Designing the Journal From the Inside Out

Finishing Month 2, building the first interior layout, and switching between two very different versions of my brain this week.

This week was an interesting blend of two very different worlds.

During the day, I’m buried in SAP screens, SQL queries, and manufacturing data — the usual structure-heavy workflow of a supply chain analyst. However, this Saturday afternoon, I opened Microsoft Publisher and started experimenting with journal layouts, margins, and spacing. It’s a strange shift going from debugging inventory problems to adjusting text alignment, but it made the project feel real in a way it hadn’t before.

With Month 1 finished, the entire focus this week was on Month 2 and on what the journal will actually look and feel like on the inside. Both pushed me in different ways, and both made me realize I’m not just writing a book, I’m building an experience for someone.

Here’s what came together.

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What I Worked on This Week

Finishing Month 2: Understanding Yourself

Month 2 is now fully drafted: the introduction, all 28 prompts, four personal stories, four weekly reflection questions, and four action steps.

This month pushes into identity, not the past (that’s Month 3), not the future (Month 6), but the present:

• How you define yourself today

• Where your actions match or contradict that

• Your natural strengths and blind spots

• The values already shaping your decisions

It surprised me how much writing these prompts made me reflect on my own patterns. I had moments where I caught myself answering the questions as I wrote them.

Here are four prompts from Month 2 that stood out:

• How would you describe who you are today using only a few words?

• Where do your actions consistently support the person you believe yourself to be?

• What strengths show up in your life without you having to think about them?

• When you look at your recent choices, what values appear again and again?

Month 2 is about looking closely, something most people rarely do once adulthood speeds up. Writing it reminded me how grounding that work can be.

Here’s a quick view of the inside of my OneNote

One of the weekly reflections for Month 2

Designing the First Interior Layout Prototype

This was the unexpected highlight of the week.

I spent about 90 minutes learning the basics of Microsoft Publisher. Not because it’s perfect software, but because it was available and helped me get from 0 to 1 quickly. Word and OneNote weren’t giving me the flexibility I needed, and Publisher let me finally visualize:

• the daily template

• how the prompt sits on the page

• the spacing and breathing room

• the look of the weekly reflections

• the consistency across all 365 entries

Seeing a full page mocked up changed everything.
It went from “I’m writing a journal” to “I’m building a physical product someone will use every day.”

Self-publishing means I have to learn the design side too, and honestly, it’s been fun. Very different from SQL and SAP, but fun. Still have a lot to learn, but like I said, just need to get from 0 to 1 and the rest will take care of itself.

Don’t judge…trying to get more “creative,” haha.

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What I Learned This Week

1. Use the tool you have, not the perfect tool

Publisher might not be the final platform I use, but it helped me make progress today. Momentum is more important than choosing flawlessly.

2. Writing the journal is shaping me too

Month 2 is about understanding yourself, and even though I’m writing it for someone else, it made me look at my own identity in a much clearer way.

3. Design is part of the emotional experience

It’s not just about the prompts, it’s about how the page feels when you open it.
The layout sets the tone for the entire year-long journey.

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A Recommendation for You

If you’re working on something big and feel overwhelmed, try this:

Pick the smallest next piece you need to learn.
Learn just enough to take the next step.
Move forward, even if it’s imperfect.

That’s all I did this week. And it was enough to break the project open again.

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Closing Thoughts

This wasn’t the most dramatic or glamorous week of the project, but it was meaningful.
Finishing Month 2 gave the journal depth.
Designing the layout gave it form.
And switching between my analytical work and this creative project reminded me why I wanted to build this in public — to document the whole process, not just the polished end.

Thanks for following along.
See you soon.