January Journal Setup

Joy in Beginning a New Journal Journey

Happy New Year!

Welcome to Janine’s Journal Jam. An offering of journal prompts and the stories that spark them. May they inspire you to jam with your journal!

Read Here about why I write.

I’ve been in reflection mode through the last half of December. I feel like there’s always so much more I can delve into in order to move forward.

I’m excited about 2025 and this year of possibility.

Journal supplies for January Journal: Journal is Artist Loft.

Then I wonder how I’m going to bring what I wish for and am called to be/do into the world. Preparing my journal for another year assists in organizing my time, provides clarity on my intentions and purpose, and serves as a reminder and record.

Over the years, I have developed an effective and sustainable journal practice. How I plan my journal and what I write in it works very well for me. My journal has been a comforting companion, a stalwart trainer, an accountability guru, and a good friend.

What I offer can be inspiration or a spark for you on how to use your journal for whatever it is that you wish to bring into your life.

When reflecting, I did notice a few areas where I could make some adjustments to keep me on task and stay aligned with my values and intentions.

My Word of the Year for 2025 is LOVE.

LOVE for myself and for what I do in order to be the best version of my soul. Sharing LOVE through kindness in action and words has always been important to me. This year I desire to bring it to the forefront of my intentions so that my days are infused with LOVE.

Knowing this guides how I set up my journal, start, and end my week.

Here are the pages from my newest journal:

Sunday Setup: Sundays are my fuel up for the week day.

• I prepare some of my meals and snacks. This makes it easier for me to eat healthier when I’m on the go.

• I write appointments, classes, exercise, social events on my journal calendar in order to plan my writing, marketing, and program planning around them.

• Sunday Guidance: Making sure that the energy I’m bringing into my week is aligned with my soul’s purpose, I sit in stillness and ask for guidance on what to focus on and bring forward into the week. I then pull from a deck of cards and journal about them.

• Doing this gives me clarity on where I’m heading.

  • Yes, I have these appointments, obligations, and programs but how am I showing up within them?

  • How can I bring LOVE into each interaction?

Daily Personal Care Practice and Journaling

• Before I start my work day, I sit in meditation, journal my intentions, and review my To Do list. I look back at my Sunday Guidance as a focal point.

• On Mondays, I listen to Kelly Ballard’s Energy Readings to raise my vibration and keep my energy attuned.

• I write in my dream journal and use the Lightning Dream Process to make meaning of my nightly travels and how they will impact or guide my day.

• On Fridays, I review my week and see what I still need to do, what I can bring forward into next week or what really doesn’t serve me and can be pushed way into the future or discarded.

  • This keeps me accountable to being intentional with my time and my goals/way of being.

I’ll try this out for a couple months and see if it reduces stress, opens space for creativity, and grows my business and connection with people.

There’s no wrong or right way to use a journal for your biggest version of you. Experiment and see what works for you.

Key: This is what your journal is used for. It makes it easier to color code your Index in order to find that important information. You may have a journal for your daily activities, dreams, writing, drawing, etc.

Index: This is an integral part of your journal so that you can find what you need quickly. This has saved me so much time and gives you an idea of what’s happening in your life. My index is the table of contents of my life and it tells its own story.

Movies/Shows/Books: We always know what shows we’re streaming, because as soon as my husband and I find a new show to watch, I add it to my journal and what streaming service it’s on.

Recording what we’ve watched and the books I’ve read is like a time capsule of my interests and moods at that time.

2024 was a chaotic and often stressful year, so I read a lot of romance and lighthearted books along with some heavier reading. Here’s my list:

2024 Books in Review

1. The Books Shop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

2. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

3. The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide by Esther & Jerry Hicks

4. Puck Me Secretly by Odette Stone

5. Home Game by Odette Stone

6. The Awakening: Book One of the Dragon Heart Legacy by Nora Roberts

7. The Penalty Box by Odette Stone

8. Alex & Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz - Audiobook

9. Love Ad Lib by Evie Alexander - Audiobook

10. Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts - Ebook

11. The Liar by Nora Roberts - Ebook

12. Nightworks by Nora Roberts

13. The Inheritance by Nora Roberts - Ebook

14. The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

15. Yellowface by R.I. Kuang - Audiobook

16. The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song

17. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

18. Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

19. The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America by Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer

20. Fall into Temptation by Lucy Score

21. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt

22. Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Audiobook

23. Northern Lights by Nora Roberts

24. Blue Dahlia: Book One of In The Garden Trilogy by Nora Robert

25. The Clause in Christmas: Book One of A Poppy Creek Novel by Racheal Bloome - Audiobook

26. Black Rose: Book Two of In The Garden Trilogy by Nora Robert

27. Untie the Strong Woman: Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Love for the Wild Soul by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ph.D

28. Red Lily: Book Three of In The Garden Trilogy by Nora Robert

29. The Truth in the Tiramisu: Book Two of A Poppy Creek Novel by Racheal Bloome - Audiobook

30. First Lady by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Audiobook

Monthly Intentions: This is what I’m focusing on for the month based on LOVE, my business goals, and my values: Kindness, Creativity, Family, Joy, and Connection.

I note some ideas for my Substack articles, my newsletter and the Soul Intentions I’m creating. It’s my first stop at the end of the week, beginning of the week, and when I feel like I’ve fallen off my path.

Month in Review/Highlights/Reflections: I’ve written about this HERE, but some changes I’m making are adding my Highlights to this page as I go and adding short reviews from each week.

I have a tendency to jump right into the next month and then have to do a couple monthly reviews in a row, which quite honestly defeats the purpose!

One of the big shifts for 2025 that I hope to bring into my life is bigger blocks of time to be curious and creative. Reflecting and setting intentions are huge parts of keeping me aligned.

I hope how I set up my 2025 January Journal gives you a starting point for how journaling can serve you best.

Let’s Connect: Always happy to hear from you. Feel free to share stories, how you set up your journal, or how this resonates. All thoughts are welcome!

Please ❤️ as it helps my community grow!

Subscribe for free to receive Janine’s Journal Jam, Dream Travel, and The Pause Place articles and stories.

If you find joy in what you read and feel it’s meaningful, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your paid subscription supports my full-time writing and teaching passion.