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I do not have it together enough to do the regimented bullet journal thing nor am I equipped with a workshop of washi tape colors and stationary stickers for those beautiful journals that are more like scrapbooks than notes. What I am capable of is word vomiting directly into a random and unattractive notebook every passing thought, borrowed scrap of inspiration, or theoretical weekly exercise routine I am experimenting with. I think this lowbrow mess is the most rewarding type of journaling beyond doing it for an actual therapeutic purpose. When a bunch of librarians I work with told me this genre of journal has a name and a history going back to the Renaissance I was delighted. My common place books are ugly and valid!!
Apr 1, 2024
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Ive tried journalling and keeping a diary. it never worked for me and it doesnt for a lot of people. it was probably cause i always felt like it needed to have an aesthetic or look like the ones on pinterest.
But there arent any real expectations for a commonplace notebook. anything that comes to my mind, or i see something that i think is cool, i just write/draw/paste it into my notebook.
2d ago
I got myself in a pickle by having multiple journals/notebooks dedicated to specific purposes. I ended up not writing in any of them because they were never nearby when I needed them. So now I have one. If I want to write, it goes in here. If I want to scrapbook, it goes in here. If I want to sketch, it goes in here. Not as ecclectic as I hoped at the moment (it's mostly journaling and creative writing), but the point is these pages have no expectations.
Nov 13, 2024
I gave up social media for Lent and got annoyed whenever I had to reactivate the first few weeks because I wanted to copy out a recipe, the name of a painting I forgot, a book a friend had suggested, etc. When I was on the bus a few weeks later, I reread Elisa Gabbertās essay āNotes on Keeping a Notebook,ā which outlines her own experiences with a commonplace book / the utility and beauty of writing down small details. I started using a little goatskin-bound one I bought online a few years ago and havenāt looked back since. I never leave the house without it and spend more time leafing through that than checking for texts when Iām out & about now.
Mar 21, 2024
Top Recs from @bumbythefool
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Iām sick of feeling powerless so my new coping strategy is to not let a stupid system bully me into quiet despair. Iām learning how to use my stateās General Assemblyās online bill tracker and Iām subscribing to email updates for the agendas and the public hearings of the legislative committees Iām most concerned about. Iām memorizing all my legislatorsā names and emailing and calling regularly.
Also: Check to see if your stateās Legislative Library has Libguides that explain in laymanās terms what bills are passing in your state and other educational/legislative resources you have freely available to you!!!
Nov 20, 2024
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Iām up in my bank account every week writing every transaction out in a spreadsheet and Iāve never been better with money in my whole life. Also helped me notice asap when a whole mess of fraudulent transactions slipped in while I was occupied moving and otherwise wouldnāt have seen them for a while. Itās absolutely more effective than a Mint budget tracker because you have to confront EVERY purchase and contemplate what actually has value to you.
Jan 6, 2025
This dorky looking thing which was apparently distributed by Starbucks in some bygone era is a surprisingly delightful folk rock playlist. Nick Drake is Track 2. Also featuring Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan and so on. I got it for a quarter. Thank you Goodwill.
Dec 18, 2024