Documenting Days


Many of you wanted to see the way I track my days.  So without further ado, here we go!

My mornings are usually filled with chores and the gym.  As soon as I wake up I write in my journal about the day before and write a gratitude list.  Next comes the Catholic praying and reading.  Any errands that I have to run are in the morning as well.  I've been like this since the kids were little.  I would try my best to get every chore done so that I could have an hour or two in the afternoon before dinner preparations to knit.

I've noticed that going to the gym takes up a lot of my time but I do read my Kindle while walking on the treadmill so I'm happy!  I meet my trainer two times a week instead of three times a week.  I'm doing lower body exercises on my own instead.


Because all of my family are out of town, I spend considerable time on the phone.  Again, I was like this since I was a teen.  I LOVE to talk. 

One of the best ways to read a 965 page book (I'm looking at you Grant) is to write down the start and end of each reading session.  I become better motivated to chip away at the reading and see my progress. 

I'm the same with my knitting, if I have miles of stockinette to do, I will put a marker on when I begin a marathon knitting event and see my progress. 


Writing down what I do each day helps me see where I am allocating my attention.  Some days are just not great days.  When I babysit one day a week, I tend to be away from home 7 hours.  I am exhausted and cannot focus on much.  Initially I got frustrated that I'm not using the rest of the day effectively.  I had to remind myself that my babysitting day was important time with the preschooler and not every single waking hour has to be productive by my measurements.


I know when winter yields to spring my days will look differently.  I'll be outside more and have distractions.  I'm planning on a seasonal approach to my expectations and documentation in my daily planner.  I love writing down the weather and nature changes, I hope to expand on that as well.


An unforeseen motivational tool is writing with a fountain pen. What joy! I'm using a pink Lamy Safari with Dr. Zhivago Noodler's ink.  Supposedly this ink is a green/black color blend.  I cannot see the green but everyone else sees it...

I never understood the craze about fountain pens until I tried one. 



We are bracing for some crazy weather this weekend.  Stay safe where ever you are!

Do you have any tips or tricks to making your days better? 


Comments

  1. I like your journal (plain and simple) and enjoyed seeing how you document your days. My Dad was fond of writing with a fountain pen...I have never mastered using one. No tips or tricks from me - sorry. I don't document my days .....

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  2. That reminds me, I need to order some ink for my Lamy. Do you refill your cartridges? I have only purchased the pre-filled. I am so looking forward to retirement and nit needing to leave the house before 7am every day.

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  3. I don't currently document my days, but I'm thinking that this would really help me see how I'm spending my time. I could begin to focus my attention on how I'd like to be spending my days instead of feeling bad about wasting my time. Thank you for showing us!

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  4. Fountain pens make the documenting of life a true luxury! :)

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  5. I don't document my days. I guess I'm inclined to just let the days unroll as they will.

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  6. Thank you for sharing how you document your days. Your method is more suitable to my life than, say, bullet journaling. Actually, I'm not much of a journaler, but I like the idea of documentation to see how and where time goes. I lose a lot of time and sharing what my day is really like could help me understand and remember the days. Thank you! I also love fountain pens and have quite a few with different inks. Documenting would give me more of a chance to use them. Thank you, again!

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  7. Lovely that you have found a way, to document your days, which is a good thing, for you.

    I used fountain pens as a child, being "old as the hills." >,-) Bought new ones, when I was trying to write real letters to people. Love fountain pens, but you do have to be sure the paper you are using, will not 'bleed through.'

    Since I could not find others, who wanted to do Real Snail Mail, I stopped. Meaning, to them, a letter was just a couple of sentences, about the weather or some such. Not the kind of a letter, which I consider, a _letter_.

    For myself, a little To Do List... Or simply post-it notes on the frig... As much planning as I do. Oh and I do not like things on my frig, so really want to do the thing, to get the post-it note offfff. -smile-

    Enjoy your documenting!!!!!

    ♫♪•*¨*•.¸🔥💛🔥¸.•*¨*•♪♫

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  8. I love journaling too. I have never tried a fountain pen...yet. I do my journal in ink though. I like the format of your journal. What kind do you use? I do more of a bullet journal with 'to dos' on half the page and then happy thought in the other half. I like yours with the times on it.

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  9. I don't keep a journal of activity but I've always kept diaries to remind me of appointments etc. I used to like using an ink pen but haven't used one for years.

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  10. Fountain pens are the best, I have used them for years. However, since our move I can not locate my pens. I like how you document your day, something for me to look at. Stay safe this weekend and warm!

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  11. If I can check something off a list of chores/errands, journal, and knit each day, my days go better. Oh and walking each day unless it is bitter cold or slick underfoot improves my physical and mental health. I've never tried fountain pens but I am intrigued.

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  12. I haven't written with a fountain pen for years, we had to use them at school when I was a child. I am a pencil girl. I write everything in my diary in pencil, that way I can rub it out when I need to. I have a moleskine diary that on a double page spread has a calendar on one page and a notebook on the other. I write everything that we are doing in it, including times where needed, it also has my meals in in too. I don't usually have space for reflection though, it might get a bit busy if I did that too!

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  13. Thank you for sharing ! I might want to steal that idea.. ( even though I'm a little scared to face how much time I actually spend on my laptop, I guess...). Fountain pens are awesome ! I really enjowy writing with them, also because it is so much easier on my arm and hand, as with ballpoint I tend to really press on the paper and squeeze the pen.

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    Replies
    1. It is quite sobering to see massive amounts of internet time on paper!

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  14. So productive! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  15. I don't document my days but I do like to write down my blessings. Gerard is a great fan of a fountain pen and uses it all the time.

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  16. You are so smart. I like your thoughts and direction. Wish I could reach out and pet Frodo. I bought some Pilot Varsity Fountain Pens. I was going to use them in my planner but they take a while to dry. Do you have to wait long for your pen to dry?

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    1. I have to wait about 30 seconds. I did have trouble with Christmas Cards drying and found out that if the paper is heavily treated the ink is not absorbed and lays on top. I write in moleskines and that is perfectly fine and dries fast.

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  17. Hi Karen. I ventured in here from Elizabeth's blog (roosje). This post caught my attention because I've failed again (by February) to keep up daily pages in my pretty new calendar book. You inspire me to start anew as February draws to a close. :)

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