My Guided Journals for 2020

I've started playing around with guided journals the past several years. Sometimes I like them. Sometimes not. I often use them as writing prompts as much as journaling prompts, that is if they are conducive to writing. Not all are. 

My 2020 Journals List


Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice by Michelle Obama - This journal hit home in ways I didn't expect. The questions forced me think and to feel and to explore. Sometimes the questions pushed me into those places I didn't want to go and other times I had so much fun with it. I liked this journal so much, I gave it to a friend as a gift and might send it to a few others! In one of my few Instagram posts this year, I posted the following about this book. "I feel both sad and happy that I just wrote my last entry in Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice by Michelle Obama. Sad that I have no more prompts and happy for the journey! I often found myself hearing the prompts in her voice and sometimes answering as if I was talking to her. Some of the prompts surprised me, some inspired me, a few felt a bit irrelevant to my current life, but they all made me think. It's a great guided journal! Thank you @michelleobama #becoming #journaling #selfcare #selfdiscovery"

Zen as F*ck: A Journal for Practicing the Mindful Art of Not Giving a Sh*t by Monica Sweeney - As much as I enjoyed Becoming, I wanted a completely different type of journal after doing it. Zen as F*ck definitely fit that bill. While it still made me think, it often made me think about not overthinking things.

Present Not Perfect: A Journal for Slowing Down, Letting Go, and Loving Who Your Are by Aimee Chase - This journal felt a little too basic for me. I did it right after Zen as F*ck, so maybe it would've resonated more with me if I'd done something more intense between the two.

Be Antiracist Journal: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection and Action by Ibram X. Kendi - I started this journal at the end of October. The questions are interesting but sometimes seem a bit basic. I think this might be a matter of where one is on one's journey, so those same questions would probably really challenge other people. I'll have more to say after I finish it.

The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year by Jennifer Louden - I read the introduction material for this journal as I want to do this journal in 2021, and I wanted to be prepared on day 1/week 1 since it's a weekly rather than a daily journal.  The introduction material was interesting at times and a bit frustrating at others. Assumptions about who will use the journal play here and could be off-putting if one's not willing to look past those assumptions. I'll report back once I've actually put it into action.


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