THE 30-DAY JOURNAL ABOUT THE LAST YEAR: DAYS 6-30

For the rest of the month, we are going to capture as much from the last year as possible in our journals in order to leave a legacy. Moreover, we are going to try to learn from the last year and figure out what all we want to journal more about in the upcoming months and year.

Make sure to take out your journals form the last year, along with your calendar and planner. 

Read them. Re-read them. Jot down anything in your latest journal that captures your attention as you review your previous journals and calendar, along with what you want to write more about in the future. 

MEMORY SNAPSHOT JOURNALING: DAYS 6-20

On Days 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17, 18-20--complete the entire Journaling Exercise below. On other words, for example, on Days 6-8, you'll do the 4 steps below. Then, on Days 9-11, you'll do it again with new memories, etc. I am sure you get the idea. 

~ 1 List in your journal at least 5 memories of the past year you have or haven't mentioned previously. Give each of the 5 memories a memory title, date (or at least approximate season or month as well as year), how old you were, a paragraph description, and how it's shaped your life.

~ 2 Choose 3 of the memories and write a page about each. List the 6 senses of: discernment/intuition, smell, sound, taste, touch, and sight. Also, answer who, what, where, when, why, how, and what-if questions to that memory. (You may also choose to do a SOC about them as well.)

~ 3 Choose 2 of the memories which stand out to you the most and take 3-7 snapshots/photos of the memory with your imaginary camera. If the memory is crystal clear and you remember lots of detail, make it 7 snapshots. If it's foggy, make it 3. If it's in-between, you decide how many snapshots. Then, describe each in your journal. This will add about a paragraph per snapshot per memory.

~ 4 Take 1 snapshot from each memory and write it from the perspective of a stranger who's looking into the moment. Remember, the stranger doesn't know any of the people or events in the snapshot until the stranger sees this snapshot for the first time. Be descriptive. 

YOUR CHOICE: DAYS 21-30

Do at least 3 of the prompts below each day for Days 21-30. Do A SOC, do a list, or whatever you desire--a minimum of 10 minutes per prompt. Make sure to jot down any future journaling you want to do as well. These prompts are:

~ What were your favorites this year?

~ What were you least favorites this year?

~ What people were in your life this year?

~ What good times did you have?

~ What challenging times did you have?

~ What books did you read? 

~ What TV shows did you watch?

~ What movies did you see?

~ What were your favorite songs?

~ What did you do with each holiday?

~ What was memorable?

~ What lessons did you learn?

~ What happened in the news?

~ How were you finances?

~ Make any big purchases this year?

~ Did you do any redecorating in your home?

~ Describe your home from the alst year.

~ Describe your work from the last year.

~ What were your favorite meals?

~ Where were you favorite places to go?

~ What goals did you accomplish this year? (Remember that goals are the steps needed to be fulfilled in order to lead to your dream coming true.)

~ What dreams did you start to dream?

~ What dreams did you work on fulfilling through reaching what goals?

~ What were the funny moments?

~ What were the frustrating moments?

~ What were the sad moments?

~ What were the enraging moments?

~ What were the stressful moments?

~ What did you learn about yourself and your life this year?

~ What happened in your singlehood, widowhood, or marriage this year--the good, bad, and in-different?

~ What places did you go this year (movies, museums, etc.)?

~ Where did you travel this year? 

~ What did you do for vacations this year?

~ What did you do for time-off?

~ How did you invest in your future this year?

~ What did you learn about your past this year?

~ Any other prompt you can come up with. 

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Author

The Remembering Your Present Journal Keeping Series

Email: storykeeper2121@gmail.com

Bookstore: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction

dba Remembering Your Present, LLC & Storykeeper 2121

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.) 

Journaling Retreat

PLANS

I am taking a 3-Day Journaling Retreat this week (Wednesday-Friday). I will also do two days next week, but am not sure which days at this point. I am doing it from home, by the way.

WHAT IS A JOURNALING RETREAT?

So, what is a Journaling Retreat exactly? It's when you take one day to ten days of focused time to do nothing but journal. I plan on a minimum of 8 hours per day. 

PLANNING A JOURNALING RETREAT

As a matter of fact, I have taken my planner/calendar out at least five years and have my plans for my Journaling Retreats on it already. I do at least an one-day journaling retreat each month. And I sprinkle 2 to 10 days each month throughout the year. (For example, January might have a 7-day retreat, February a 3-day, March a 10-day, etc. I hope you get the idea.) Then, once a year, I go out another 2 to 3 years in my planner. 

