One Line A Day: The Only Type Of Journal I've Been Able To Keep

 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:

 

 I know one line a day isn't really enough for emotional processing or anything, but it helps me track my mood and remember what happened in the past (I currently have memory issues that can really upset me sometimes). Especially the junk journal setups are fun to look back through and see what I felt like saving that month.

 

I'll be honest though, I don't write in the journal every day, or even mot days. Sometimes I skip weeks at a time! (I give myself permission to go back and fill in days though, because there's no reason to be strict with myself). But, I journal a hell of a lot more (occasionally) than I did before I started the setup (never). I haven't seen other people doing this either even though they probably are, so I wanted to share.