Q and A a Day: 5-Year Journal [Diary]

Potter Style (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 23, 2010

Do you ever stop to wonder how you got where you are? The Q&A a Day Journal shows you what was going through your head each day—for five years of your life. Simply turn to today’s date, answer the question at the top of the page, and when you finish the journal, start over. As you return to the daily questions again over the years, you’ll notice how your answers change (or don’t)! With questions that are sometimes provocative (“On a scale of one to ten, how happy are you?”), occasionally quirky (“What can you smell right now?”), and inevitably interesting (“If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?”), this classically designed journal—embellished with beautiful details—is the perfect gift for anyone embarking on a new phase of life.

Product Details

• Diary: 368 pages
• Publisher: Potter Style (November 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307719774
• ISBN-13: 978-0307719775
• Product Dimensions: 4 x 1.4 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (237 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Self-Help > Creativity

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

204 of 210 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It really is a great book, but ... August 3, 2011

By M. Flaig

Format:Diary|Amazon Verified Purchase

I LOVE this book -- at least I love the idea of it. I've been wanting to keep some kind of journal/diary that my kids could read someday and learn about me ... this little book is perfect for that!

It asks a simple question each day for a year. There are 4 lines to answer the question, which is great for someone like me who tends to ramble -- the 4 lines ensure a short and sweet response. In front of the 4 lines is a bolded "20__" where you fill out the current year.

Basically, it's set up like a traditional 5-year diary. Each page has 5 groups of 4 lines beginning with 20__. So after you go through a year of answering the questions at the top of the page, you start over again on the second group of lines.

I think it's a great tool to see how you've grown and changed over the course of a year -- as well as how you've stayed the same. I'm excited to see how my answers will vary from year to year.

I know another reviewer gave a good sampling of the questions, so I'll just throw in a few here: "When was the last time you flew on an airplane?" "What's your favorite word (right now)?" and "Write down a problem you solved today."

Now for the reasons I only gave this book 3 stars, even though I love the idea of it:

1. It's tiny, about 6x4 inches. That makes it handy to carry around, but hard to manage when you're trying to hold the book open and write in a very small space.

2. It doesn't lay flat. That's a big pet peeve of mine, especially for a diary or journal. It makes the chore of writing in a tiny space even more of a chore. My first entry is all messy; it feels impossible to write neatly. I'm hoping to get used to it so my printing can be somewhat legible.

3. I was surprised that there's no ribbon to use as a bookmark. I had to use a sticky note page marker. With the style of this book -- gilded edges, hard cover -- the missing ribbon is confusing, as well as inconvenient.

I think 3.5 stars would be a more accurate rating. This would easily get 5 stars from me if it were a bit bigger, laid flat, and had a ribbon bookmark!

79 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Easy "Time Capsule" Journal Idea July 10, 2011

By RuRu

Format:Diary|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love to buy journals but often have trouble writing in them after just a few initial entries. It could be that life gets too busy or that there seems to be nothing in particular to write about that I will want to remember later. This journal has solved my writer's block by providing questions at the top of each page.

Pros
- Each page is dated with the month and day (January 1)
- There are five spaces below for the year "20__" so that you can start on the correct date you get the book. You do not have to wait until January to start your journal, but you can, if that's what you would like
- There are four lines to write your answer so you will have to be concise

Cons
- the binding is tight and the pages are rather small so you have to hold the book open to write in it (so it does not lay flat on it's own)
- there is gold foil which lines the outsides of the pages. It looks fantastic now, but I don't know how much it will hold up over the next 5 years
- the cover feels a little more like cardboard so the photo is a little misleading, but it is hardcover and sturdy

Something I wish I knew when I purchased it were the types of questions it would ask, so below are a sampling of the types of questions in the book. Some are more exciting and some are more boring but at least this gives you an idea.

Sample Questions:
What is your mission? (January 1)
Did you kiss someone today? (February 14)
Did you sleep alone last night? (March 3)
Who are you fooling? (April 1)
If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? (May 25)
What makes a good friend? (June 9)
_______ is funny. (July 4)
Write down your last sent text message (August 9)
What shocking news have you learned recently? (September 22)
Halloween plans? What's your costume (October 31)
What was the last risk you took? (November 28)
Write down five days that describe today (December 25)

I would definitely purchase this as a gift for a friend or anyone who loves to write. I think when the journal is complete it will be really interesting to see how much your answers have (or haven't) changed over five years.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good idea, like the questions so far... December 17, 2010

By Amanda Aikman

Format:Diary|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have started a couple of these 5 year journals, and I liked this one because it gives you direction for your thoughts. It will also definitely be interesting to see what changes from year to year. I like the freedom to interpret these questions the way I want, and also to be pithy should the mood strike.

This is a small time commitment to make and I think the payoff down the road will be great.

My only complaint - and I am not sure how this would be fixed without a spiral binding, which I would not like - is that the binding is a little tight (for lack of a better word) and it can make it a bit difficult to write when you are near the center. This is really not a big deal though, as you are only writing a few lines per day. If this were a journal meant for more lengthy entries, it would be a big problem. I have not yet run into the grammatical errors that were spoken of in other reviews, but that may bother me as well.

Nice product, overall!