Hello again, dear reader.
In case you're new here, I'm Alastair Johnston and you're receiving this newsletter because you subscribed over at my blog or via a link from Substack. I'm grateful for you giving me some of your time and attention and hope I always inform or entertain you here. If not, please feel free to unsubscribe, I won't be offended.
Here are this week’s updates and things I’d love to share with you all.
On empty pages
Sometimes, even empty or partly filled in journal pages can help to tell me about myself. These last few weeks have been incredibly stressful to me, as a number of personal events aligned. We moved house to the city (I’ve never lived in a city before), my son finished primary school, my wife began a new chapter in her work-life. Every constant I seemed to have was pulled away. And I found it difficult.
I tried to journal every day, but found it harder and harder to write anything meaninful or deep, or anything that I thought I would enjoy reading at a later date when I reminisce. There were fewer photographs printed off and stuck to the pages. My journal became bleaker. And this, in itself began to weigh on me. I thought I was failing in yet another area of my life.
But then, slowly, I began to look at these emptier sheets and realise that in their thin content, they were still telling me something and helping me to work through my thoughts. The empty spaces showed me that sometimes you just have to accept that you are going through a tough patch and rather than try to fill the patch (or page) with activity, you just need to let it happen.
“This too shall pass”. You tell yourself the phrase repeatedly, and although at the time, you wonder… sure enough, one day you feel just a little bit brighter. You notice something a tiny bit more positive, you note that down on the journal. The pages begin to ink up again.
Things are improving now. Journal pages are filling again, ideas for my blog are simmering and I’m back newslettering after the brief pause amidst my recent chaos. So thanks for sticking with me.
Hello to you new subscribers
While we’re on the subject of newsletters, I’d like to say welcome to the newbies who subscribed after reading my Projects: The Alastair Method piece was published over on the Bullet Journal website. Although I created this a while ago, it took some time until it was referenced there.
So if you are new here, a couple of things that you might like to do:
If you would like to, do send me an email and tell me a little bit about yourself. I love to hear why you’ve subscribed and a bit about you.
On the subject of hello’s, as part of my wanting to make the digital world a wee bit nicer and more human, have a look at my Hello Page thoughts and if they resonate, maybe consider setting up a Hello page of your own and letting me know about it.
Some interesting reads
A Case for Writing Things Down - Martin Brodsky writes about the joy and usefulness of the simple pocket notebook. I’m already totally with him on this.
RIP The External - an excellent piece by CJ Chivers calling out the idea of the Second Brain. Really made me think critically of my own digital tools and what power I hand over to them.
List one task, do it, cross it out - Oliver Burkeman simplifies planning and task management by lifting off a lot of the mental weight we wrongly worry about.
That’s it for now. I shall be heading off next week for some time for R&R and following my own advice. So while I’m away…
Be kind!
Comments? Insights? Join the discussion or email me.
This reminds me of Something Matt Hogan wrote about once: On the Blank Page. it really helped me at the time. He made the case that simply sitting there staring at a blank page for an hour _was still a good use of time_ because you're rearranging your mind just thinking of the thing to write, and that's good
I love your newsletter, Alastair! (Is it okay if I use your first name or would you prefer "Mr Johnston?") It's like a tiny visit to England and knowing you'd serve some tea and a scone or two if I were to visit. (With clotted cream and jam, of course and milk for the tea!) I'd never drop in, and I live in the States but I just wanted you to know. Please be as kind to yourself as you are to everyone else!!