of great memories.
Journal List or Spread Ideas.
I’m going a bit meta here, but it is something I’ve done before! If there are spreads I wanted to make in the future I’d write them down so I’d remember for later.
Songs or Bands to Listen to.
I often get lots of recommendations for people to listen to, so it’s helpful to keep these all in one place! Maybe you don’t get recommendations, but you do see some artists that you’re interested in listening to. Try writing them down and giving them a listen one day!
Favorite Quotes.
I often come across quotes I like, but before journaling, I had no place to put them. You could list these, or create a sort of “word cloud” but with quotes instead. Have fun with it!
Seasonal Bucket Lists.
I used to do these in the old version of my blog, these are basically things that you want to do before each season ends. Maybe you want to take a trip to the beach this summer, or go to three new coffee shops this winter. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are my old posts from Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.
Words Learned.
Whenever I come across a new word in a book I’m reading, I always look it up. I think it would be interesting to create a list of words I’ve been learning, or some sort of word cloud to make it more interesting.
Memories.
These were some of my favorites spreads in my previous journals. They were spreads of all the good things that happened in that year, and they’re great to look back on, especially if you’re feeling down one day.
Things You’re Grateful For.
I love practicing gratitude, and I think everyone should give this a try. Aim for a big list – 50-100 at least! – and keep on listing things. All of the little things in life especially count!
Games to Play.
If you enjoy playing games, this could be a fun spread. This could be board games, card games, video games, other games, or a combination! You could also use this list and get some friends together and try them out.
Story Prompts.
I used to write a lot of stories as a kid and into my teens, but lately I’ve lost a little bit of that creativity and imagination. I recently bought a story prompts journal, but you can also find prompts all over the internet. Sometimes these are one-word prompts, others start off a story. You could keep these in your journal in list form, and pick one up at a later time when you want to write.
Top Ten Lists.
Or really, any “Top X” List. This could be anything, from Top Ten Things I Love about the Summer, to Top 5 Things I Did This Month.
Interesting Websites.
Because sometimes, you find some really interesting (or weird) finds on the Internet. Why not document them?
Swatches.
This could be pens, markers, washi tapes, lipsticks, nail polishes – whatever you got! This is technically a list, right?
Things You Want to Try.
Maybe there’s a class offered at your local library, or a hobby that you’re interested in. Sometimes it’s fun to branch out, and if you’re always looking to try new things, you might be looking to document them. This could also double as products you want to try.
Favorites.
This might be a “wrap-up” of sorts, but you could make a list of things you’ve been loving lately. Remember the “Monthly Favorites” videos from lifestyle YouTube channels? Something like that. This could be a combination of shows you’ve been loving, a recipe that you’ve been cooking a ton lately, or that new lipstick you bought that’s become your go-to.
Make a “Why I Want To…” List.
When I was working on my fitness and nutrition goals, it was important to understand why I wanted to reach the goals that I did. So if you have a big goal or aspiration ahead of you, you may want to make a list of why that’s so important to you. It ends up being very insightful and a good first step to reaching your goals!
A List of Habits You’d Like to Implement.
If you’re planning some new goals, listing some habits you’d like to implement to reach these goals is a good start. Additionally, you can write about how these habits will help you reach your goals so that you can make them more attainable.
Wishlists.
If you have a list of things you’re thinking about buying, put them in a wishlist. This is especially helpful if you’re an impulse buyer, as you can return to this list and decide whether you really wanted what you wrote down.
Daily Highlights.
If you’d like to record your day but don’t have a lot of time to emphasize, you can list some things that happened that day. Sort of like a highlight (or blooper) reel, you can list in bullet points all of the significant (or possibly less significant) parts of the day. This is also an interesting deviance in format if you usually write out life events in your journal.
Things to Research.
Are you ever working on something and come up with some idea or question that you can’t stop thinking about? Additionally, is it someting that you want to spend a lot of time on? No? Just me? Okay. But really, if this is you, have a “brain dump” page of things you want to look up or search about later. Additionally, you can save some blank pages after to summarize what you learned!
Interesting Things You’ve Learned Recently.
On a similar note, if you learned something new, from an interesting/fun fact to something life-changing, write that in a list too. These kinds of lists can especially be fun to look back on.
Self-Care List.
Make a list of all the things you like to do to practice self-care. Refer back to it when you need it!
Food / Drink / Restaurants / Cafes to Try.
If you’re a foodie and like to cook new things or go to new places to grab something to eat, give this a try. Additionally, you can write (and rate) your experience.
Podcasts to Listen to.
This is definitely one that I need in my journal as I get recommendations all the time! If you’re big into podcasts, give this one a go to. I think I will try a rating system with my list as well!
What You’re Currently…
I feel like I’ve seen these all over the Internet ten years ago, but they can still work well in your journal! Make a list of what you’re currently…
- Feeling?
- Eating?
- Drinking?
- Watching?
- Reading?
- Doing?
- Etc.
Favorite / Go-To Outfits.
My sister gave me this large post-it note pad that is literally just dedicated to planning out outfits, but it’s something that you could put in your journal too! It would especially be interesting to look back on, as my style has evolved quite a bit over the past few years, and perhaps yours has too!
Self-Discovery Prompts.
In past journals I loved using self-discovery prompts. There are so many out there on the web that you can use, too! However, if you’re spending time journaling without any digital distractions, you may just want a few in your journal already so that you can work with them later. Write a few that you want to work on answering in your journal, and once you’re ready to start some, you’ll have some right there.
A List of Praise You’ve Received.
I read once that an especially good way to overcome imposter syndrome is to keep notes of all the good praise you’ve received. This includes any positive comments and affirmations or encouragement, so when you’re feeling down you have the proof that you’re doing well. A journal page is a good place to list these things, so you know where they’re stored when you need it (as opposed to post-it notes everywhere!).
Ideas.
Maybe you have an idea for a project, a website, or even a business? Write that down and think on it.
Things that Make you Feel…
Anxious? Angry? Sad?
If you’re trying to work through some emotions and not sure of the root cause, a list may be a good place to start. Then you can elaborate on why you feel this way to discover the cause of it all.
(Also, consider a list of things that make you happy!)
Birthdays.
This is moreso a list that I keep in my planner, but it is so helpful when I go to fill out my monthly spreads. Separate birthdays (and anniversaries) by month and you’ll always be prepared!
Post Ideas.
Do you have your own blog, Instagram, maybe even a YouTube channel? It’s helpful to keep a backlog of ideas for when you’re feeling stuck and unsure what to post about.
“To-Don’t” Lists.
If you’re trying to kick a bad habit (a no-spend is the first thing that comes to mind), writing them down can help create more specifics and help you break those bad habits.
List Your Intentions.
What do you want to do? Who do your want to be? What adjectives would you use to describe your ideal self? List those on a page and refer back to it when you need to.
Things to Give.
Every year I like to make a running list of gift ideas for friends and family. This helps me put together some thoughtful gift ideas (and prevents me from scrambling at the last minute!).
