Inspired by a friend
Hello loyal readers.
I was inspired by a post my friend Sonja made about her journals, and decided that I would follow suit. My post will not be as well organized as hers, but I will counter by saying that you'll get a sneak peek into the annual coaching journals I keep. One day in the future, I will compile these into a book, perhaps my own manifesto, and the reader can follow me from the first day to the final day of coaching.
I digress.
This is my coaching journal from the 2019-2020 season. For the past few years, I've used a leather bound daily journal from Exceed. This isn't necessarily a journal of choice, but more one out of frugality. A few years ago the local Staples was blowing out journals and I purchased a stack of these bad boys for about $12. Sadly I've been a bit wasteful with them as they easily contain more than a single season, but I feel odd recycling them into multiple years.
I also use Mead style quad lined composition books as my main practice journal. This is where I will write down detailed notes about practices, and put in a daily practice sheet as well as switches or goals for each practice. I like the quad lined sheets because they are handy for drawing up quick charts or containing data from workouts.
Let's break this down.
Pens
I have recently switched the type and brand of pen that I use. Many of you will recall that I have used the Sharpie fine tip pen/marker for years. These have been inexpensive, reliable, and I've never had an issue with them breaking, running dry or bleeding. However, despite the fine point they still were a bit rough around the edges for my personal taste. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to certain things and creating charts is one of those things. The thicker line of the Sharpie pen was a bit too much for me to handle - coaching quirks will get you every time.
Behold, the new sweetness. The beautiful TUL 0.5 fine point pen. I love these pens. They leave nice crisp lines, they don't smear or bleed, and are similar in price to the Sharpies.
Journals
I am close to running out of my leather bound Exceed journals. I love these little books and have been on the hunt for them. I like them because they're large enough to write in without feeling as though you're cramped, but small enough to fit inside a jacket pocket. They also have a nice elastic band that keeps them closed. I've used rubber bands in the past, and there's nothing quite like one giving out, flinging what remains of its body across the boathouse floor.
Breakdown
I've already hinted at how I use my journals, but simply put, the Mead journals are my catch all. They store the practices and schedules and data. The Exceed and smaller journals are for practice notes, and other thoughts. I don't like to write in my Mead journal. I used to do a daily breakdown of practice after each page, but the process became a bit overwhelming. To be fair I used to also keep a three ring binder of practices before I realized that I was spending more time journaling than I was conducting daily business.
I view the Mead comp books as the map, and the Exceed or other small journals as my thoughts along the journey. The Mead book is one that anyone can open up and read. The Exceed journal contains my own personal thoughts and ideas as well as blunt assessments of what is happening that day. I don't share those journals though I'm sure they'll make a fascinating case study one day.
I did some digging and found a rather mundane page in this years journal that I can offer a peek of. As you can see, I jot down the date, and what we're doing at the time. I'll make some notations about what is happening, or what I'm looking for as well as a breakdown of what needs to happen next.
Much of what I keep per journal feels redundant but I do that for a purpose. Honestly, I could lose the smaller journal and simply keep the Mead and get along fine, which might be the case one day - I have a stack of three ring binders that I no longer use that should go to Goodwill.
I was inspired by a post my friend Sonja made about her journals, and decided that I would follow suit. My post will not be as well organized as hers, but I will counter by saying that you'll get a sneak peek into the annual coaching journals I keep. One day in the future, I will compile these into a book, perhaps my own manifesto, and the reader can follow me from the first day to the final day of coaching.
I digress.
I also use Mead style quad lined composition books as my main practice journal. This is where I will write down detailed notes about practices, and put in a daily practice sheet as well as switches or goals for each practice. I like the quad lined sheets because they are handy for drawing up quick charts or containing data from workouts.
Let's break this down.
Pens
I have recently switched the type and brand of pen that I use. Many of you will recall that I have used the Sharpie fine tip pen/marker for years. These have been inexpensive, reliable, and I've never had an issue with them breaking, running dry or bleeding. However, despite the fine point they still were a bit rough around the edges for my personal taste. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to certain things and creating charts is one of those things. The thicker line of the Sharpie pen was a bit too much for me to handle - coaching quirks will get you every time.
Behold, the new sweetness. The beautiful TUL 0.5 fine point pen. I love these pens. They leave nice crisp lines, they don't smear or bleed, and are similar in price to the Sharpies.
Journals
I am close to running out of my leather bound Exceed journals. I love these little books and have been on the hunt for them. I like them because they're large enough to write in without feeling as though you're cramped, but small enough to fit inside a jacket pocket. They also have a nice elastic band that keeps them closed. I've used rubber bands in the past, and there's nothing quite like one giving out, flinging what remains of its body across the boathouse floor.
Breakdown
I've already hinted at how I use my journals, but simply put, the Mead journals are my catch all. They store the practices and schedules and data. The Exceed and smaller journals are for practice notes, and other thoughts. I don't like to write in my Mead journal. I used to do a daily breakdown of practice after each page, but the process became a bit overwhelming. To be fair I used to also keep a three ring binder of practices before I realized that I was spending more time journaling than I was conducting daily business.
I view the Mead comp books as the map, and the Exceed or other small journals as my thoughts along the journey. The Mead book is one that anyone can open up and read. The Exceed journal contains my own personal thoughts and ideas as well as blunt assessments of what is happening that day. I don't share those journals though I'm sure they'll make a fascinating case study one day.
I did some digging and found a rather mundane page in this years journal that I can offer a peek of. As you can see, I jot down the date, and what we're doing at the time. I'll make some notations about what is happening, or what I'm looking for as well as a breakdown of what needs to happen next.
Much of what I keep per journal feels redundant but I do that for a purpose. Honestly, I could lose the smaller journal and simply keep the Mead and get along fine, which might be the case one day - I have a stack of three ring binders that I no longer use that should go to Goodwill.
Comments
-SONJA