Hi everyone! This is Bea, lettering artist and journaling lover, and I’m so happy to join the Archer & Olive Ambassador Team this year! You can find me as @bealettering on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
If you’ve ever wanted to start journaling but don’t have much time, I’m here to introduce you to the One Line a Day journal. This five-year journaling method lets you capture daily memories (a thought, a moment, or a highlight from your day) in just one sentence. It’s a simple, mindful way to create a memory journal with only a few minutes each day. I’d 100% recommend it as a way to start journaling for beginners. Over time, this daily journaling habit turns into a notebook that grows alongside you. What makes it truly special is that, as you fill each page year after year, you can look back and see what you were doing on this same date in the past: the little memories you might have forgotten, the milestones, the progress.
Whether you’re new to journaling or just looking for easy journaling ideas to stay consistent, the One Line a Day method is the perfect place to start!
Supplies I used to create my One Line a Day journal
- A5 journal with at least 192 pages. The number of pages is important here! Otherwise, you won’t have enough space for all 365 days of the year. I’m using the A5 journal from September 2025 Subscription Box.
- Small and large brush pens, such as Calliographs.
- Any decorative elements you like! Washi tape and stamps are a great choice for this journal. Use washi to divide your page for two days, and stamps to add a creative touch before or after writing.
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How to set up your One Line a Day journal
Before we start, please keep in mind that this method is meant to be low-pressure, so don’t feel like you have to write and decorate each of the 365 (+1) days in advance, you can simply write as you go!
Setting up your One Line a Day journal is easier than it seems: each A5 journal page will be divided into two sections: one for the upper day and one for the lower day. Every day has enough space to write a single line (or two 😉) over five different years.
To help you stay organized, I’ve created a printable template showing the layout of days and pages, so you can easily plan how your journal will fit the entire year. You can, of course, start in a different month, but I recommend beginning at the start of one. You’ll also find some lettering ideas for monthly titles.
Click the image below to download it!
If you’re starting in January, you can use the top of your first page to write the name of the month, and begin your entries in the lower part of the page with January 1st. From there, simply continue the days in order. Don’t forget to leave room for February 29th in leap years!
You don’t always have to write the name of the month. Here, I used an alpha sticker set plus some golden washi tape from September’s quarter box, to create the name of the month, and then added a divider with a gold pen to separate the two sections.
Let’s see another example. This is how the beginning of March looks. The top left page is for the monthly title, bottom left for March 1st, top right for March 2nd, and bottom right for March 3rd.
You can easily find the middle of the page with a dot grid planner stencil. Feel free to add washi tape and stamps to create a different theme each month. Try combining your washi color palette with your brush pens! (You can find more ideas to use washi tape in your journal pages in this blog post.)
If you’ve done your math properly, you’ll have one last page left (page 192). This one is for a special section called Year in a Line, where you can write one sentence that sums up your entire year.
Why you'd love this journaling method
- Simple and low-pressure: one sentence a day is all it takes to capture your memories.
- See your growth over time: as you write today’s line, you can look back and see what you were doing on this same date in past years.
- Celebrate everyday moments: birthdays are easy to remember, but small milestones, like when you moved into your home or adopted your cats, become extra special when you rediscover them later.
- Reflect and gain perspective: notice how you overcame challenges that once felt big, and how goals you dreamed of have become real.
- Perfect for beginners and busy creatives: an easy journaling idea you can keep up with in just a few minutes each day.
- A wonderful activity to share with kids: help them understand how time passes and enjoy looking back on fun memories together.
I hope you enjoyed this post and feel inspired to start your own One Line a Day journal! If you’d like to see how mine is coming along, check out Archer & Olive YouTube Channel, where I share the journal I started back in 2023 and how I set it up.
I’d love to see your take on this project! Share your pages on social media and tag @archerandolive and @bealettering using the hashtags #AOShare and #archerandolive.
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