1 vs Many 💜 Can you keep everything in one journal?

How can we keep multiple topics in the same journal? Can we actually keep everything in one? Let's explore!

💜 Want some freebies?

💜 Related videos / links

💜 Supplies used (feat. affiliate links)

💜 Want a discount?
Relevant to this video:

💜 Wanna be part of The Team?

💜 Timestamps
0:00 - Can it be done?
0:15 - Long story short
0:28 - What I use
1:30 - Why I like multiple journals
4:16 - Why you might not
8:16 - How to keep multiple topics in one journal
12:39 - Question for you

💜 Video equipment

#jashiicorrin

[BlotBun]

The main goal of my journal was to write about my every day, but then I needed a little more organization for work with weekly layouts, so I got a planner, but then because I was using my planner I wasn't using my journal at all.. It's so hard for me to check in with 2 notebooks a day! So this year I just combined the two! Making weekly spreads every month and journaling in between them. It's been going great so far and I'm so glad I finally found a system that makes sense for me!

[Technilogica]

just starting out, i like having anything i'm gonna need in one journal just so it's right there in one spot, much less intimidating for someone with less experience

but also so i don't feel like i'm wasting journals since my time is super limited, so there isn't a ton of stuff i'm journaling right now. just three spreads per month and i'm set - a calendar with things i need to do (or other things that happened), a habit tracker, and my thoughts for the end of the month.

[Macallion]

I'm neurodiverse and struggle to keep up with daily/weekly/monthly spreads, so this year, I have a regular little premade diary for appointments and a yearly collections journal and so far, so good. I also have writing and event planning journals, both of which are carried over from prior years because they're pretty chunky, and a rough notes notebook which I just replace whenever it fills up. Also, since I am a writer, I have a little pocket ideas notebook, which I carry with me when I go out. The only other journal I usually take out is the writing one, if I'm heading out to write somewhere a bit quieter than home.

[anana]

I love this video. The way you present the pros and cons and emphasize why something works for you and might not work for others is really great.

[John_Redcornn]

I recently got into journaling. I use one for writing another journal to sketch. I work outside so it’s nice drawing things I see throughout the day. You can say one journal is for the mind and another visual.

[katheriner]

I have been doing a single bujo book at a time since 2017 as my catch-all and planner (with 3 bujos total 2017-2024 as opposed to 8 yearly planners with lots of blanks), but now I've hit the problem you mentioned where I can't remember where my collections are - I never took time to migrate them over, so they just live in my older journals. I started a one line a day this year and since I made my own - I actually have 11 years per day/page (2024-2034) and I'm excited to see that progress in a couple years. I'm also thinking of finally migrating over all my collections from my bujos into one long term collection journal aka common book - which would be a third journal... and if I'm super ambitious, maybe a fourth journal or a one line a day journal to migrate all my bujo monthly spreads into one journal from 2017-2023, since I wanted to reflect over all those years and help plan next few years (once everything moves over I could get rid of the 3 old journals plus have space for 2024, maybe 2025 etc - ultimately become my bujo minus everything else). Lastly, still pulling from the bujos and some stuff I kept - I want to do a bigger 5th journal as a scrapbook of sorts. So it might be 5 journals max, but since I only really use monthly spreads + collections, they might last me for years and years as opposed to having an archive of a bunch of bujos with everything mixed together.

That being said I still love bujo and the idea of filling in one page at a time as needed with an index in front for easy reference - the principles of bujo will basically live on, just over several books to be better organized and better as keepsakes - as opposed to having pages sprinkled with things I don't want to keep like random to do lists or tasks (I'd rather toss those things once done).

[chiknlittle]

I do all-in-one because I do have to transport my notebook daily, but my big issue with it is I couldn't possibly fit everything for the entire year in one. (I should say, my reading notebook is separate bc I don't use that everyday). I used your spread planning video to setup mine for this year and I realized...I'd need over 300 pages to make the entire year fit. So I ended up having to separate the year into 2 books. We'll see how that ends up working out. The organizer in me hates it, but it's early on so maybe that will change. :)

[mrsmoe]

I have two journals and another blank book that's just to write in as I'm working and need to think on paper. I have a day planner that I have my detailed daytime schedule as well as log for things I do on a daily basis for work -- like you mentioned, things I won't need to come back to and reference. My yearly planner has more journally type things I want to look back on at a later time. And yes, I often carry around the day planner and my blank book, which is heavy and a bit annoying, but having them with me helps keep me organized.

