Looking for an idea to fill your new journal? If you enjoy scrapbooking, gratitude journals, and long-form journaling, I’ve created a system that’s a combination of all three: the 4-year journal. It’s a fun and rewarding way to capture the evolution of your life over time, and it’s perfect for recording your memories and reflecting on your experiences. But most importantly, I designed it to be super easy to keep up with – even long-term – without getting overwhelmed. If this concept sounds like it could be for you, read on!
The Principle
I love the concept of a journal where you can compare entries over several years, but most of the commercial journals consist of writing just one line each day, which poses two problems for me: one line is too little, and every day is too much. Instead, I started my own version with 52 spreads, each split into 4 half-pages – so I can write half a page each week for four year.
The main purpose of this 4-year journal is to reflect on how your life changes over time, comparing each week to the same week in previous years. It’s a great way to record your memories, bring perspective year-on-year, and reflect on your growth and experiences.
Everything happens in 4-year cycles: school, political terms (in many countries), even the Olympic Games, and often, major phases in our personal lives. This journal is designed to help you reflect on and appreciate these cycles. This also means that a 4-year journal is great gift for someone entering a new phase of their life. In practice, however, you can start your journal at any time you want, knowing that you will undoubtedly be facing new changes and phases over the next four years.
Personally, I started my 4-year journal at a time of uncertainty in my personal and professional life, knowing changes were coming and it would be an interesting time to record. Within only 2 years since I started, I moved, changed careers, and got engaged. The next two years are sure to bring about just as many changes, and I’m so glad I started this journal when I did. I’ve already decided to keep going once I’ve filled its pages completely.
The Setup
Choosing your journal:
If you follow the setup described below, you will need a journal with at least 130 pages. Each weekly entry will take up half a page, so choose your journal size according to how much you want to write! I recommend either an A5 or B5 journal.
I also recommend choosing a journal with thicker pages (120 gsm and above) if you want to treat this journal like a scrapbook and include photos, art, and memorabilia. Even if you only want to write in your journal, higher-quality paper will ensure you can write on both sides of the page without the ink showing through. Aesthetically, you’ll be using this journal weekly for the next 4 years, so choose a style you won’t get bored of! If you’re looking for something unique, check out the handmade journals in my shop.
How to set up your 4-year journal:
- Cover page: One full spread (2 pages).
I like to use the first page of any journal to introduce the purpose of the journal & for some decor and creativity. - Calendars: One full page per year (4 pages total).
This is a super helpful reference as you’re filling in your journal. TIP: Make sure to include week numbers in your calendar. If you want to save some time making this spread, I recommend using my 2025 mini-calendar stickers, or printing out my 2025 calendar, which already has the weeks labeled. - Yearly goals & intentions: One full page per year (4 pages total).
This is a great place to set goals at the start of each year! - Weekly logs #1-13: Half a page per week for all 4 years, (13 spreads or 26 pages total).
The weekly logs are the heart of this journal. Split each page in 2 horizontally, label the top of each spread with the week number, and the top of each section (half-page) with the corresponding year (ie. if you’re starting now: 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028). Check out the next section “The Practice” to see how to fill these spreads. Tip: since you’re setting this up by hand, don’t wait for the start of the year – you can start numbering on whatever week you’re currently on! - Quarter 1 reflection (optional): One full page page per year (4 pages total)
This is a space to reflect on the progress you’ve made in the first quarter of the year, revisit your goals, and capture any insights or themes emerging from the past three months. - Weekly logs #14-26: Half a page per week for all 4 years, (13 spreads or 26 pages total).
- Mid-year reflection: One full page page per year (4 pages total)
Use this spread to take stock of the first half of the year – celebrate your wins, evaluate your goals, and plan for the months ahead. - Weekly logs #27-39: Half a page per week for all 4 years, (13 spreads or 26 pages total).
- Quarter 3 reflection (optional): One full page page per year (4 pages total) This spread allows you to assess the third quarter of the year, track progress, and make any adjustments needed to finish the year strong.
- Weekly logs #40-52: Half a page per week for all 4 years, (13 spreads or 26 pages total).
- End-of-year reflection: One full page page per year (4 pages total)
Dedicate this space to reflecting on the entire year – what you’ve learned, how you’ve grown, and your favorite memories. Once you’ve reflected on the past year, flip back to the Goals & Intentions pages to set goals for the new year! - Memories (optional): If you have some pages remaining at the end of your journal, use these for memory-keeping! It’s a great place to include photos, memorabilia, notes, or anything you want to remember from the four years recorded in this journal! How you structure & fill these pages is entirely up to you! Personally, I like to keep these blank during the setup and improvise how I fill them through the years.
The Practice
Once you’ve set up your journal, all you need to do is fill up half a page every week, retelling any events, feelings, and details you want! I recommend doing this at a regular time each week so it becomes a habit – for instance, set aside 5 minutes every Sunday evening or Monday morning to reflect on your week while it’s still fresh.
I also like to start each entry with the date & city I’m in before I write about my week. Tip: While your instinct might be to focus only on events in your life, it’s also nice to include what books you’re currently reading, what shows you’re watching, what music you’re listening to or any hobbies and cultural references, since these evolve with time & are always fun to look back on!
The format is entirely up to you: you can write out paragraphs or create bullet lists. The latter is especially helpful if you’re short on time and want to avoid overwhelm. Feel free to glue in photos, memorabilia, and decorate your spreads with whatever you like at this moment in time!
Every 3-6 months, you get a full page for reflection, pictures, etc. Fill this however is fun and practical for you!
Finally, but very importantly, if you miss a week, don’t give up! You don’t need to fill out every spread for this to be a fun memory-keeping and reflection journal! When I miss a week or more, I go back and write bullet lists of what I remember from that week based on what’s in my bullet journal, planner, and phone photos. What’s important is to move on and keep going rather than get stuck and give up.
The Aesthetics
I recommend keeping a relatively neutral aesthetic for the setup so you don’t grow tired of it and can add aesthetic details to your spreads as you fill it in. The goal is to keep up with this journal for all four years, and adding some creativity to the task can be a great motivator.
This is your journal, and you don’t have to fill up the space with just text: Include decorations, memorabilia, or photos on your spreads as often as you want! If decorating your spreads it fun and motivating for you, you can add doodles or use stickers to decorate your weekly spreads, and see how your style changes each year! This makes it even more fun to look back on!
BUT, if you’re short on time or are feeling overwhelmed, remember that the important thing is to record your life. Don’t let aesthetics get in the way of that. If all you do is write, you can still add an element of change to keep this journal fun to use every week (ie. I like to change up the pen or ink I use in this journal every few weeks, which makes it more fun & shows how my preferences evolve over time).
By the time you finish filling its pages, your 4-year journal will become much more than a tool for memory keeping and reflection: it becomes a time capsule that reveals, week by week, how you’ve changed and grown. Whether you’re tracking personal growth, professional changes, or just capturing the small joys of life, this journal will become a cherished keepsake.
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