On Maintaining Multiple Journals at the Same Time

When I started with the Bullet Journal Method, I had kept just one notebook. One notebook to keep all of my plans, thoughts, and memories – that was the core idea of the bullet journal anyway. So when I encountered other bullet journalists who had other journals, I was slightly baffled.

I was a strong advocate of keeping everything in one notebook up until I started documenting more and more things by hand. As much as I wanted to keep everything in one place, it just came to a point where I didn’t think the bullet journal was enough.

Read: Lost Without Lists

I keep at least 3 notebooks that serve different purposes and all of them are regularly updated and maintained. Ever wondered how that is done? Here are a few tips that might help you.

Ask yourself: Do you need multiple journals?

This might be the first thing you should ask yourself – do you need all of these journals or can you just cram everything in one – a la Bullet Journal?

We stationery geeks love our notebooks and more often than not, have a spare one lying around. Sometimes we like to use all of these notebooks and find a different purpose for each. Sure, there are a lot of ways to use a blank notebook but the real question is… do you need it?

Before you take on another journal, just try to make sure that you start one with intention. Is this journal supposed to spew out your thoughts or is it just something that you found interesting on Pinterest?

If you are certain that you need another journal, then keep reading.

Assign a purpose for each journal or notebook

Each journal needs to have a clear purpose of objective. Do you need to keep a sketchbook? A dream journal? A commonplace book? Giving each notebook a purpose is like setting a goal. If you know exactly what you are supposed to be writing there, you will be able to

I keep 3 types of journals: Bullet Journal, Morning Pages, and the Ink Journal.

1. Bullet Journal – my main notebook which I take everywhere with me.
2. Morning Pages – long-form journaling. This notebook stays at home because it contains my innermost thoughts.
3. Ink Journal – where I catalog my fountain pen ink collection

Read: Brilliant Ways to Use a Blank Notebook

Because I have a clear idea of what these journals are for, I am aware of how and when I need to use them.

I have a Hobonichi Techo planner book that I purchased on a whim. I started the year with writing quotes from movies or books and then I started to use it for Rock Your Handwriting. I have not used that notebook since April and it has already started to gather dust. You see, because I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with that notebook, I quickly abandoned it.

Label your journals

Apart from giving each journal a purpose, labeling them or listing them down might help. Labels can serve as a reminder for you so you are aware of the types of planners/journals/notebooks you keep up with. Our memory isn’t the best, so better write that down.

I have seen some journalers who keep more than 10 journals with different purposes. They don’t get lost in their own collections because they know what each is for.

Listing these down and labeling isn’t a tedious task, so no time is really lost. And hey, if you love labeling, then this would be a great excuse to use that label maker of yours.

The Ad hoc Journals

Remember: you don’t have to write on all of them every single day. A journal doesn’t necessarily have to be updated as regularly as a diary or a planner. Some journals are only used when the need arises. I like to think of these types of journals as Ad hoc journals – meaning that they are only required for a given situation.

Take my Ink Journal for example – it’s merely a catalog of my fountain pen ink collection. I only update it whenever I buy a new bottle of ink or ink sample.

Some journals that fall under this category are film journals, book journals, or recipe journals. In fact, Moleskine has a line of journals that cater to these “passions”.

Set some time to journal

Keeping one journal can sometimes be a challenge in itself. A journal will take some of your time and will require some form of diligence. I always give this advice to people who are interested in the whole “journaling thing”. You will need to dedicate a few minutes of your time, no excuses.

Read: How to Get Into the Habit of Long-form Journaling

I keep 3 journals and spend most of my time with the Bullet Journal and the Morning Pages. I typically spend 30 to 45 minutes for my morning pages and then maybe 5 minutes initially with the bullet journal. Making time to journal won’t be the easiest thing to do especially if you are always on-the-go or have a sporadic schedule so maybe you can try to schedule your journaling sessions.

Having multiple active journals is feasible and can be done successfully. In my experience, I feel that it is all about knowing the purpose of each journal.

I have failed to update one journal notebook that I absolutely love – the Hobonichi Techo. I love the paper and I love the style but I didn’t give it a true purpose. I was able to use it during the first few months but then I lost sight of the content I wanted in that journal. I still do not know what to do with that expensive notebook, as of writing.