Word-a-Day Journal 2011

I created the idea for a Word-a-Day Journal for 2009 as an attempt to have a journal so easy I couldn't help but keep it through the entire year. Well, it turned out not to be so. Even though it was only one word, or maybe because it was, I put so much energy into choosing each one that by June, I was exhausted and abandoned the project. I came across an extra set and decided to try again for 2011. This time I am going to use it for self-improvement by using the word of the day from thesaurus.com. Recently I was looking for a synonym and found that the word of the day was caliginous (dark, misty, gloomy) and wondered how I had survived so long without it. So here's to a new year filled with new words.



May I suggest that you number the pages for each month with pencil before you begin. You start immediately on the reverse side of the cover. Thirty-one day months will need you to use all the pages and the back cover.

Word-A-Day Journal Report

Here's what I've been doing with my Word-A-Day Journal. Each day I write one word that is very specifically related to something I did that day. Sometimes I miss a few days but I do go back and fill in. After I skipped two pages by mistake, I now put the number of the day in the corner of each page at the beginning of the month. After the month ends, I go back and write a little bit on each page so I will remember the significance of the word and sometimes I add a very quick little drawing. I've posted some pictures on the Word-A-Day flickr group. You have to be a flickr member to join and the photos are available for viewing only to those who sign up for the Word-A-Day Journal group.

If you'd like to make your own, you can find my youtube tutorial here. I started at the beginning of the new year, but you can start at any time. Perhaps the first day of spring? Several correspondents have also mentioned giving them as birthday gifts.

Word-A-Day Journal

I have always loved the idea of faithfully keeping a journal with something written or drawn for each day of the year. In practice it has never worked. I decided that I might have a chance if I only had to write one word a day and that it was important to keep it small and simple so I wouldn't be tempted to start more elaborately and then quit because I couldn't live up to the expectation. I designed a series of small books, one for each month, that go in a box made from a cereal box. My plan is to write the word at around the same time every day, probably before I start to get dinner ready. I like the idea of deciding on the word that will sum up the day. We shall see.



Patterns