How many kinds of journals are out there for you? Let me count the ways…
With the dawn of on demand printing, authors of all sorts can now publish their own journals. You can find themed or guided journals, in-depth journals that feel more like workbooks, and of course, good old-fashioned blank books.

Guided journals or workbooks are great. I’ll explain more about why I think so in next week’s post. For today though, let’s meander through a list of reasons that make a plain ol’ fashioned blank book a fantastic place to journal.

Awesomeness living inside your blank books:

1. No prompts or guidance – it is 100% completely your own.
2. Your blank book is a rule free zone. You can write BIG or small, up or down, backwards, in color, make shapes with your words, whatever.
3. Analogies for the blank page are plentiful. The blank page is the canvas for the masterpiece of your life, the stage on which you perform, the empty bowl for the cake of a lifetime, the white board of joy.
4. There is unlimited space in your blank book. (Until you fill your blank book…) Which means free flow writing is not limited. Blank books cousin, workbook, often has set amounts of writing space.
5. Free flow writing has healing powers. Writing and journaling, good for the heart, the more you ink, the more you…
6. Blank books still come in a variety of choices. Unlined. Lined. Dotted. Graphed. Which one floats your boat?
7. You can structure a blank book the way you’d like. Want to try bullet journaling? Watch some videos and learn how to setup your pages with the bullet journal philosophy and give it a shot. You can draw in your own calendar pages. Or turn the book around and flip it over and keep two journals in one.
8. You can open a blank book and start using it for anything you want. Make a to-do list. Write some notes about getting your tasks done. Write contact numbers in the pages. See a recipe in a magazine at the doctor’s office? Write it down in your blank book. Do a self check in every day at noon answering the same three questions, for example: How am I feeling today? What is my top priority today? What will I do for fun today?
9. Blank books, like all journal, can be stored for a long time. They can help you to build your sense of a legacy. They can also, if need be, be burned up easily.

There is one drawback to blank books that is worth mentioning. It’s related to number three on the list above.

A blank book can be like a blank canvas or an empty stage – what if you are timid about painting? Or get horrible stage fright?

The truth is that sometimes we are timid. Shy. A little spooked by the voices in our head.

At a deep level, we may just be a little afraid of what they will tell us if we start peeling back the layers.

We may learn that we are no longer in love with our job, spouse, friends, etc. And if we pay attention to those voices, they may want us to do something about that.

So, the blank page, on a subconscious level, terrifies the living daylights out of us, because who has time for change?

And yet…the beauty of the blank book is that if you discover that you have some of those thoughts or fears, then you might start to write about them. You might pay attention to how you feel. You might come up with new standards for what is acceptable and unacceptable in your life. And before you know it, you just might have an idea that turns into a plan. A plan that turns into action. And actions that create a daily life that feels so damn good, you’ll hop out of bed in the morning, ready to dive into another day.

If we look at writing in our blank book like that, as a realm of possibility, maybe those blank pages aren’t so scary after all.

Like this article? Please feel free to use it on your own blog or newsletter. I simply ask that you please include this blurb:
Sara Marchessault is a writer, publisher, teacher, and mom who is on a mission to increase joy on the planet. Through the practice of self-reflection, we become aware of what brings us joy and what does not, and we make choices to move forward or stand still. Journal writing is a powerful reflection tool that can help any of us move forward, even in the darkest of times. To learn more about Sara and her work in the world, please visit saramarchessault.com.