WHAT To Document in Your Journal

Summary of the video (journal/documentation + lifestyle highlights)

Kelsey Lee shares how she chooses what to document in her monthly journal, then flips through her monthly spreads from January–September 2025. She also emphasizes using structured prompts (via a “prompts grid”) to make journaling easier and more intentional—without needing to include every prompt each month.

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Core system: how she decides what to document

• Uses a monthly journaling prompt set (“prompts grid”) to nudge which topics to cover.
• Documents one month per 2-page spread.
• Can choose only a few prompts per month—the goal is to capture meaningful memories, not everything.
• Uses visual “elements” to make pages personal and complete:
  • printed photos (sometimes as collages)
  • mementos/ephemera (tickets, cut-outs, invitations)
  • stickers (especially “bucket list” stickers)
  • short lists and titles to organize the page

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Notable journaling setup (materials/layout)

• Dedicated monthly journal notebook: Dingbats B5 dot grid
• Special cover/titles:
  • future notes for the next year (transitioning to 2026)
  • word of the year
  • month titles (diagonal titles available via Patreon)
• She does entries as live streams through her Monthly Journaling Club (YouTube + Patreon).

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What she documents in each month (key highlights)

April 2025: spring transition + “checked-off” goals

Bucket list / accomplishment examples

• Go birding and identify species: spotted a brown thrasher in her own backyard and illustrated it.
• Planting bushes: a long-awaited gardening to-do finally got completed.

Creative/personal project

• Upcycled dining chairs: found at trash night, repainted, and now in her dining room.

Notables (favorites/what she spent time with)

• Books she read (including The Castle referenced for later)
• Movies/show outings:
  • The King of Kings for Easter
  • tickets for Murder on the Orient Express
• Food:
  • Sushi Heaven
  • frozen yogurt with extra toppings

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May 2025: travel + planning + special people

Main left-page experience (travel/journaling style)

• Backpacking weekend (who went, trek route start/end, highlights, photos)

Right-page roundup

• Bucket list items checked off:
  • Pitching a tent
  • Planting edible garden (lots of tomatoes)
  • Planning an exciting trip (including a later trip to Peru)
• “To-do list” challenge:
  • finally documented a Canada trip from last May (a year later)

Notables

• Watched/rediscovered old movies
• Heartland (new season)
• Saw Anastasia (second time, different theater)

Mementos

• Tip-in with photos from her best friend’s wedding
• Wedding invitation ephemera (cut-out used in the journal)

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June 2025: more travel fulfillment + everyday joys

Summer vibe styling

• Stickers

Major highlight

• Las Islas Galápagos (Ecuador) trip
  • She previously visited in March 2020 with her mom, but due to COVID-related disruption she felt she didn’t get the full experience.
  • This time she chaperoned for her best friend’s student trip and finally got the “real Galápagos” experience with many animals.

Ongoing theme

• The monthly bucket list sticker system keeps her focused on a handful of goals each month.
• Framing: “live intentionally so you have memories worth documenting.”

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July 2025: intentional routines + friends + Peru prep theme

Captures

• Sun tea making (including using a piece from the tea box as a journaling element)
• Business cards cut out for pages (e.g., a shop/event weekend in Bath, Pennsylvania)
• Food/outings (example locations mentioned: Fred Stag Pub; Attic Sell Trade Consign)

Focus/hindsight category concepts

• A month theme tied to building toward Peru:
  • mindset shift like “less Monday, more summer”
  • “transition” and busy work while prepping for travel

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August 2025: Peru travel + “moments” with family/friends

Left-page emphasis

• A large Peru collage spanning the journey:
  • Cusco
  • mountains / trek
  • Machu Picchu
  • Amazon

Technique notes

• She makes the collage in the PicCollage app, then cuts photos into smaller pieces for the spread.

“Moments” roundup

• Anniversaries/birthdays/milestones (husband’s birthday)
• Friends’ events (baby shower; Hobbits-themed birthday party)
• Family traditions (annual crab fest)

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September 2025: comprehensive prompt coverage + faith + seasonal reflections

A “try to represent every prompt” spread, organized by category. Examples include:

• Anniversary/birthday/milestone
  • her mom’s passing month + birth month (photo with decorative washi tape)
• Events/places visited
  • New York City
• Experiences with friends/family
  • Sunday lunch; baby shower-related experience
• Seasonal traditions
  • decorating for the cozy season
• Little joys of the everyday
  • a photo of her dog
  • drawn matcha cup + napkin detail from a matcha store while on the train
• Someone who made an impact
  • E.L. Konigsburg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (she rereads it; also set in NYC)
• Challenges overcome
  • grief/heaviness, plus heavy news

Additional notables

• Books listened to (e.g., The Thursday Murder Club)
• Food/recipes: chili in the crock pot
• A café/restaurant called Little Amps
• New discovery product/obsession: caramel apple dream tea
• Weather/nature/seasonal changes: fall vibes (and “no rain” lately)
• World events: conversations around freedom of speech in the US
• Something she achieved/proud of:
  • hosted a class for the Get Organized virtual conference
• Consistent habits/routines:
  • started going to the gym again (sore as a result)
• Main focus/time/energy:
  • busy work + weekends outdoors (fishing, rock climbing)
• Things checked off / creative project:
  • rock climbing; work related to creating a prompt guide for others
• Hindsight / mindset shift:
  • leaning into her faith more boldly (less fear of sharing it)

Word/quote for the month

“God has not given us a spirit of fear… but of power, love, and self-discipline.” — 2 Timothy

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Monthly bucket list + stickers (featured ongoing habit)

• She uses bucket list items (typically ~10 illustrated items per month) to guide what she tries to do.
• When she completes items, she adds them into her journal via bucket list stickers.
• Mentions current bucket list examples:
  • Make a favorite iced drink at home
  • Read a book outside
  • Uses her latte iced cup illustration and documents books (including a pool “lazy day” with a Machu Picchu-themed book)

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Notable speakers / creators / platforms / products (end)

Speaker

• Kelsey Lee (“My Abiding Journal”)

Platforms/communities

• YouTube
• Patreon
• “Monthly Journaling Club” (free)

Apps/products mentioned

• PicCollage app

Notebook/product mentioned

• Dingbats B5 dot grid notebook

People/works/book titles mentioned

• The Castle
• I Capture the Castle
• Heartland
• Anastasia
• The King of Kings
• Murder on the Orient Express
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)
• The Thursday Murder Club

Places/titles mentioned

• Las Islas Galápagos (Ecuador)
• Peru (Cusco, Machu Picchu, Amazon)
• New York City
• Bath, Pennsylvania

Restaurants/cafés

• Sushi Heaven
• Little Amps

Tea/product mention

• Caramel apple dream tea

Quote source

• 2 Timothy (Bible)