Systems can simplify, create convenience, organize, and liberate. We would like to introduce you to our journaling systems and encourage you to give them a try.

All of our journals are loose-leaf ring binders, which allows you to add or take away pages at any point in time without destroying your journal. They were created in a way that gives you the versatility to organize them as best suits your needs. The following suggestions have worked for many, but you are not locked in to this method. The systems can easily be personalized to your unique needs. Refills are available for all journals online or from distributors. For those who keep a journal on their computer, it’s important to keep a hard copy on hand. We sell blank sheets that you can print on like a book. They fit nicely into the journal. Adding pictures here and there provides a wonderful visual aspect to your pages.

With every Personal Ponderings Journal you receive a “Travel Companion.” In the back of the ring binder you will find a gummed pad of paper that easily slips into the inside right pocket of your Travel Companion – just like a book of checks.

Take this little Companion with you when you leave home. It is great to travel with, easily fitting into a purse or briefcase, keeping your journal safe at home, but allowing you to journal away from home.

Personal Journal – The first section, “Index to my Life,” allows you to write one-line entries. Write down the most important thing that occurred that day, date it, and you are done. If you don’t write every day, it’s OK. If you want to write more than just the one-line entry, you can. Take out a sheet of lined paper, record the date in the upper right corner, record your entry and file it according to the date. Put a check mark in the box next to your one-line entry reminding you that you have written more about that day. Put a star next to the check mark if it is a very important day. Enjoy the versatility of coming back to a one-line entry at a much later date to tell your story. For most of us, the important days are too busy or emotionally charged to take time to journal. A one-line entry reminds you to write about it later.

We provide you with 8 blank tabs to use as you please. You should use some as year markers - put the year on a tab and file your entries in order behind that tab. You can use other tabs for different journaling topics like Goals, Business, Gardening, Workouts, Humor in the Family, etc. When it comes time to write your memoirs it will be so much easier to do because of the “index” you have already created.

Scripture/Spiritual Journal - Journaling of this nature is usually done according to topic. Therefore, we have included A-Z tabs for you to file your recordings by topic. If it is faith you are studying and would like to jot down some notes, look under the “F” tab to see if you already have something recorded about Faith. If so, add to it. If not, take out a clean paper, write Faith in the upper right hand corner, record your thoughts on the subject, and file it alphabetically behind the “F” tab. As the years go by and you add more and more to the subject of Faith, your knowledge and understanding of the subject will deepen and increase. You also have a wealth of wonderful thoughts and opinions to refer to – all in one place. We also include blank tabs for you to keep different types of spiritual journaling separate. Some suggested uses for the extra tabs are: Spiritual Experiences, Blessings, Dreams, Visions, Revelations, Meditations, etc. By recording similar experiences in the same section, you create a powerful place of discovery, testimony, and understanding and it will be a place you enjoy revisiting as years go by.

Literary Journal: This journal was originally created as an educational tool for commonwealth schools, scholar classes, and university students. It is also an incredible organizational tool for those who want to continue their education, love to read, take classes, attend lectures and seminars, and need an organized, safe place for the thoughts and ideas they find of value.

The first section – is for your Literary List. Write down the name of the book/article you read, the author and where it is filed. You can file according to Title or Author. For Example, if I read Pride and Prejudice and I wanted to file by title, I would file it under P – 1 (if there is already a book review under P-1, I would use the next available number). If I filed according to author, I would file it under A -1. Some people will separate their book list into sections ie: Book List, Lecture/Seminar List, and Magazine or Articles List, and put them on different pages. It is really up to you.

The first set of A-Z tabs is called the Synopsis and is where your notes, reviews, or write-ups go. The second set of A-Z tabs are for all the great Quotes you come across in your books, lectures, etc. If you file them according to topic as you gather them, before long you will have a wealth of great thoughts and saying from many different resources – all on the same subject. To have them all in the same place gives you an incredible resource. Finding those quotes again takes only minutes.

There are blank tabs provided for you to use any way you wish. Some create a separate section for specific classes they take, some keep a running vocabulary list of words they want to define. Again – it is really up to you.

These are the Systems of the Personal Ponderings Journals – Give them a try!

Do you want less chaos and confusion in your life? Adopt a few systems that will put your life in order and allow you to accomplish more than you ever dreamed - with less stress.

Many people don’t like the idea of introducing new systems into their lives - it means they have to concentrate on something foreign, figure out something that might be difficult, resign their life of freedom to one of bondage, lose the ability to be spontaneous, or some such thing.

