What is it?

World, meet my One Line a Day Journal, who I will hereafter refer to as “Johnny”, for the sake of simplicity. Let’s start with the basics- what the heck is a One-Line-A-Day-Journal?

It’s exactly what it sounds like. The book consists of three hundred and sixty five pages, each day getting it’s own page. It’s set up so that in one year, you use ⅕ of a page for each daily entry. The following year, you do the same thing except directly below the previous year enabling you to see exactly one happened on that same day, 365 days before.

Yes, this is my actual journal and proof of my ongoing introvert vs. extrovert conflict

Why this is worth your time and investment:

To first expand just how important Johnny is- he has probably been my most consistent companion over the last three years. He’s been there for my high school graduation, a number of travel excursions, (South Africa, Spain, Costa Rica, Zimbabwe), my episode of severe depression, my first years of college, a number of heartbreaks and everything in between.

To compare this to the average journal, you are not responsible to write an entire paragraph to record every second of your day. This literally forces you to pick the most paramount happenings or thoughts.

The most fascinating thing has been to see how my responsibilities, interests and relationships have changed. Johnny has witnessed the dramatic rifts in friendships as well as the few spurring moments that have turned in to my most important relationships. I love being able to look back and think, “Wow, what the heck was I thinking?” He’s been tangible proof of how I’ve matured in some ways (and still haven’t in others).

In previous articles, I’ve touched on indulging in each and every emotion. Journaling has taught me the beauty in how transitory times can be. Somehow, I’ve become much more patient for the more bigger things in life, such as graduating college or a certain holiday the next year. It’s more so the realization that hey, this will happen eventually! Instead of becoming anxious over something that hasn’t even happened yet, it’s more important to enjoy what’s in front of me.

Given that, I’ve learned that it’s only a matter of time before anything, good or bad, comes to an end. That sounds rather pessimistic, but it’s important to note that this isn’t a horrendous thing. In fact, it’s that knowledge that makes life worth living. If I fully understand that this moment will come to a close sooner than I believe, it’s worth losing oneself to that short time.

Is it difficult to keep up with?

The responsibility of writing every day for the next five years seems incredibly daunting, to say the least. I would definitely accredit this consistency to one of my friends that doubted I would last even a month. Three years later and here we are.

Keeping up with this journal is only a matter of making it a habit. You can take the nightly approach and write every night or revisit the previous day in the morning time.

Granted, it’s easy to forget/simply not feel like writing. When I travel or just don’t want to get my journal out, (incredibly indolent, I know), I take a quick note on my phone and then later go back and write it down.

You could make the argument that this could entirely be done on a computer, sure. In a world where literally everything is digitized, I appreciate that which I can physically hold. A One-Line-A-Day journal will not only provide documentation of how you’ve grown, but also a palpable memory to revisit for years to come.

Where can I buy one?!

These little journals are available everywhere! You could buy a normal book and do the same thing yourself but I like that this is already formatted and has a fixed space for me to write everyday (as it also prevents me from writing too much). You can buy them at Barnes & Noble, Walmart, or Amazon! It shouldn't be more than a $15-20 investment, but the memories it will carry are absolutely priceless.

Happy Journaling! :)