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+I cobbled together a journaling system with {neo,}vim,
+coreutils and [dateutils](http://www.fresse.org/dateutils).
+This system is loosely based on [Ryder
+Caroll's](https://www.rydercarroll.com/) Bullet Journal
+method.
+
+[![](https://u.peppe.rs/SpF.png)](https://u.peppe.rs/SpF.png)
+
+### The format
+
+The journal for a given year is a directory:
+
+```bash
+λ ls journal/
+2022/   2023/
+```
+
+In each directory are 12 files, one for each month of the
+year, numbered like so:
+
+```bash
+λ ls journal/2023/
+01  02  03  04  05  06  07  08  09  10  11  12
+```
+
+We can now begin writing stuff down:
+
+```bash
+λ vim journal/2023/1
+```
+
+Every month must start with a calendar of course, fill that
+in with:
+
+```vim
+:read !cal -m
+```
+
+Your entry for January might look like this:
+
+```bash
+λ cat journal/2023/01
+    January 2023
+Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
+                   1
+ 2  3  4  5  6  7  8
+ 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
+16 17 18 19 20 21 22
+23 24 25 26 27 28 29
+30 31
+```
+
+I prefer planning week by week, as opposed to creating a
+task-list every day, here's what I have for the first couple
+of weeks:
+
+```
+    January 2023
+Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
+                   1
+ 2  3  4  5  6  7  8
+ 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
+16 17 18 19 20 21 22
+23 24 25 26 27 28 29
+30 31
+
+
+week 1
+
+done apply leaves
+done dload boarding pass
+moved reply to dan
+
+
+week 2
+
+todo reply to dan
+todo pack bags
+done travel insurance
+todo weigh luggage
+```
+
+I start the week by writing a header and each item that week
+is placed on its own line. The items are prefixed with a
+`todo` or a `done` signifier.
+
+
+### Form over function
+
+Right off the bat, the signifiers look very noisy, Even more
+so once we start introducing variety (I use "event", "note"
+and "moved"):
+
+```
+week 1
+
+todo apply leaves
+done dload boarding pass
+todo reply to dan
+event fr trip
+note weight 68.6
+```
+
+We can clean this up with "abbreviations" (`:h abbreviations`):
+
+```vim
+:iabbrev todo ·
+:iabbrev done ×
+```
+
+Now, typing this:
+
+```
+todo apply leaves
+```
+
+Automatically inserts:
+
+```
+· apply leaves
+```
+
+You can use `x` and `o` as well, but `×` (U+00D7,
+MULTIPLICATION SIGN) and `·` (U+00B7, MIDDLE DOT) are more
+... *gourmet*.
+
+The other signifiers I use are:
+
+- `-` for note
+- `o` for event 
+- `>` for moved.
+
+Nit #2 is the lack of order. We can employ vim to introduce
+grouping and sorting. Select the list of entries for this
+week:
+
+```vim
+vip         " line-wise select inner paragraph
+:'<,'>sort  " the markers '< and '> are automatically inserted,
+            " they mark the start and end of the selection
+```
+
+We end up with:
+
+```
+week 1
+
+· apply leaves
+· reply to dan
+× dload boarding pass
+```
+
+The lines are grouped by their signifiers, segregating todo
+items from completed items. Luckily, MIDDLE DOT is lesser
+than MULTIPLICATION SIGN, so todo items are placed at the
+top. The same goes for `o` and `x` symbols, either set of
+signifiers will result in the same sorting order.
+
+We can shorten this select-paragraph-invoke-sort dance by
+setting the `formatprg` variable:
+
+```vim
+:set formatprg=sort\ -V
+```
+
+Now, hitting `gqip` should automatically group and sort the
+items for the week under the cursor, moving todo items to
+the top. Finding signifier glyphs that suit your sorting
+preference is a fun exercise.
+
+### Syntax highlighting
+
+Adding color to items introduces another layer of visual
+distinction. In truth, I like to deck it out just because.
