Hi friend! Elizabeth here from @thejoyfulsojourn on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, to share with you how to incorporate items from the 2026 Self-Care box, into your daily and weekly journaling routine in a planner!
Supplies – Discount code "JOYFUL10" to save 10% at A&O!
- Planner - Today I’m using the B5 undated planner, but any planner will do! If you have time to create your weekly spread, grab your favorite notebook
- Stamps & Ink - Today I'm using Cypress Green ink and the stamp set from the self-care box, as well as the Legacy Ink in Black.
- Pens are a must for me to achieve today’s finished pages. I used the new Monograph pens, specifically the brush tip and size 7.
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Washi! Today’s washi is from the self-care box, but A&O has a lot to choose from as well!
- Don’t forget Tools! Scissors, craft blade, tweezers, and a glue stick were all used today.
Pre-Printed Planners for Everyday Journaling
Sometimes I feel like the resident "planner girl" on the Archer & Olive team, and I don't mind it one bit! As a busy toddler mom who also loves creative play, I appreciate saving time on the front end of my journaling by going with a notebook that has pre-printed pages, i.e., a planner! The Archer & Olive planners are so nice because they come with that lovely 160gsm paper that stands up to stamping, AND, each day is already lined up for me. All I need to do is add the flair, and my own words to fill the page.
Relying heavily on a pre-printed layout, I was able to enjoy the process of setting up my decorative journaling days for the week, using washi tapes and stamps from the 2026 Self-Care box. This year's box is my favorite because of how heavily deco-focused the creative elements are. It is a STUNNAH!
In the image above you can see my play with stamps and ink in the floral section. I masked off the outside of each day's column so that the stamps would stay contained in each day. Using a buffer brush, I buffed on Cypress Green from the bottom of the column-up, to create an ombre effect. This was the base layer for the floral stamps, which I laid down with black ink. Check out my YouTube video linked below where you can see this in action!
Pro Tip: A nice touch to any lined floral stamp is coloring it in with an Acrylograph! You can create a new look every time with the same stamp set, just by changing out the pen colors you use. And with Acrylographs being opaque, you can layer them on top of smudge and buffed inkpad ink. I may just go in to the florals above a color the flowers in myself!
I used two washi tapes from the self-care box to add more texture to the pages. The more vibrant floral running along the bottom boxes for Saturday and Sunday, and the leafy green tape I tore for a nice raw edge for the top days of the week. I used the ink and type stickers set to add days and dates for the week. This set is so fun, I really love the stamped label maker look!
There are a lot of fun texture pieces in the self-care box's stamp set, which I laid down around the pages wherever it 'felt right'. Because the header "my strengths" takes up a lot of space Monday through Thursday, I left a lot of space in the latter half of the day's columns so I'd have plenty of room for writing.
The key to decorating daily spaces where you plan to journal, is balance. I like the look of the bold text in the upper left corner, juxtaposing the right page's lower corner of buffed green and lined florals. Always make sure your decorations are spaced in a way that you have at least 50% of the box available for writing (more or less depending on how much you like to write). So while it may seem like Monday through Thursday's boxes are too naked at the bottom, that's the space I'm reserving for journaling. Trust me - it'll fill in!
Adapting Guided Prompts for Your Style
This year's box comes with a spiral bound set of self-care prompts and activities. While they don't all have a direct correlation to journaling on paper, if one speaks to you in a season, adapt it! One card's activity was a daily affirmation of speaking 5 of your strengths, and I thought it'd be a nice activity to write down one strength each day over the course of the week. This is where the header "my strengths" came from.
One of my favorite stamps in the self-care box set is the large memo pad stamp. I stamped it on green notepad paper, fussy cut it along the coil image, and glued it down in the notes column. This is a decorative way to note my journaling prompt for the week, and I love how it fills in the space.
Feel free to adapt the cards to meet your needs, just as I'm taking the idea of a daily affirmation and turning it into a week-long prompt.
There is something so incredibly therapeutic about paper play. It's something I'll scream from the rooftops for as long as I can! Ripping washi tape, stamping and buffing with inks, laying down stickers with tweezers - all can be an act of worship, an act of peace, an act of play.
But I'll admit it - it was INCREDIBLY uncomfortable for me to think about my strengths and to write them down. For some of us, the paper play of journaling is the easy part. The hard part is the words, particularly when they are about honoring our gifts, talents, strengths. And that's exactly why I chose to adapt this daily affirmation into a week-long practice, and an example of why journaling prompts can be helpful. They give you permission to write about something you may not feel comfortable doing on your own accord.
8 Tips for Incorporating Journaling in Your Daily Routine
If the paper play part is easy for you, but there are obstacles preventing you from the habit of daily journaling, here are 8 tips that have worked for me along the way. You can find a small printable version below as well.
- Keep your journal in place where you see it every day. If you know where it is, you’re more likely to use it!
- Attach your journal entry to a habit you already have. If you check your planner every day, start adding a few sentences at the same time you check your schedule.
- Start small. Give yourself just 2 minutes to write something down and see how the time goes.
- Keep it simple! Use the same prompt for every day in a given week so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each day. (We did this today!)
- Let it be messy! Journaling is for you, don’t worry about what your handwriting looks like.
- Try listing. If writing sentences seems like too much work, write down phrases or a bullet list to log the day.
- Gratitude. Still not sure about what to write about? Default to gratitude and prayer. Write down one thing you’re thankful for.
- Coffee & Scrolling time. If you’re a daily coffee drinker or doom scroller, put the phone down while sipping and pick up a pen. Use your morning coffee as journaling time.
Watch this on YouTube
If you'd like to hang out with me and see this spread come together, head over to the Archer & Olive channel now where you can see me build these pages! I'd also love to hear about your strengths - watch our video and leave a comment with one of your strengths we can celebrate!
We would love to see how you use the Archer & Olive self-care box, be sure to share your pages on social media by tagging myself and Archer & Olive with your project using: @archerandolive @thejoyfulsojourn @archerandolive.community #AOShare #archerandolive
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