Actually, good systems simplify life, create convenience, save time and provide organization. Unlike the rest of the animal world, we as human beings enjoy the ability to change our situations. If we don’t like how things are going we have the cognitive ability to do something different. We can organize our world in a way that allows us to peaceably live with one another. If you take a look around, you notice the many systems man has created and implemented in order to save time, money, energy, and knowledge. Systems are also used to govern, share information, gain education, bring peace of mind, and a myriad of other things.

Unfortunately not all systems are good. Some of them are really detrimental to the individual and to society as a whole. Bad systems are quickly identified by observation as well as experience because they actually do not free us, but bring us into bondage. They do not simplify, but cause unnecessary delay and confusion. When these negative systems are indentified, the quicker we throw them out, the better off we are.

Having said all this, what systems have you adopted in your personal life? Are they systems that waste time and bind down? Or are they systems that simplify, organize, and liberate? There are many products sold to help us simplify and organize. Some of them are good and others not. No matter what systems you implement, remember to give yourself time to adjust to the system and to integrate it into your daily routine. That takes time and patience, but will pay big dividends in the end.

Here are some ideas of systems that could help you lead a much more enjoyable, stress free life that is full of substance, value, and accomplishment.

Daily planners – help organize your time and remind you of what needs to happen and when. Commit to writing everything down and referring to your planner regularly.

Journaling systems – Consider a personal journal with an organized system of journaling, keeping your thoughts organized, your meditations at the tip of your fingers, subconsciously help you accomplish things.

Physical Organizers – for closets, garages, laundry, storage units, filing cabinets, computers, etc. Everything should have a place.

Idea and duty organizers – meal planners, job charts, car maintenance schedules, systems of discipline, teaching, living.

Systems are implemented by the most successful and can be freely enjoyed by all. Be on the lookout for better ways to do things. Enjoy peace of mind, more freedom, and accomplish more by incorporating systems in your life. Good systems liberate.

My physical goals include things like eating habits, sleeping habits, and exercise.  I’ve also included goals that help with maintaining better posture, skin care, or proper breathing – just whatever physical thing I need to work on.  Spiritual goals center around maintaining my personal belief system.  They often include reading books.  They may also include things like taking time to meditate, pray, use positive self talk, or developing certain character traits I find challenging.  Going to church is not a spiritual goal for me, because it is not something I’m striving to accomplish.  It is just part of my life.  Educational goals usually include learning about something that I don’t understand, but need to – like Quickbooks or web design, or a foreign language.  I also like to have a goal to learn something that I don’t need to understand, but want to – the funner things like painting, singing, gardening, etc.  I usually give myself a book goal in this area too.  I challenge myself to write about the things I read on a regular basis.  That has been a long standing goal – I just struggle to do that before picking up the next book.  Business goals are general and not specific because there is another place I become more specific about the business goals.  But, I do jot the general idea of what I want to accomplish for the next year.  Home and Family goals include everything from going out regularly with my husband to what this child or that child needs from me during the coming year.  I like to write down the maintenance goals for our home and any hopeful remodeling plans.  I also write down where I want to go in the coming year as far as vacations, concerts, plays, etc.  I usually only write down the things that I would really like to focus on – things that might get lost in the daily routines I tend to fall in to.

There usually aren’t more than five or six goals in any one area.  Too many goals just doesn’t work. It gets way too overwhelming.  So I try to prioritize and tell myself that it is OK if they don’t all get done, but these are the things I would like to do if I can.  That helps me stay sane.  At the end of the year when I haven’t done EVERYTHING,  it really is OK.  It has to be.  After all, I have been successful at many things,  there is always next year for the others, and some of those things I don’t even want to do anymore.

You might be wondering if I look at these goals on a regular basis throughout the year.  No, I don’t.  I think there is value to that, but it just isn’t something I do.  Perhaps it should be a goal!  I have found that recording them is the most important thing.  I have been amazed at the things I have accomplished from my list of goals when I do remind myself that I wrote down some goals and maybe I ought to read them again.  Your Journal is one of the best places to record your goals. Hopefully it is a place you frequent, so it is more likely you will turn to the page where your goals are located.  Usually by June I will take a look and I never cease to amaze myself at the things I can cross off.  I believe the act of writing things down more firmly plants the information in our subconscious minds and when we are not consciously aware of it, our subconscious is going to work for us. “Writing crystalizes thought” – a quote from Beverly Cleary is very true.   Studying the powers of the subconscious has been one of my interests lately and I am even more convinced that the process we go through when we decide upon some goals for ourselves, then take the time to physically write it down, locks them  into a powerful part of our minds.  In the book The Brain that Changes Itself we learn that cursive writing is even more powerful than printing.  Both are more worthwhile  than typing when it comes to locking in information.