[AnimePrincessist]

Since I use a ring binder as my bujo I can keep everything in one place and then archive pages when they become redundant. Also helps that I can use different paper thickness depending on what it’s for. 😊 Though I admit I want to grab a second journal for my daily journaling since it does feel weird to essentially bring my diary with me everywhere. 😅

[mendyviola]

I keep different notebooks/journals for different things. Work and personal stuff are always separate. For personal, I have a planner/scheduler, and one notebook for each of my musical instruments I play to keep notes on lessons/etc as they are taken to my lessons with me are are very instrument specific. I also keep a separate reading journal, nature journal, a commonplace book for miscellaneous stuff, and an art/craft journal specifically to keep track of those projects. I do keep a small pocket notebook with me all the time to capture things that may or not make it to the other journals.

[KokoroHane]

Definitely depends what you want to use it for. For me -- in the early days when I began journaling way back in 2003 or 2004? ish when I was a pre-teen, I just had one, which was to write whatever about the day, and throughout my teenhood that's how it was -- though I did end up having a separate yellow notebook for random entries I didn't feel needed to be in the journal for some weird reason and just whatever random notes (which I kind of wish I just kept in my regular journal, which was also a notebook lol). These days now that I have gotten back into it, I currently have like 4 journals running -- 1 is my Clever Fox "Happiness Notebook" which has 3 gratitude boxes, two prompts, and a tiny space for free form writing each page
just to get me back in the habit before I jump back into long form entries. I also use the pocket self-care journal of the same brand which also doubles as my planner since it has a calendar, and the daily pages I can list my to-do list and a schedule. I'm not really a planner person and have quite an aversion to the idea for years, but I've debated on getting into it and this self-care journal is kind of my experiment if I can be consistent with it. There's a lined hardback notebook I have as a... it's an undecided journal really, right now I'm doing a 31 day journaling challenge in it so there's a new prompt a day, but I marked with the ribbon where it'd end since I use two pages per entry for the challenge, and I'll figure out eventually if this will become a regular journal or a mini commonplace book or just some sort of weird catch all for whatever doesn't fit can go in there (I even purposely left like 2 or 3 pages in the front for indexing if I ever decided to go this route lol). Lastly, there is my longest running active journal that I started in 2013, which is my Thank You journal, and it still has about a quarter pages left, so at the rate it's going, it could easily last me 2-5 more years, depending. This is my only undated journal, with the year being the only exception, as it is sectioned out by year and I just jot down any of my Thank You's that are significant to me throughout the year, it'll be interested to see what it looks like when I actually fill it up especially since it's been a friend to me for over a decade now. I even left the first two pages blank on purpose because I always think what if I want to have a cover at the beginning or some kind of index? lol. Long story short, I generally do not mind keeping more than one, if I have more than one use for a journal outside of writing about my day, how I feel, etc. I feel like I can balance two just fine, as well as any additionals that only see occassional use. I did get a dot grid notebook in case I want to start a BuJo or my own version of it, so we'll see how that goes

[taranicholson]

I started with all in one and quickly moved to 3. LYC/yearly collections, everyday and reading. Just perfect for me.

[ashleyashcraft]

I have 3 ... 1 physical and 2 electronic ... but I have found that varying the styles/ themes/Dutch doors, etc and either a table of contents or tab system or something is crucial for me using it.

My longterm stuff / to do, etc and my meal planning, freezer inventory, etc are on my phone. As well as my calendar.

My physical is for recording/documenting. So bills, finances, school schedules, garden notes, etc.

[DotedDrawings]

I've been writing a "diary" journal since I was 9 (massive diary of a wimpy kid phase) but I've developed new techniques since then. It has evolved into a sort of day-to-day life diary with trackers and bullet journals. I do this so that whenever I go somewhere, I will always have it with me- whether I want to write down something, mark on my trackers or schedule another event. I also find it easier to keep so that I don't have to go through a bunch of books to mark down stuff.

