Journal for the Time-Impaired

A friend of mine told me that her New Year's Resolution was to start keeping a journal. I admire her aspirations. Diaries are extremely important works. They help the writer psychologically clear themselves of the daily annoyances and drama we live through.

According to the New York times, diaries originated as a literary form in the upper classes.

The first were called pillow books, written by women of the Japanese court in the 10th century A.D.

British royalty began a tradition of keeping "stories of their reign" in the Middle Ages.

Anais Nin, who called her diary "my kief, my hashish and opium pipe," recorded her erotic exploits with Henry Miller and his wife, June. Her four volumes of diaries are a pastiche of literary gossip, feminine revelation and 1930's Parisian culture.

Ronald Reagan, Clark Clifford and Bill Wyman, the Rolling Stones' bassist, relied heavily on their personal diaries when they wrote books.

(from the New York Times January 3, 2009.)

Ordinary people who believe an unexamined life is not worth living write about the small activities and impressions that are their days. But you know how easy it is for these activities to get in the way and make you drop your journal writing.

So in order to help my friend and anyone else with the same Resolution, I thought it would be easier if you had a fill-in-the-blank template that allowed you to just jot down some answers. So on hectic days you'd still have time (and no excuses) to make an entry.

If you copy/paste this into your computer journal, it may make it easier to keep you resolution, at least 'til March.

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MY FILL-IN-THE-BLANK-DIARY

Date __/____/2009

Today I went to ______________________ with ____________________.

It was Good / Sucked (circle one)

Who/What pissed me off today: __________________________

Why:_____________________________________________

Favorite person of the day: _____________________

Why? ______________________

Had Sex? Yes / No (Circle one- be honest)

Comments on it: _____________________________

Extraneous Rant about anything: _______________________________________

____________________________________________

Any cool quotes/websites/movies/songs/media I discovered today:
_________________________________________

Goal for tomorrow:
_________________________________________