Last year, maybe because of my interest in content creators who don't have cell phones, my YouTube recommendations seemed to be trying to give me a new hobby: journaling. It isn't alone: there are articles everywhere about its various benefits, and, regardless of how true they are, I definitely think it can be useful to write down your thoughts sometimes. But I'm also lazy.
Well, not always... (click arrow to expand sidenotes)
Last december (12/24) I challenged myself to complete 750 words of writing (on the aptly named 750words.com) every day. I had a lot of problems in my life at the time, and I think it helped me get my mind around them. But it also really, really sucked sometimes. That's a lot of writing to try to fit in, especially with the amount of family obligations in December. I did it though! It's the first month-long challenge I ever completed (and not for lack of trying!) I was (and am) so proud of myself for doing it that I guess I'm devoting a pragraph to it now. The habit had a lot of benefits and if I had infinite time and energy I'd have kept it up. But I don't so it remains in the past for now.
So one day I had an idea: Why not force myself to write only one line per day? I couldn't get into an obsession/burnout cycle because there wasn't anything to obsess over, and I could hopefully manage a daily writing task if it was that small. I started on July 21, 2025; I've found starting projects like this on a random day makes it easier to stick to than, say, new years resolutions. Each page in my little journal has 24 lines on the front side, and I reserve the back of each page as a small junk journaling setup to practice some creativity. To avoid violating my own privacy, here's a blank page of the setup:
