My PhD journals
How has journaling helped me so far in my PhD?
Before I started my PhD, I had just discovered the wealth of YouTube in academia, which up until then, I had only used as a way to find mostly old 80s videos - for those who know me, it is my favourite decade of music!
I saw people journaling and I watched so many videos. How people organized their notes, what notebooks they used, pens, pencils, highlighters…and I’m a huge stationery fan! I just needed an excuse to buy more 😄
Joking aside, I initially thought I could not do it because of time restrictions. I work full-time and do my PhD and thought I could not fit in one extra thing, that I thought needed to be done constructively.
What I kept reading and listening though was that people did not really invest a lot of time in it and there was no need to stress about it.
This is my current journal. It’s an Ottergami - I really love the cover, the paper is 160 gsm so most markers and pens do not bleed through the pages and the journal is pretty thick so I can have it for quite a while.
The sticker I have on the cover is from Redbubble (I found this company out from my eldest niece). They have a huge variety of PhD stickers from various creators!
I really love this dotted paper, because I have a bit of an issue writing straight on completely blank paper. You can also draw lines without a ruler, if you are in a hurry.
The paper is really smooth and really great to write on!
Unfortunately, I can’t share the whole page as there are some details that need to remain confidential. You can see here what works for me:
I write a title that will help me as soon as I open up the page and I usually make spreads - two pages for each topic. If I need to continue said topic, I continue on the next two pages. It helps me have everything together.
I stick various stickers in the corners of the pages, so it can be more fun to go through the pages and read my notes! Here is an example:
Above, there is an example where I stick whole or parts of colorful sticky notes so I can flag important things.
If I find parts of an article or book I need to have along with my notes, I print or photocopy them and cut out little parts - I then write notes around them. You can see this below:
Every now and then, I go through the journal and remember things, I refresh things in my brain or I feel reassured that things are going well. Or, I see what is missing - I go back and study it and add it to the journal. Anuja Cabraal mentions in her blog:
Research projects can be long, and you might forget a lot of those things, so having it written down somewhere can help at the final stages.
As I teach full-time and invest the rest of my time in the PhD, I honestly try not to pressure myself with the journal and only add things when I feel I have to: mostly after monthly supervisory meetings; after presenting at a conference where I add what I presented and the feedback I got; and when I read something that I need to keep notes on.
Pat Thompson, one of my favourite academic bloggers, says:
[…]verbalising concerns and putting them in writing can not only be cathartic but also lead to very helpful insights. Journaling can be a powerful way to both reflect on problems and resolve them.
I don’t have a lot of time to write in it, and that makes it even more fun, since I don’t pressure myself. One day it’s five minutes, another it’s more. Sometimes I don’t even touch it for a few weeks.
What methods do you use to journal?
Book recommendations
Journal Keeping: How to Use Reflective Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight and Positive Change, by Dannelle D. Stevens and Joanne E. Cooper
Making the most of your research journal by Nicole Brown