I love the start of a new year, a new chapter, if you will. With a new year comes a new diary, unless you’ve totally moved over to digital or you’re on an academic timetable.
I still like to use paper diaries but I can appreciate the convenience of a digital diary. I actually use a combo of the 2 for different parts of my work. However, for now, my heart is still with a paper diary and that’s where I keep track of my day-to-day life. I like to make physical notes and lists in my diary, they just seem to flow much better by hand. It’s also an excuse to buy cute pens and stickers.
Today I’m sharing a beautiful diary suggestion for 2017 with you. The Every Day Matters diary takes the concept of a traditional diary and adds a self-development twist to it. If you like to make each day count and you’re a fan of pretty illustrations, quotes to inspire you and fancy focusing on gratitude and reflection then this is the diary for you.
The diary has been created by Dani DiPirro, the founder of PositivelyPresent a blog which focuses on positive personal development. If you haven’t come across her blog before then do take a little time to explore it.
Each month has a dedicated theme; love, positivity, forgiveness, acceptance, hope, inspiration, joy, appreciation, authenticity, adventure, empathy, and freedom. The month is kick-started with a paragraph about the theme alongside an positive affirmation.
Each week offers an inspirational quote and an activity based around the theme for the month. So while you’re busy working and planning throughout the week there’s a positive quote there to keep your inspired. The quotes are there to encourage you to be mindful, make you think and take some time to appreciate your life.
When the end of the month rolls ’round you’ll find a monthly overview. I’d recommend adding a sticky tab to the overview page so you can flick over to it whenever you need it. As well as the overview there’s a section to document what you’re grateful for that month. On the opposite page you’ll find 3 question prompts for reflection of the month’s theme.
I think gratitude journals have become more important and it’s good that this diary incorporates it. We don’t all have time for multiple diaries so combining it with a regular diary makes a lot of sense. Taking a little time to be mindful at the end of each month is a good way to evaluate what you’ve done. This diary really makes you stop, think, appreciate and become more mindful.
When I’m using a diary the space in which you’re given to write is very important to me. This diary has a focus on a vertical layout. Each day of the week allows you to make a list for your day. Each week is across 2 pages so you can easily see what’s coming up – this is perfect for scheduling in meetings and coffee dates. This is the same in both the desk and pocket diary. There’s also a small notes section at the bottom of the page which is very useful.
At the back of the diary there are around 7 pages free to make notes. I think this is important in a diary and I would personally be making a note of my yearly goals (so I can check back to them easily) and then using the rest of the space for any quick notes I need to make throughout the year.
I think that Dani has created the pocket diary really well. It doesn’t lack in space and yet has the same layout as the desk diary. The desk diary has a ring spine so you can easily leave it open on the current week. The smaller, pocket size diary has a neat piece of elastic to keep it together, handy when you’ve got business cards in there.
Something that can be overlooked in a diary is the quality of the paper. I was really pleased to find that the paper within the pocket and desk diary is lovely. It’s thick and durable so you can write away without any worry that it will go through to the next page.
Let me know if you decide to pick up a copy of the Every Day Matters Diary for 2017. We can discuss the themes each month if you do.
Leave a comment below and let me know if you’ll be using a digital or paper diary for 2017.