Best Quotes from Dot Journaling by Rachel Wilkerson Miller with Page Numbers

Dot journaling is essentially just creating spreads and then adding information to them as appropriate.

It may seem like a hassle to keep updating the index, but in a few months, when you’re flipping through your journal trying to find something important... you will be glad you have an index.

Your dot journal is like, 'HELLO, I WELCOME YOUR EVERY SPONTANEOUS THOUGHT! JUST WRITE WHAT YOU NEED TO WRITE WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE NOTEBOOK...'

Dot journaling takes up as much or as little time as you want it to.

Because I enjoy doing it, working on my dot journal never feels like it’s taking that much time.

If you find that dot journaling adds value to your life, you’ll find time for it.

Take five to ten minutes to make a to-do list every day means I’m less likely to waste an hour being stressed out or running unnecessary errands.

The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it...

You don’t have to put everything in your index, but it’s worthwhile to add lists, events, spreads, and ideas you know you will probably want to reference later.

Listen, I hear you. I’m the kind of person who adds things to her to-do list just so she can cross them off...

This is what separates a dot journal from a preprinted planner.

The future spread is for big events, deadlines, birthdays, appointments, and long-term planning.

Create the layouts and add whatever items you can think of now, and then update them as time goes on.

Plan that your notebook is going to last for the rest of the current year, but know that it’s not a big deal if it doesn’t.

While this might sound like a hassle, it actually only takes about twenty minutes to do when I’m setting up my new journal.

I like this approach because it works whether you use one notebook for the year, or five.

It’s really a matter of personal preference.

Knowing I had so many pages to fill actually encouraged me to write more.

That said, could I have made it work the other way? Absolutely.

Bottom line: Do whatever you want.

Mere facts and names and dates communicate more than we suspect.

That’s the beauty of this system—you can let any part of it go without guilt if you discover that it doesn’t make sense for you.

One fast and unfussy way to create a monthly spread is to simply list all the dates down the left side of the page.

This is where the 'migrate' and 'scheduled' symbols really start to come in handy!

If you want to be able to see the entire month at a glance and don’t need to keep track of very many events, a one-page calendar could work well for you.

This spread makes tasks, reminders, goals, and motivation the focus of your monthly page.

I recognize that my feelings on this matter were heavily influenced by the fact that I don’t have a car.

I really can’t overstate how much I like having everything in a single notebook.

If you’re leaning toward having multiple notebooks, you may be interested in another option.

Whether you should use multiple notebooks comes down to personal preference, and what makes the most sense with your lifestyle.

Creating a planner-style setup at the weekly or daily level... works well if you are someone who plans to maintain an electronic calendar for work meetings and events.

Habit tracking is one way to dot journal that has emerged and taken off as more people have started using the system, and it’s one of my favorites.

Because . . . cool, right?!

Habit trackers are an excellent way to visualize the progress you’re making on your personal goals.

You can track the things you want to be doing more of and things you want to be doing less of.

I tend to set monthly goals for myself, so creating a habit tracker at the monthly level works well for me.

You can absolutely do weekly trackers (or weekly and monthly), and some people also do daily trackers.

Habit trackers are particularly helpful for health-related behaviors, as well as finances and chores.

This setup is a little easier to read, and is nice if you don’t want to mix the things you’re trying to do more of with the things you’re trying to do less of.

If you want to be able to glance at the page and know very quickly how well you’re doing with regard to a specific behavior or goal, this is a really fantastic layout.

I like this option because it keeps everything for the month in a single layout, meaning you don’t have to flip pages as often.

"The weekly spreads are where the dot journal system really starts to shine."

"I’m always amazed by how much information you can pack into one or two pages if you use the space creatively."

"Creating my weekly spread is the last thing I do every Sunday night before bed, and it helps me transition from weekend mode back to work mode."

"Messing up is always a bummer, but I’ve picked up a few tips along the way for making it less disastrous."

