Because of the large response to the topic of finding time in a busy schedule to keep a journal, this is the second week the "Mormon Forum" is dealing with this topic.

- Realize that a few minutes a day may be all that you require. You don't have to put a lot of time into a journal to make it an effective record of your life. Don't think that you have to have a large block of time. Just start wherever you are in your life, and catch up, if you want to, as things come to your memory.- Write at a regular time, maybe right before bedtime or right after breakfast. Find a good time for your individual schedule, and stick to it. It's much easier to spend a few minutes every day than to try to write a long time less frequently.

- Know you don't have to be a great writer. You're recording information, facts, feelings and thoughts. You're not writing a novel, and everything doesn't have to be written in perfect form, spelling, grammar, etc. The content of what you are writing in a journal is far more important than the form.

- Take your journal and pen with you on trips or during times you will have to spend time waiting.

- Write about experiences and events at the time that they occur. Your memory of detail fades fast. If you want an accurate record of things, write right away. Record inspiration and spiritual experiences while they are fresh on your mind.

- Write about your feelings. Your feelings about the things you're recording are an important part of a journal. Don't leave them out.

- Use a word processor if that is more convenient for you. You can produce nice looking work, edit with ease and have spell checkers and other tools at your disposal. - Karen D. Garrett, West Valley City, Utah

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What we did:

Thankful for computers

Thank goodness for computers. I now put my journal on a computer disc, and I find that by spending five or ten minutes before bed each night, I can keep up journal writing daily. When I have a few extra minutes, I print out a copy and file it in a binder. Having journal entries on computer takes up less space and can be filed under various topics. Spending a few minutes each day at the computer for me works better than sitting down to hand write each entry. - Susan Bull, Orillia, Ontario

Uses wall calendar

When my daughter was old enough to have her own schedule, we bought a very large wall calendar to record all our appointments along with various notes for the day. When she became a foreign exchange student, I used the information on the calendar to write letters to her once a week. I then realized I could keep a journal the same way.

Now, if I am "too busy" during the week, each Sabbath I write in my journal. There's never a chance to forget what happened when I look at the calendar for the past week.

I have since bought wall calendars for various friends so they may do the same. Who says the Lord doesn't provide ways to do what He asks? - Toni Marino, Minneapolis, Minn.

Set aside time

I am 13 years old, and I admit that finding time to keep a journal can be difficult. We have been told by the prophets to keep a journal. In Young Women, we had a lesson on keeping a journal. Try every day to set aside 10 to 15 minutes to write in your journal. Keeping a journal will bring you happiness. - Shannon Fitzgerald, Shelton, Wash.

Inspired by prophet

I truly have been inspired by the many things President Spencer W. Kimball said about journals. This quote from him has made me climb out of bed many nights when I thought I was too tired to write earlier that day: "By now, in my own personal history, I have managed to fill 78 large volumes, which are my personal journal. There have been times when I have been so tired at the end of the day that the effort could hardly be managed, but I am so grateful that I have not let slip away from me and my posterity those things which needed to be recorded." (Ensign, October 1980, p. 72.) - Ann Chadwick Burton, Magna, Utah

Well-formed habit

Finding time in my busy life to write in my journal was often difficult. I was never consistent in my writing, and I developed all kinds of excuses for not writing. After reflecting upon the problem, I knew I had to predetermine a regular time to record in my journal. It had to become a well-formed habit. Just as we know Mondays are set aside for family home evening, so too can we determine a particular time to write in our journals.

First, I chose a monthly basis to record special events and spiritual thoughts in my daily planner. Then I decided to write in my journal on every fast Sunday. Writing in my journal became associated with my fasting. I would collect all my notes from my planner and enter them in my journal. Once the habit of writing became set in my mind it soon became easier to write in my journal. - Connie Jameson, Anderson, S.C.

Set a goal

In 1990, I became an early morning seminary teacher and was supposed to teach my students to keep a journal regularly. I set a goal to write in my journal at least once a week - and that's just what I did. Notes of my activities are kept in a small pocket diary, and then - usually early Sunday morning - I review those notes and write about my experiences of the past days. - Peter Janssen, Braunschweig, Germany

Uses a clipboard

I have album-type journals boxed up in my attic and some in a bookcase. The past four years I have found an easier way:

- Use three-hole binder paper.

- Keep a clipboard always loaded with the paper where I can see it. This simplifies jotting down a date and a thought or event as it happens.

Years ago, when my three sons were small, I kept a sketch-type journal for each child. The quick-action sketches drawn in pencil or watercolors each tell a story, bringing back happy memories - 40 years later! - Marie W. Stealey, Tigard, Ore.

Personal, spiritual solace

Thanks to a seminary class in Pocatello, Idaho, in 1988 taught by Lindsay McMurtrey, journal writing has become my personal and spiritual solace. Brother McMurtrey's principles were simple:

- Write something every day, even if it is brief.

- Write about a topic once a week, such as a picture, a scripture, a person or an experience.

- Live your life on the pages of your journal.

By following these principles, I've filled up 10 large journals in the past eight years. - Jana L. Roberts, Portland, Maine

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How to checklist:

1. Set a goal, make it simple; set a regular time, stick to it.

2. Use a computer; print out copies to place in a binder.

3. Don't worry about writing ability; content is priority.

4. Jot reminders of experiences in planners, calendars, etc.

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Write to us:

Aug. 31 "How to help LDS youth have social opportunities when they are few in number."

Sept. 7 "How to overcome emotional, physical burnout."

Sept. 14 "How to include a socially underdeveloped child in classes and activities."

Sept. 21 "How to be more optimistic."

Sept. 28 "How to cope with, help a child who is suffering from emotional, mental illness."

Oct. 5 "How to financially prepare your family for missions, education."

Had any good experiences or practical success in any of the above subjects? Share them with our readers in about 100-150 words. Write the "How-to" editor, Church News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110, send fax to (801) 237-2121 or use internet E-mail: Churchnews@desnews.com. Please include a name and phone number. Contributions may be edited or excerpted and will not be returned. Due to limited space, some contributions may not be used; those used should not be regarded as official Church doctrine or policy. Material must be received at least 12 days before publication date.