Most of us began writing in diaries when we were probably teens. It transitioned to wordpads, secret online password protected notes but there is something earthy and ethereal about the connections  of the ink to paper. It feels like a painting and not just words. It gives one a sense of release that little else can. I am not going to dwell on the merits of having a physical journal with crisp hand made paper and some pastel flower doodles  over the edges (though it wouldn’t hurt) but rather documenting your feelings.

Yes the F word –feelings. We are so full of it, feelings are what makes us human. Stepping into a decade that is going to demand of you to attach with detachments one must have a device that allows them to step back and analyse what they are experiencing at that moment. I recommend various kinds of journaling in this decade. Yes I am OCD like that, tell me you aren’t. Let us talk about the kind of writing that might free you and more importantly be the blue print for your fourth decade. We are getting ahead of ourselves and being prepared with military diligence.

The five logs one must document this decade

1. The gratitude journal- this I call the happiness log. Have you noticed you write more when you are melancholic because when you are truly happy one only wants to savor that feeling? Who has the time for a pen then? One would slowly realize that they have very little memory of this happiness and began to ponder if their life is only filled with pointless sadness. This is where the gratitude journal helps. In those desperate lonely times it does good to open and read of all the blessings life has bestowed upon you. I recommend writing everday, even if just clinically the good things that happened to you from morn till eve! This is my happiness diet

2. The diet book- crash dieting and starving are things of the past. One would find that their body seldom responds to such antics and even if it does for a short while the results are more harmful in the long run. This is also the decade where your metabolism is starting to dip. You find yourself growing love handles eating the same food you did all the past years but were perfectlt fine burning. Losing weight once you have loaded is a herculean task as the years go on. Accept the limits of your body and practice mindful portion control and healthy energy nutrient substitution to your donuts and cupcakes. Once in a while won’t kill you, but making it a habit just might.

3. The period tracker- you will thank me for this 10 years down the line. The woman’s body is no temple but actually an opera of the feminine hormones that perform a gala every few weeks, the shrills and dips and rises in these eloquent notes is the key to your health and happiness. If the troughs are too deep one must address them immediately because right now you can. I cannot say the same about the 40s though. This is the decade that you take control of your health for a eventfree next 40 years or so. 

4. The boy guide- I call this the burn book. Every girl needs one. Am done with the experimenting and fooling around. This time I mean business and it does little help to be caught in the wrong company for many years now. This is the decade I look for more meaningful relationships rather than one night stands and girl is it necessary to write this down. Print and frame it on your bedroom wall if you have to. Wake up each day and chant it. Your heart is precious don’t let any man fool around with it. 

5. Timeline album- my 20s thankfully have been wild and meaningful at the same time. Lets say we did have some divine interventions to save us all. The memories are what we live for and at this age when you can why must you just write? This is a kind of gratitude journal too but with pictures in a timeline starting from my January to December. There is nothing like a timeline album to cheer you up in life. It is your photobiography.