"Pretend it never happened."

"Let us never speak of it again."

"You certainly don’t have to do this, but it’s a good idea if you’re a perfectionist or if you have a habit of making cringe-worthy mistakes."

"I always feel annoyed when I make a mistake, but within a couple pages, I’ve forgotten about it entirely."

"In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself."

"The journal is a vehicle for my sense of selfhood."

"It’s worth it to find a layout that really works for you, and that you actually like looking at."

"You can experiment with different styles of dailies at any point in the journal, since you get to make a new one each day."

"The page functions as my to-do list throughout the day and helps me stay organized and focused."

"I find that writing down tasks before I go to bed means they are less likely to keep me up at night."

"Figure out what works best for you and go with it!"

"Doing it this way takes up less space, leaving you plenty of room to start the next day directly under the previous day if you want to."

"A single notebook will probably last you considerably longer than it would otherwise."

"You can either create the entire layout on Sunday night and fill it in as the week goes on."

"His diaries contain some real gems."

"Yes, this dude who is famous for writing diaries destroyed his wife’s diary because he didn’t like the true things she wrote about him in it."

To some degree, your entire dot journal is a diary.

The way people keep diaries has changed over time.

Not writing about the good stuff—even when that good stuff is routine, ... means you could be missing out on writing about big, important parts of your life.

It’s a manageable, low-key way to reflect on how you’re feeling and to mentally prepare for whatever’s next.

If writing down the truth about a certain situation could lead to actual harm ... then absolutely play it safe.

I’ve done some embarrassing things in my life! Looking back, cringing, and reassuring myself that I’ve grown and changed is kind of the point.

These kinds of limitations can feel so stifling that you give up writing in your diary entirely.

It turns out, no one else really cares about them, or follows them.

If you leave your notebook on the kitchen table ... and then that person sees it and keeps reading, well ... I’m Team No One in that instance.

Just be cool, guys.

"When your life and emotions feel so out of control or chaotic, there is something immensely therapeutic about organizing it into a systematic structure."

"You lay things out in an aesthetically pleasing way and already it feels more manageable. Like you can really tackle it and make it through."

"It feels luxurious, too. It’s like saying, ‘I’m worth it. I’m worth this notebook and the time it takes to turn it into something beautiful.’"

"It’s more important that it reflects your real life, and helps you improve."

"Simply recognizing your emotions has a lot of value. Instead of ignoring or talking yourself out of your feelings, you’re admitting that your feelings are real."

"The diary you find proof that in situations which today would seem unbearable, you lived, looked around and wrote down observations."

"Sleep is the foundation of all of my healthy living goals. I find it impossible to eat healthy foods or work out when I’m exhausted."

"A daily setup lets you start each day with a clean slate, so it’s especially good for people who find that missing a single workout can make them want to give up completely."

"Logging what you eat is right for you. It can lead to obsessive behaviors for some people, but being mindful can help support those goals."

"If you reach your limit and still want to keep writing, she suggests you switch gears and write down action steps instead of ranting further."

Lists serve so many purposes! They are efficient and practical.

Creating a to-don’t list is a way to remind yourself of the things you stand for and the things you stand against.

Reminding yourself of all the things you have can make you feel more content.

A commonplace book contains a collection of significant or well-known passages that have been copied and organized.

Quotes are for everyone, even you, extremely cynical person reading this and shaking your head.

I didn’t expect to find much. But I ended up filling four pages with all the good things that happened to me.

Marking events in my diary entries with different symbols/colors turned out to be incredibly helpful.

Every single entry I made in 2016 felt like a gift from Past Me to Future Me.

Most people don’t spend nearly enough time celebrating the crap out of themselves.

Why not do your part to remedy this?

Writing everything in one place was truly a turning point.

Suddenly, all this debt felt . . . manageable. And it was manageable.

Seeing this info in your own handwriting in a clean, lovely spread is considerably more pleasant than looking at it in electronic form.

