Yes! I have a new journal coming out next Tuesday. I had the idea for a journal like this before I had even written my book. It was actually the first project that interested my publisher, Chronicle Books, in the summer of 2017.

Feels like 75 years ago!

To be honest, when I was working on this project I didn't consider myself a big journal person. I thought it would be a good product, but maybe not for me? And then my sample arrived. And my husband deployed. And then I turned 35. And on the Friday after all that, when I thought I was starting to get a handle on what the deployment would look like (haha! Remember when I thought Paul being gone without a global pandemic would be hard?), I picked up the journal and did my first weekly check-in.

Spolier alert: I enjoyed it.

The next Friday, I enjoyed it more. I loved turning back the page to see what I had hoped to achieve and where my head had been. I loved taking the time to reset for the upcoming week.

The next Friday I checked in again. And hours later, school for my first grader was cancelled and the state of California entered what feels like a forever social distancing lockdown.

And despite nothing being normal right now, I am still picking up the journal every Friday. I am taking a deep breath. I am looking back over the past week and making check marks where tasks were accomplished and giving myself grace where they were not. I am celebrating any progress. I am taking a few minutes to jot down a win or two or five. I am comparing the journal to my planner to see what I need to get done in the next week. I am staring into space to dream up what I might like to get done in the next week. I am thinking through what I need to let go of (a lot right now). I am, most importantly, writing it all down.

I would never say "this journal will change your life" in the best of times. So, of course, in the worst of times I would never say that. But I do think a check-in each week is worthwhile. We are all making our way through this, one day at a time. No matter where you write down your thoughts, taking ten minutes weekly for reflection and intention-setting is valuable and might help you see that yes, the world is still spinning.

If you decide it's worth a try, and would like two years worth of weekly spreads and rainbow pages, I've got the product for you. The journal launches Tuesday 4/21 and I encourage you to call your local bookstore and see if they can order it! Or pre-order through bookshop.org which supports independent shops. I also have copies available here (plus signed copies of my book are back in stock!) which will begin shipping Monday.

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