How I built my journal ecosystem

On learning to love journaling again.

2025 was the year I found my way back to journaling. Last summer, I decided to take it seriously again. I am a chronic chronicler, but in recent years, I’ve committed more to my phone camera than I have to paper.

Prior to this, my journaling habits were inconsistent at best. I was eager and well-intentioned with my Five-Year Journal thinking I’d write more regularly without the pressure to fill an entire page. Instead, I still found myself getting frustrated when I wasn’t writing often.

This became a real inspiration suck and mental blocker and I just wanted, needed to write. 2025 was a tough year and I wanted a safe space where I could articulate what I was feeling both honestly and without judgement. My anxiety was also off the charts and journaling was a form of working through some of that mental load.

As I tried to figure out the best way to journal, I also thought a lot about what would actually make me want to journal. What I wanted was to write, write as often as possible, and write without pressure. That became the guiding principle for what eventually became my journal ecosystem.

Creating a journal ecosystem

A journal ecosystem is a series of interconnected journals and notebooks that all serve different and sometimes specific purposes but all loosely work together.

If you look on TikTok or Pinterest, you’ll see lots of variations and interpretations of journal ecosystems. People are so cool, clever and creative! But I know myself well and I can get easily overwhelmed by the minutiae. I didn’t have any grand artistic aspirations and I also didn’t want to fall into the trap of “If I have all these things, then I will journal more/better/again.” I just wanted to create optimal conditions for myself that would encourage me to write. Eventually, I came up with is a simple system that works for me.

The main journal: This is where I write my regular journal entries. Sometimes I write weekly and sometimes daily. Not having predetermined dates removes some of the pressure that comes with journaling. I just write when I can. There are some days where I’ll fill up several pages and other days, I’ll manage to get out a few lines. Sometimes, it’s a life update. Other times, it’s a morning pages exercise.

Memories of my son: When my son was born, I bought one of those memory books to fill up in his first year. As he gets older, I want something similar to hold onto those moments that feel so precious and fleeting. This is the notebook that holds those memories, photos and words. A little while back, I pointed out the moon to him and said, “Look, it’s a crescent moon!” He replied, “No mom, that’s a banana moon” and went on to explain how it wasn’t quite a crescent moon anymore. Now we call that moon phase a banana moon. I wrote that down so I can look back and remember that exact conversation.

Favourite things: This journal is the analog version of all the lists on my Notes App. It’s where I keep a record of all the books I’ve read, the movies and shows I’ve watched, the places I’ve traveled and the restaurants at which I’ve eaten. I watched this TikTok video about how our over-reliance on online spaces and storage makes us more vulnerable to easily losing years of digital collecting. I’d like to keep a physical record of these things.

The materials

Leather journal cover from Etsy

I spent the better part of last year obsessed with the rich buttery leather notebooks from Louise Carmen. My soul temporarily left my body when I first saw the price tag and the shipping fees. At one slightly delusional moment in time, I even considered buying a plane ticket to Paris so I could visit the store and buy my journal in person. After going down several rabbit holes, I discovered that you could actually get a dupe that’s just as nice as the LC journals on Etsy for a fraction of the price and similar customizations. It took a while until I found one I loved. A few weeks later, my custom order journal in a dreamy cognac arrived at my door and it was perfect.

Muji Open-Flat Dashed Grid Notebook in A5 and Open-Flat Lined Notebook in A5

I’m obsessed with these Muji journals. The best feature of this particular notebook is that it opens flat while you write, making for a comfortable journaling experience.

Muji Gel Ink Cap Type Pen 0.5 mm in Blue and Black

This has been my pen of choice for a few years now. I use them for everything, including writing in my Moleskine daily planner.

Canon Ivy 2 Mini Photo Printer in Blush Pink

I spent months researching (and flip-flopping between) photo printer options until I settled on the Canon Ivy 2. There are lots of great ones on the market like Fujifilm Instax Mini Link 3, Kodak Mini Photo Printer and HP Sprocket and each one has its pros and cons so it really depends on what you’re looking to get out of yours. For me, the peel-and-stick backs meant that I could easily print photos and add them to my journal.

The syllabus

The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad

Journaling was been life-changing for Suleika Jauoad whose new book encourages others to journal more meaningfully. This book is filled with 100 essays with a writing prompt for each to help facilitate your own journaling. Contributors include Hanif Abdurraqib, Jon Batiste, Elizabeth Gilbert, Gloria Steinem and more.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

I’ve borrowed Julia Cameron’s 33-year-old book from the library several times over the years, but I’ve never quite gotten into it. This time around something clicked. One piece of advice I took from people who’ve done it is that you have to take what you need. Not everything in this book will be relevant to you, and you might not agree with everything. I took what I needed, which were the morning pages and weekly dates.

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