Debt can feel completely overwhelming and can be accompanied by a lot of shame about the situation.

Making a plan for handling it and then creating a visual tracker to celebrate your progress is really powerful.

Whenever I filled a notebook, I’d sit down and read the entire thing from the beginning.

I see my journals more like a time capsule. They are for this moment, and then they are for some far-in-the-future moment.

If you enjoy rereading them, you could make that a regular ritual.

Running from your pain or trying to destroy every trace of yourself in your worst moments is probably not the best idea.

When a journal is full, it has done the thing I needed it to do, and I think it should be allowed to comfortably retire.

Finishing chores is awesome.

Simply having undone chores on your to-do list can be extremely motivating.

You might migrate the same chore day after day for a full month (or longer), but eventually, you’ll do it.

Here are some ideas for tracking chores in your dot journal.

This spread is so practical and efficient; you can easily track multiple chores and keep everything on a single page.

Not only does that make it harder to miss, but perhaps your desire to not have to mar your beautifully designed page with a hideous neon will be what finally motivates you to just do the damn thing.

It’s also a good option if you’re prone to depression or other mental health issues that may prevent you from staying on top of your chores.

Looking at this page and seeing that it’s been two months since you last changed your sheets might help you recognize that you’re in a low period.

Making a reference page you can look at when you’re wondering if it’s time to do those chores could really come in handy.

I am anxious, and it soothes me to express myself here. It is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.

"Planning what we eat in advance can be a cornerstone of physical health, financial health, and general peace of mind."

"Your handwriting is your handwriting . . . it’s as much a part of you as your fingerprints."

"As long as you can read it, who really cares if it’s 'good' or 'bad'?"

"Handwriting is visible language. It’s a form of artistic expression."

"Take your time. You should be writing slowly enough that you can actually think about each letter as you’re forming it."

"If your hand quickly gets tired or sore when you’re writing, you’re probably not using proper posture or engaging the correct muscles."

"Improving your handwriting can make writing faster, easier, and less painful."

"Even during tedious times, the act of meal planning can bring order to our lives."

"Look at your handwriting too closely is like listening to a recording of your own voice. It’s just weird."

"Once you start writing in your journal regularly, your handwriting will improve a bit . . . or at least start to grow on you."

Travel and diaries have gone hand in hand for thousands of years.

The dot journal system really lends itself to traveling.

The best trips are the ones where you just sightsee on your way from one delicious food spot to the next.

If you know you won’t have a ton of time for journaling during your trip, you could just make a list-like spread for jotting down the places you went.

When you think about not doing it . . . do the opposite of that!

First, I knew why I wanted to do it, something that I’ve found helps me stick with any new habit.

Think about why you’re starting a dot journal, how much free time you actually have to spend on it.

Then come up with a plan that is designed for you at your absolute busiest/laziest.

If you do stop dot journaling for a little while, you can always start again, right where you left off.

Your journal will be there, waiting to welcome you back.

For my journal to spark joy, first, it needs to be functional—I want to be able to write in it, read it, and find important information in it without much effort.

It’s fine. It’s all fine.

Buy items that actually work, that you can afford, that spark joy in some way, and that make you more likely to dot journal, not less.

Whether you’re a stationery geek who gets a little flushed when talking about your favorite pens and markers… or you simply want to find a great black pen that is easy to write with and that doesn’t smear.

Mistakes still happen, but I like having a separate notebook where I can experiment and try new things without it costing me space in my $15 journal.

A good pen does the following: Feels good in your hand, allows you to write smoothly and legibly without having to press too hard.

If you want to use colored pens in your dot journal, there are endless options, and the 'best' ones really come down to personal preference.

Washi tape is a slightly transparent Japanese paper masking tape that recently became wildly popular in the United States.

I should like it to resemble some deep old desk, or capacious hold-all, in which one flings a mass of odds and ends without looking them through.

Over the course of the night, we did everything. Yup, everything.