And so I encourage you to take some time.  Come up with some goals that you would like to accomplish.  What do you want to be in 2011?  What do you want to look like?  What do you want to know?  We – mankind – are most happy when we are progressing.  So learn something new this year,  get in better shape, develop that character, but most of all  don’t be surprised at what you have accomplished by writing things down in your journal.

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Journals are like that.  They give endlessly to the owner of the journal and to all who may read it one day.  Journals give in a different way than most gifts.  They enrich, heal, reveal, instruct, verify, calm, and provide enjoyment to the soul.  They reach deep within us and help us see and understand so much more about ourselves.  They help us make sense of our lives and the world we live in.  They aren’t merely a place to record the facts of the day – which also has value.  Have you ever needed to unload a heavy burden and didn’t have anyone you felt you could tell?  A journal is a great sounding board. Think about the times in life when you laughed so hard you cried.  Recording those moments and the stories or incidents behind them bring back the same feelings of happiness every time you read it.   I could go on and on sharing the priceless virtues of journaling.  And, I will – another time.

For now,  think about giving a journal the next time you are looking for a gift of great value – one that keeps giving and giving and giving.

Personal Journal | Scripture Journal | Literary Journal

Ronda – Utah

“I love being able to organize the topics myself. Also, the journal is beautiful.”

Tricia – Wisconsin

“Loose leaf pages that can be rearranged!! Organizational tabs so I can find my thoughts later. Thats why I bought the Personal Journal.”

Teri – Florida

“This journal allows me to keep my daily journal and scriptural insights separate but in the same place.”

Christina – Virginia

“With this Journal I can review again and again in an easy to find format. I have a place to organize my notes from talks, and personal study, and all by topic.”

Debra – MN

“I love my Travel Companion. I recently took it with me on a trip to Hawaii. I was able to write about the wonders of the island, jot down some notes from a book I was reading, and write down some personal reflections from hours of silent meditation as I enjoyed the ocean breeze and the Hawaiian sun. Everything fit nicely into the side pocket of the TC and I filed it accordingly when I returned home.”

Michelle – Utah

“Just the other day, I pulled out my teenage journal and gave it to my daughter so that she could see that I was also a typical teen long ago. There is something sweet about a journal just in chronological order. However, as I pay attention to and record insights given me as an adult, I believe it will be valuable to more easily go back and reference those by topic. That is why I think it is brilliant to have the journal-keeping system that Personal Ponderings has designed. I admit that my favorite thing is the travel pad so that I can take something slim with me when I anticipate learning. I have recorded ideas and events that are very important to me, and I even believe that having some of these written by hand will be valuable in coming years. Between a family record that I keep with photos, some events that I type on the computer, and my hand-written journal that can be organized – I feel pretty good about the ease of keeping records and their value to me and to my loved ones.”

Lorene Kamalu Homemaker and Creative Memories Senior Director

“My husband and I were both diligent about keeping a journal. We respected each others privacy and never read each others mail, or journals. He recently passed away. I had not read his journal until after he died. As I read it, I just wept. The messages and thoughts he’d written down touched my heart. It was very personal and very precious. I finished his journal for him with a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet when Horatio says to Hamlet: “Sleep sweet Prince – sleep. May the dear angels come to take you to Heaven.”

Glorya – St. George, UT

I have kept scripture/gospel study journals over the years but what I like about this one is that it is loose leaf and so I can add to it and I LOVE the travel journal.

Colleen Holmquist-Frenchtown, Montana

I have always wanted a special book just for thoughts at church meetings – usually written on a scrap of paper here and there.  Then they are scattered & lost.  I love this.  Its just the right size for my scripture tote.

Lauraly Jones – Orangeville, Utah

It is easy to use and it is very organized.  It looks Great!  I can’t think of anything that I would change about the Scripture Journal.  Great work!

Austin Heywood- Mesa, Arizona

Personal Ponderings offers such convenience.   Our Journals have separated life into three general categories, Personal, Spiritual and Literary.  These Journals are organizational tools with tabs and index pages designed to put the experiences, thoughts or quotes you want at your fingertips.