But then again you shouldn't let random strangers in the internet control your life and this is my personal opinion, do whatever is cool for you :P

[bookhuggah]

Multiple journalist here, who is also a mullet journalist in traditional orientation, and reoriented books seem like more work. I just put things in the index in the reverse order at the end of the index section with negative page numbers, or inside back cover/ on back pocket for location tags.

[sarahpurcell]

I use a 3 journal system. One functions as a calendar/planner. I'm re-attempting habit tracking this year in this one. (I keep running into the problem where a month later I no longer care about the habit tracker topic I chose. Tips?) I have a "junk journal" that is my brain dump bullet journal and everything just makes it onto a page somewhere, in no particular order, just free flow of consciousness. Then after its out of my head, I can color code or group ideas, or think about applying the bullets to specific deadlines or whether they are just loose ideas where completion time doesnt matter. And then I have "a" long form journal (technically its 3 of those, but theyre all one in my mind. They just need to be able to exist in multiple locations so i always have pen and paper when the need strikes. So they tend to be in the places i am likely to sit and/or get cozy for long periods -- by my desk, by the couch, and in my car in case the need arises out and about.)

I keep trying to go all in one but i never know how much space to save for journaling because one day i may just need a page, the next life is giving me a hard time and i need 14. Also, the junk journal/brain dump journal helps reduce copying forward to do list items week after week if theyre not actually time sensitive. It also helps reduce scratch outs because I accidentally wrote a thing in the wrong color or something. I keep telling myself it makes my planner more aesthetic... lol but somehow i still make unaesthetic errors anyway.

[LewisLittle]

I have one bujo-planner (only personal stuff goes in there, work stuff is done all-digital for ease of sharing with the team). Then I have one daily pages journal (like morning pages, except I typically write in the evening), then I have a commonplace book, for reference information, stuff I learn whilst reading or watching Youtube, ideas, inspiration etc that might be useful for my fiction writing. For this quarter I'm experimenting with combining the bujo and the daily pages into one book; I can pretty much predict how much space I will need for a week, so I've sectioned off enough pages for those weeks, plus my usual monthly logs, habit trackers and primary collections. The rest of the book will be the daily pages, but there's enough extra pages that I can add a few more collections into that section if I need to.

The commonplace book is staying separate. I'm not that crazy.

[catcreme]

I keep all my info in one journal. One for each year. There is not a lot I like to track, for my lifestyle all I need is setting up weeklies and monthly spreads to write down all my appointments and events so i don't miss something. Even my reading log is half a page for each month. It's also easier to carry around just one notebook.
But I see the appeal of having multiple notebooks, especially if you make them artistic - just another outlet to let your imagination wild.

[helenmurphy]

I always just had a v basic bujo work journal which stayed at work, and a slightly less basic personal one at home, which always lasted a full year. This year tho I've added a few more spreads (24 24s, monthly reset, books read) and quite a lot more deco. ALL the stickers 😂. Definitely using it more, but at this rate its not lasting a full year! So that'll be interesting. Having so much more fun tho 😁

[dalekblep]

Though I ADORE the idea of a big book of everything, that could absolutely never be me lol

On the daily I use: bullet journal (a glorified to-do list, really), everyday journal (idealistically 'everyday' but I at least keep track of my trackers), language learning book (approaching 3rd year of Japanese so I'm finding I need it less and less, but I ended up picking Korean back up so it'll get used anyway lol), sketchbook (freelance illustrator life)

Weekly: budget book, art courses book (almost reaching the end of that one and don't know if I'll make another one or combine language learning on one end and art-related stuff on the other)

Whenever I need them: Brainstorming book (more like a 'figure out what you can actually control to reduce your anxiety, you goon' book, but that feels a bit like a run-on title) and my writing book which is both an actual story-making book and a way to deal with my feelings through fantasy (which I guess is any type of art anyway, ain't it)

I don't actually set up my books though (bullet journal and everyday journal are the exceptions, though it stays relatively simple and takes me no more than 5 minutes each per week), my language learning one I just picked up an old repertoire I never used for school and keep it extremely messy, it's just to get the knowledge transferred in my brain!
I guess since creating is my job (and I keep my sketchbook work personal too) I don't feel the urge to be as creative as other bujoers!

Loved the ideas in this video though, Jess, incredibly insightful and educational as always!!