Study Journal

[zil]

The new "Come Follow Me" manual for next year, on the introductory materials page, mentions use of a "study journal".  I first heard this term a couple years ago in reference to seminary (apparently these days, the students get a study journal - which isn't much really, but saves them from having to go buy their own journal / notebook, I guess).

Anywho, I've long believed that one learns and retains better if one takes notes, and that being prepared to take notes invites the Spirit to open our minds so that we have things worthy of being noted.  The new manual has questions in the lesson, and a couple blank lines for writing a response (about the right size if you communicate in Twitter-sized bites, but too small if you're really going to make a serious effort to explore the answer).

So, I'm curious: is anyone else planning to use a "study journal"?  Anyone doing that already?  Any thoughts or insights on what has worked well for you, or what your plans are?  Sometime between now and tomorrow, I'll have to decide whether to use a separate journal¹ or include my study notes in my regular journal.

¹It's not like I've got dozens empty journals lying around waiting for me to use them (maybe one dozen, or so), but I have enough that I could use a separate one for this.

[SpiritDragon]

I used a study journal on my mission with some success. It was helpful for compiling various sources on topics and also for helping keep my place in sequential reading in the event my book mark fell out during discussions. I just used a coil-bound scribbler and it worked fine, but I'm pretty simple when it comes to these things. The hardest part for me is I don't have a good designated study area. I like to just curl up in an chair or bed and read, but then switching between books and taking notes is a terrible nuisance.

[zil]

12 minutes ago, SpiritDragon said:

I like to just curl up in an chair or bed and read, but then switching between books and taking notes is a terrible nuisance.

Just yesterday I designated a specific spot for this purpose - a recently cleared desk in a room where nothing but the printers and the router live.  Am trying to set up new space, habits, etc. for the new year.

[Fether]

I’m a huge believer in using notes. I was once someone who believed that I studied better without a note book and had a few arguments for why I never studied with a note book, a lot of the time it revolves around the claim “we all learn different!”.

But I tried it out on my mission and never have gone back.

Now I get anxious when I study without a notebook because I know I’m missing out on a ton of gems.

[Fether]

1 hour ago, zil said:

Any thoughts or insights on what has worked well for you, or what your plans are? 

I love taking notes on all aspects of my life. But what I found myself doing was having too many journals for different things.

- History (standard journal)

- scripture study journal

- Self Help (notes from podcasts and books)

- Work notes

It became somewhat tedious keeping tracks of all these notes. I decided to only have two. (1) a standard journal where I put a record of my day and an overview of lessons or things I learned and (2) a journal where I record all my notes (scripture, self help, and work).

I love this a lot more

[zil]

8 minutes ago, Fether said:

I love taking notes on all aspects of my life. But what I found myself doing was having too many journals for different things.

- History (standard journal)

- scripture study journal

- Self Help (notes from podcasts and books)

- Work notes

It became somewhat tedious keeping tracks of all these notes. I decided to only have two. (1) a standard journal where I put a record of my day and an overview of lessons or things I learned and (2) a journal where I record all my notes (scripture, self help, and work).

I love this a lot more

I have a planner (Hobonichi Techo) that I use for appointments / bullet journal / event logging / habit tracking / etc., and a regular journal.  I'll keep that regardless of anything else, but you remind me that I don't want to track multiple simultaneous journals.  Part of me doesn't want to "waste" pages of a journal - insert "junk" (like doodles or manual Sacrament meeting word clouds) in the middle of more meaningful content - but that's irrational and I figure the best way to overcome that worry is to add the mixed content and get over it - perhaps I'll do that tonight by drawing a bridge with a stick figure getting over it...

[SpiritDragon]

1 hour ago, zil said:

I have a planner (Hobonichi Techo) that I use for appointments / bullet journal / event logging / habit tracking / etc., and a regular journal.  I'll keep that regardless of anything else, but you remind me that I don't want to track multiple simultaneous journals.  Part of me doesn't want to "waste" pages of a journal - insert "junk" (like doodles or manual Sacrament meeting word clouds) in the middle of more meaningful content - but that's irrational and I figure the best way to overcome that worry is to add the mixed content and get over it - perhaps I'll do that tonight by drawing a bridge with a stick figure getting over it...

