I’ve put a couple of polls up recently in the Bring Back Paper Facebook group and I am definitely getting the feeling that people want a papery 2023. This makes perfect sense and I think every year should be a papery one, of course. Today I wanted to inspire you to get into a few papery habits.
I’m going to share a few things that you might like to try this year. You know whether you can take on one new thing or several at a time. I’d suggest pacing yourself so that you can make these things into long term habits, maybe start one new thing and ensure that it’s going well and then pick the next one.
Read, Read and Read Some More
I am going to start with reading as it’s my favourite papery habit and hobby.
Reading is easy to do, cheap or free to get started with, offers us wonderful escapism and distraction and it’s actually good for us.
With millions of books out there to read, you’ll never get bord with this one and there is bound to be a genre or two or more that will appeal to you.
If you’ve never been much of a reader, I’d suggest you’ve yet to find the books that you love to read, so make this year the year that you find those books.
We have a monthly book readalong here every month, too, so if you need a little nudge and ideas on what to read, do come and join in with us. The details will be on this blog every month, shared in the newsletter and the Facebook group.
I shared some tips in my How To Get Into The Habit Of Reading post, so if you need a little help, that one’s for you.
If you need convincing that reading is fabulous for you, check out 12 Reasons to Pick Up a Book Right Now.
Have Fun with Pen Pals
I share a lot about pen pals and happy mail here on the blog, so if you’ve yet to look into this, just use the search bar for pen pal posts.
Sending and receiving snail mail is sure to brighten your day, and you know that you’ll be brightening someone else’s too.
It’s a lovely way to make new friendships and connections and it’s a wonderful excuse to use pretty stationery or get creative if you fancy it.
If this isn’t something you’ve thought about before, read Why Have A Pen Pal? and see if it tempts you.
You could start with the Ultimate Guide For Pen Pals and take it from there.
Send Happy Mail
I’m making this separate to having pen pals, as this is slightly different.
You could choose to just send happy mail as one offs or on certain occasions, rather than having a pen pal.
This means less of a commitment for you, but you still get to have some snail mail fun!
You might join our Patreon memberships where we run activities monthly, or perhaps just take part in the activities here on the blog.
I’d recommend looking into Postcrossing as it’s a fun and easy way to send and receive postcards from all over the world.
Try Hand Lettering
This is a very pretty and relaxing hobby, and perfect for you if you like to get creative from time to time.
You can use it to mail people, or perhaps you’ll just take time out to do this to relax.
There are so many gorgeous YouTube channels and Instagram accounts devoted to this, there’s a whole new world for you to discover with this one.
It’s easy to get started with, and as the Husband enjoys this hobby, I have written a brush lettering beginner’s post, with some recommendations, so you can be lettering in no time.
Keep a Journal
There are so many possibilities here!
Journaling can take so many forms, and it’s a great way for you to use some of those notebooks that I just know you have in your stash!
You might get started with a bullet journal, I certainly wouldn’t be without mine now.
I also like to dip into gratitude journaling, and I’d say this is a great place to start if you’re unsure about trying this one.
Or perhaps you will keep journals for very specific reasons. For example, I keep a book journal, I write a birthday journal for my kids each year and then I use journals for various hobbies and interests, such as plants, skincare and so on.
Journals can be whatever you need them and want them to be.
My top tip to begin this habit would be not to force it. Journal when you want to journal. You might start out wanting to journal daily, but if that slips, don’t throw the whole thing out the window, just write when you feel like it and it will still be beneficial.
There are of course lots of other possibilities, you might like to follow me on Pinterest as I am often pinning papery content and ideas over there.
I hope this has given you a few ideas to make this a papery year?
If you’re new to Bring Back Paper, you can find out more about it all here. You can join our Facebook group here and you can sign up to join my mailing list below, for all the latest news, updates, ideas and activities.