For all of 2015, I kept a tiny Moleskine journal next to my bed. It’s one of those page-a-day journals, with the pre-printed date at the top of each page. At five and a half inches tall by three and a half inches wide – it had just enough space to record what I did that day.
Moleskine is way too overpriced – I don’t need something so fancy just to write down what I do everyday. So for 2016 I got just a regular blank book – a quarter of the price, larger – a more typical eight by six inches – and without the pre-printed date. I kept it by the bed – with the same pen as before.
There are probably twenty or so blank pages in the 2015 journal – days I missed because I was away from home.
Most of the 2016 journal is blank.
Why? Is it the size? It takes only a dozen words to fill the page of the tiny journal – far less intimidating and makes it easy to justify the occasional, “What a blah day – nothing happened” entry. Is it the pre-printed date? The pressure of knowing that that page will remain forever blank if I don’t take the time now before I switch off the light to write down what made today unique?
Whatever the reason – I’ve learned that the Moleskine journal does exactly the job it is meant to do – it makes me write down what happened that day.
You might me wondering, why is writing down the events of the day important to me?
The entry from November 29th 2015:
Tonight’s Doctor Who was excellent.
Mostly just watched doc. about the Roosevelts today.
Back to my routine tomorrow for 4 days – then I have to work =(
That was a real day – but nothing momentous happened. Without those three lines, it wouldn’t exist anymore. Now it will last for as long as I hold on to that journal. And that is good.
Certainly worth $19.95.
Mind of a Mouse 