You could also investigate using loose leaf and putting it in a duotang folder or binder. That way you can rearrange your master pieces and insert new content anytime without worrying about having pages go to waste. You can pick different papers to go inside and colour coordinate them by chronology or topic and come up with a system to match them to your pen collection

 

[SpiritDragon]

2 hours ago, zil said:

Just yesterday I designated a specific spot for this purpose - a recently cleared desk in a room where nothing but the printers and the router live.  Am trying to set up new space, habits, etc. for the new year.

Winning over the space is huge. Conquering the environment should be really helpful. I'd like to do the same, but I can't figure out how in my life situation. The dining room table is about the best I can do. It's just not terribly cozy and not always available... when it doesn't have food on it, it is often covered by crafts and mail that my wife have on the go - so much so that it's not always available for eating either. Truly sad, I know.

[zil]

1 minute ago, SpiritDragon said:

You could also investigate using loose leaf and putting it in a duotang folder or binder. That way you can rearrange your master pieces and insert new content anytime without worrying about having pages go to waste. You can pick different papers to go inside and colour coordinate them by chronology or topic and come up with a system to match them to your pen collection

Quit giving me excuses to buy more paper!  My house is practically a stationery store already!  Nothing short of herculean will power is keeping me from setting up an elaborate discbound notebook system!

[SpiritDragon]

2 hours ago, Fether said:

I’m a huge believer in using notes. I was once someone who believed that I studied better without a note book and had a few arguments for why I never studied with a note book, a lot of the time it revolves around the claim “we all learn different!”.

But I tried it out on my mission and never have gone back.

Now I get anxious when I study without a notebook because I know I’m missing out on a ton of gems.

It requires greater concentration if nothing else and that alone makes a huge difference.

 

[SpiritDragon]

1 minute ago, zil said:

Quit giving me excuses to buy more paper!  My house is practically a stationery store already!  Nothing short of herculean will power is keeping me from setting up an elaborate discbound notebook system!

You may be to paper and pens what my wife is to yarn and fabric. I am getting a better picture of your challenge already  Now you just need to use the materials you already have on hand then... or just stick to a journal.

[zil]

1 minute ago, SpiritDragon said:

Winning over the space is huge. Conquering the environment should be really helpful. I'd like to do the same, but I can't figure out how in my life situation. The dining room table is about the best I can do. It's just not terribly cozy and not always available... when it doesn't have food on it, it is often covered by crafts and mail that my wife have on the go - so much so that it's not always available for eating either. Truly sad, I know.

Perhaps you need something you can stow under the bed when not in use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MAUGLDO/

[SpiritDragon]

@zil that looks it would get hijacked as a drafting table and I would only lose more space

It's a cool idea though. Maybe in my next house - someday.

[Anddenex]

4 hours ago, zil said:

So, I'm curious: is anyone else planning to use a "study journal"?  Anyone doing that already?  Any thoughts or insights on what has worked well for you, or what your plans are?  Sometime between now and tomorrow, I'll have to decide whether to use a separate journal¹ or include my study notes in my regular journal.

If you look at the new "Come Follow Me" and the "Self Reliance" manuals you will see the layout is very similar. If you have read Elder Bednar's three books you will see his books follow (maybe better said, his books are the archetype for these books) the same/similar paragraph, questions, and space to answer questions.

I have been fond of a study journal since my mission 23 years ago. The training in the MTC invited/instructed us to use our scripture to annotate what we felt the Spirit was teaching us. Elder Scott came to our mission and he instructed that when we write down the words our Father in heaven shares with us it lets Him know we truly care and are grateful for His words. By doing this he shared the Lord would be willing to share more of his learning with us.

In our family, we have purchased your $2 journals from Wal-mart, and we purchased a "Come Follow Me" manual for each member in the family to write down their thoughts and impressions. So, I have a personal "study journal" for my personal studies that I will continue using, and I have a "study journal" for the new "Come Follow Me" manual.

[zil]

13 hours ago, zil said:

perhaps I'll do that tonight by drawing a bridge with a stick figure getting over it...

Rhodia Webnotebook, Wing Sung 601 with EF nib, Sailor Tokiwa-Matsu (ink).