+
+First, create a few syntax groups:
+
+```vim
+:syntax match JournalAll /.*/        " captures the entire buffer
+:syntax match JournalDone /^×.*/     " lines containing 'done'  items: ×
+:syntax match JournalTodo /^·.*/     " lines containing 'todo'  items: ·
+:syntax match JournalEvent /^o.*/    " lines containing 'event' items: o
+:syntax match JournalNote /^- .*/    " lines containing 'note'  items: -
+:syntax match JournalMoved /^>.*/    " lines containing 'moved' items: >
+```
+
+Add highlights to each group:
+
+```vim
+:highlight JournalAll    ctermfg=12   " bright black
+:highlight JournalDone   ctermfg=12   " bright black
+:highlight JournalEvent  ctermfg=6    " cyan
+:highlight JournalMoved  ctermfg=5    " magenta
+:highlight JournalNote   ctermfg=3    " yellow
+```
+
+In my terminal, this is rendered like so:
+
+[![](https://u.peppe.rs/Du6.png)](https://u.peppe.rs/Du6.png)
+
+### Habit tracking
+
+While this is not a part of my journaling system anymore, a
+few headers and an awk script is all it takes to track
+habits. My weekly entries would include a couple of habit
+headers like so:
+
+```
+week 1 --------------
+
+× wake up on time
+× water the plants
+
+spend 7.5 7 10
+---------------------
+
+
+week 2 --------------
+
+· make the bed
+· go to bed
+
+spend 30 2.75 6
+---------------------
+```
+
+Here, under the `spend` header in week 1, are a list of
+expenditures accumulated over the week. The monthly spend is
+calculated with this awk script:
+
+```awk
+BEGIN {spend=0;}
+/spend/ {for(i=1;i<=$NF;i++) spend+=$i;}
+END { printf spend "eur"}
+```
+
+And invoked like so:
+
+```
+λ awk -f spend.awk journal/2023/01
+63.25eur
+```
+
+### Reflection
+
+Journaling is not just about planning what is to come, but
+also reflecting on what has passed. It would make sense to
+simultaneously look at the past few weeks' entries while
+making your current one. To open multiple months of entries
+at the same time:
+
+```
+λ vim -O journal/2023/0{1,2,3}
+```
+
+Opens 3 months, side-by-side, in vertical splits:
+
+```
+JANUARY ------------  │  FEBRUARY -----------  │  MARCH --------------
+                      │                        │
+Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su  │  Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su  │  Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su
+                   1  │         1  2  3  4  5  │         1  2  3  4  5
+ 2  3  4  5  6  7  8  │   6  7  8  9 10 11 12  │   6  7  8  9 10 11 12
+ 9 10 11 12 13 14 15  │  13 14 15 16 17 18 19  │  13 14 15 16 17 18 19
+16 17 18 19 20 21 22  │  20 21 22 23 24 25 26  │  20 21 22 23 24 25 26
+23 24 25 26 27 28 29  │  27 28                 │  27 28 29 30 31
+30 31                 │                        │
+                      │                        │
+                      │                        │
+WEEK 1 -------------  │  WEEK 1 -------------  │  WEEK 1 -------------
+                      │                        │
+> latex setup         │  > forex               │  - weight: 64
+× make the bed        │  × clean shoes         │  > close sg-pr
+× 03: dentist         │  × buy clothes         │  × facewash
+× integrate tsg       │  × draw                │  × groceries
+                      │                        │
+                      │                        │
+WEEK 2 -------------  │  WEEK 2 -------------  │  WEEK 2 -------------
+                      │                        │
+× latex setup         │  - viral fever         │  > close sg-pr
+× send invoice        │  × forex               │  × plan meet
+× stack-graph pr      │  × activate sim        │  × sg storage
+                      │  × bitlbee             │
+```
+
+### Reducing friction
+
+Journaling already requires a solid amount of discipline and
+consistency. The added friction of typing `vim
+journal/$CURRENT_YEAR/$CURRENT_MONTH` each time is doing no
+favors. 
+
+To open the current month based on system time:
+
+```bash
+λ vim $(date +"%Y/%m")
+```
+
+To open all the months within a 2 month window of today, is
+a little trickier. The command we wish to generate is (if
+today is 2023/12):
+
+```bash
+λ vim -O 2023/10 2023/11 2023/12 2024/01 2024/02
+```
+
+And that is where `dateseq` from
+[dateutils](http://www.fresse.org/dateutils) comes in handy,
+for example:
+
+```bash
+λ dateseq 2012-02-01 2012-03-01
+2012-02-01
+2012-02-02
+2012-02-03
+...
+2012-02-28
+2012-02-29
+2012-03-01
+```
+
+This script opens all months within a 2 month window of
+today:
+
+```bash
+λ vim -O $(
+  dateseq \
+      "$(date --date "2 months ago" +%Y/%m)" \
+      "$(date --date "2 months" +%Y/%m)" \
+      -i %Y/%m \
+      -f %Y/%m
+)
+```
+
+
+### Fin
+
+You can find a sample vimrc file here:
+[cli/journal](https://git.peppe.rs/cli/journal/tree), along
+with a nix flake file to kick things off.
+
+Plain text journaling can be just as much fun as a pen and
+paper. Throw in some ASCII art for each month, use swankier
+signifiers, or louder syntax highlighting. Don't expect
+forgiveness from org-mode users though.
+
+[![](https://u.peppe.rs/ZCK.png)](https://u.peppe.rs/ZCK.png)