If you work full time and have children, it might be difficult to commit to 8-hours per day. Do at least double of what you normally journal. And, do not let anything stop you from journaling--even if you have to give up sleep. You will find the energy you get from taking a journaling retreat will fuel your body and soul. However  do at least 5-days of a 24/7 journaling retreat once a year, along with a 2-day and 3-day.

I get my journaling retreats on my calendar so that nothing, other than hospital visit or death, can prevent me from going on one. There is no other excuse to stop me from journaling. Period.

WHY DO I PLAN MY RETREATS YEAR IN ADVANCE?

Schedules fill up quickly. Time passes quicker than we realize. That's why. 

HOW TO DO A JOURNALING RETREAT

~ Take the total amount of hours that you plan to do for this journaling retreat and divide by three. Write that figure and amount of time down. Each third represents: Past, Present, and Future.

~ PAST: Look at your past journaling entries, and your Journaling Reviews in particular. Do a Journaling Review Template on them. Do a SOC (Stream of Consciousness Journaling). Make sure to write down more past memories. Do journaling about several of your past memories. Expand these memories and their accompanying journal entries. Where have you come from? What have you experienced? How was your journaling? what have you learned?  Also, do whatever you desire. 

~ PRESENT: Where are you today? If you could live the perfect life today, what would it look like? What would it take for you to accomplish this feat? If you could do the perfect journaling today, what would it look like? What would it take for you to accomplish this feat? How is your journaling in the present? Do several SOCs. Do several journaling prompts and exercises.

~ FUTURE: Where do you want to be in the next month, 3-months, 6-months, year, 2-years, 5-years, 10-years, 20-years, 25-years, 30-years, and every 10 years thereafter? What are your dreams? What's your bucket list?  If you could live the perfect life in the future, what would it look like? What would it take for you to accomplish this feat? If you could do the perfect journaling in the future, what would it look like? What would it take for you to accomplish this feat? How is your journaling in the future? Do several SOCs. Do several journaling prompts and exercises.

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Author

The Remembering Your Present Journal Keeping Series

Email: storykeeper2121@gmail.com

Bookstore: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction

dba Remembering Your Present, LLC & Storykeeper 2121

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online.)

MORE MEMORY MINING JOURNALING EXERCISE

Take inventory of your stories. All of them. Make lists of each memory that comes to mind. Do this every day--including new memories and observations you made that day.

As memories come to you, make sure to get them down on the page.

Then, in time, write a paragraph of each and every memory you have.

As you find the time, journal 2 paragraphs of each memory, and then 3 paragraphs of each memory. Finally, of the most important memories, write 1-page or more of each memory.

Stacy Duplease
Journalkeeper & Author

The Remembering Your Present Journal Keeping Series

Email: storykeeper2121@gmail.com

Bookstore: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hisfiction

dba Remembering Your Present, LLC & Storykeeper 2121

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online)

MORE MEMORY MINING JOURNALING EXERCISE

Take inventory of your stories. All of them. Make lists of each memory that comes to mind. Do this every day--including new memories and observations you made that day.

As memories come to you, make sure to get them down on the page.

Then, in time, write a paragraph of each and every memory you have.

As you find the time, journal 2 paragraphs of each memory, and then 3 paragraphs of each memory. Finally, of the most important memories, write 1-page or more of each memory.

(Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online)

LISTS TO JOURNALING ENTRIES JOURNALING EXERCISE (FROM: FUTURE JOURNALING AND MEMORIES TO MINE LISTS)

Jot down lists, sentences, paragraphs, snapshots--and anything and everything that comes to mind that you want to explore throughout your day every day.

After all, this is where you get the material to mine your memories. It can also be called your Future Journaling Lists.

Jot down memories, thoughts, questions, ideas, dreams, goals, experiences, challenges, happy times, questions, challenges, lessons learned, people, places, things/objects, etc. Get it all down on the page in a form of a list or in paragraphs.. 

Later, you will go back to them and write more about them--as you are led. 

Make sure to mark these as Memories to Mine Lists or as Future Journaling Lists.

Then, every couple days (and at the very least once a week), go through these lists and do a longer journal entry on at least three items from the Memories to Mine or Your Future Journaling Lists. SEE THE MINING YOUR MEMORIES WITH LISTS JOURNALING EXERCISE here: 

http://storykeeper2121.blogspot.com/2012/11/mining-your-memories-with-lists.html

Do the previous journaling exercise--again--once every couple days (ideally) to once a week (at the least). 

~ Stacy Duplease

(Image Credit: Stacy Duplease 2012.)