Making a junk journal is a ton of fun! It may break some people’s hearts, but at some point, you’re going to have to write in it. It may be hard to do after you’ve spent hours painstakingly choosing the materials that went into making it. It’s not easy, so you want to make sure whatever goes in there is worth it. We get it.
People with junk journals want them to be special. What you write and the things that you put in your journal will make a huge difference down the line when you go back and read through things years later.
Sometimes people have a hard time knowing what to do with a junk journal with all of the different textures, foldouts, and pockets inside.
No worries! We’ve put together this list of nine things that you can write in your junk journal to make it memorable.
Normal Journal Entries
One of the great things about junk journals is that they are so multi-faceted. You can do whatever you want with it! That means you can treat it just as you would with a normal journal. Write your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in them.
If you’re going through a difficult time, your junk journal can help get you through with the clarity you need to overcome any challenges. They are also terrific ways to celebrate important events or good things that happen to you.
Fallen in love lately? Made a new friend? Write it in the journal! You don’t have to put fancy items or always have something unique that goes in your junk journal. It’s there for you to write in as well.
Set Goals
If you’re not into regular journaling but you like the idea of keeping some sort of record of your life, then a junk journal is for you. One thing people who aren’t big on a lot of writing like to do is jot down their goals.
Whether it’s a short-term goal for a school semester or writing things like career and relationship goals, then you can take a moment and put them in your junk journal.
People who write down their goals believe deeply in the power of writing them down. Recording your goals holds you accountable and makes them more than just a fleeting thought.
Gifts From Your Children
Do you have kids? As a parent, it seems like there is always a painting, a ribbon, or some other gift that your kids want to give you. What do you do with them? Now, you can put them in your junk journal instead of sticking them on the fridge for a week or two.
It’s a great way to remember different stages in your child’s life. You can glue them onto pages or fold things up and insert them into pockets.
Pictures
Printed pictures have sort of become a rarity these days. People post everything online, and there are fewer homes now with photo albums sitting on coffee tables. Still, pictures are a fantastic addition to any junk journal.
They can say things that would take hundreds of words to express. You can freeze a moment and your emotion in time and look back on them with fondness in the future.
Inspirational Quotes
Anytime you hear something that moves you or read an inspirational quote, you can put it in your junk journal. Ideally, you’ll accompany the quote with some thoughts and feelings about why the quote means so much to you.
You don’t have to write a ton, and the quote can take up a lot of the page depending on how significant it is. Whether it’s a quote you heard on a podcast or a clip you can cut out of a magazine or book, it adds to the overall look and feel of your junk journal and makes it more unique.
Use Your Junk Journal as a Gratitude Journal
A lot of people believe in the power of gratitude. Some of the world’s most famous motivators say that gratitude eliminates jealousy, doubt, and fear.
When you’re grateful, it’s almost impossible to be sad, resentful, and to feel other negative emotions.
People make thinking of things they are grateful for as part of their daily morning routine. It helps them create a positive mindset for the day. You can do that in written form with your junk journal. Start writing three or four things you’re grateful for every day.
If you’ve been having a hard time with things at work or in your personal life lately, then the gratitude journal can help give you some perspective. Whether it’s your friends, family, a tasty meal, or anything else, expressing gratitude is fantastic for establishing a positive, forward-looking mindset.
You can also go back through your junk journal to see how far you’ve come since you started.
Memorialize Events
One thing people like to save their junk journals for is to memorialize important life events. If you’re cautious about what you put in your journal because it means so much to you, then you can save it for things like anniversaries, the day your child was born, weddings, funerals, and other important events.
Doing this makes your journal a sort of map of your life, with only the most important events listed inside.
Tickets & Travel
There are still times where you’ll get paper items that you want to keep, and keeping them in your junk journal is an ideal way of keeping them for memory’s sake. Whether it’s a plane ticket you have from an amazing vacation or that time you saw your first Broadway play, pockets in junk journals are the perfect place to keep them.
You can keep your child’s first report card, or commendations you get from work. Insert your business’ first check that you received or that amazing concert you went to with friends. Anything goes!
Paper Collage Journal Entries
If you are looking for a way to mix things up with your journal entries, then paper collages are something you can try.
A lot of people love the way cut-out words look on paper, and, though it may take a little more time than writing with a pen, cutting out words from newspapers and magazines to express your thoughts and feelings is a nice artistic touch.
You can find words of different sizes to make things look interesting. There are always different fonts and colors in magazines, and you can use them to express your feelings, record events, or set goals.
Final Words
Part of junk journaling is finding new ways to create and record memories. It’s not a normal journal, so things can take more time.
That’s OK! Junk journaling is more about the experience, and when you go back and read old entries, you’ll remember how you felt at the time and what made you keep that note a friend gave you or why you clipped that specific quote that is pasted on one of the pages.
Have fun with the journal. It’s going to become a metaphor for your life. Sometimes things look amazing, and sometimes they can get a little bit messy. It’s all part of the experience.