Starting August with a Field Sketchbook and Coffee

I woke up a little early this morning and brewed some coffee in the quiet time.

July has ended, and August is finally beginning. I did my monthly routine of reviewing my planner and setting up for the new month.

July Review

Looking back at my monthly view for July, I am a bit amazed at how many different things happened.

In addition to my main job at an agricultural corporation, I did some side work pruning garden trees, and even took out my favorite sewing machine to make a canvas tote bag. It was literally a month where I felt like I was running at full speed. But looking back, I feel like it was a very fulfilling time.

I use digital tools like a MacBook and Cosense for quick notes and organizing information, but in this A5 loose-leaf planner, I record my main schedule in red ink and what happened that day in black ink by hand.

During my end-of-month review, I circle memorable topics in red. While I could search and list them instantly if they were digital, taking the time to look over the whole page and remember things like 'Ah, I was exhausted from mowing the grass that day' gives me a sense of fulfillment that is hard to describe.

August Setup

Now, it is time to prepare for the new month of August. I use a personal field sketchbook for my detailed daily records.

I change pages every two weeks and hand-draw my format. The time spent drawing lines with a ruler is an important reset time for me to clear my head.

In addition to my main daily events and tasks for the two weeks, I have a habit tracker and a graph to record my daily mood and sleep hours.

The main daily events overlap with my monthly view, but I use them differently because the monthly view is convenient for getting an overview of the entire month.

I also write down things like my Eiken study progress, which I am working on little by little, in the tracker. It is a small pleasure to fill in the squares little by little every day.

The Comfort of Handwriting

It is a habit from when I used to work in IT sales, so I still like new gadgets and digital tools, but I am still drawn to analog for my daily records.

Picking up my favorite writing instrument and feeling the ink touch the paper—that simple act is strangely healing in the midst of busy days.

Noticing later from the messiness of my handwriting that 'I must have been tired that day' might be one of the unique charms of handwriting.

Well, my planner is ready, and although it looks like it will be another hot day, I plan to take it easy and move at my own pace.

For now, I think I'll have another cup of coffee while gazing at Gu-chan's adorable bottom, just to savor this quiet morning time a little longer.

Thank you for reading until the end.

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