Today I Must Start Journaling
/
As we’ve already established, I’m a huge advocate of journaling, whether it’s to help you be more organized, for scrapbooking or memory keeping purposes, to help you process your feelings, as an outlet for creativity, or just to manage your overall mental health. Don’t think you need to have all the tools like stickers and fountain pens and washi tapes or that you need to be a great writer before you start. All you need is a blank page and a pen (or your notes app) before you start writing, sketching, or just jotting down random things.
The important thing is that you figure out first why you want to journal and what will be its main purpose in your life. Then choose a good time to schedule your journaling and keep that time “sacred”. Then just start journaling, whether you want to document your life, write out your feelings, or help set goals and targets.
Most importantly, remember that you're journaling for yourself. It's not just something to add to your to-do list or to post on your Instagram or to buy stationery so you can use them (and please, use them). You're doing this to benefit yourself and you write or create for your own eyes. It's great to share what you can but don't think about your audience. Just journal for yourself.
Here are a few short tips and tricks I've learned over the years:
Set a journaling schedule (and keep it whenever you can)
Try writing one sentence a day just to get the hang of it (you'll be writing paragraphs soon)
Use creative prompts (just search IG, Tiktok, or even just Google)
Log daily activities (especially when you're forgetful)
Experiment! There's no right or wrong way to journal.
Track your habits
Use bullet points if you don't like long-form writing
Incorporate photos, stickers, sketches, stamps, etc into your pages
Browse YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok for inspiration (but don't be pressured to be like them)
Reflect on your mood or feelings (if nothing really "happend" during the day)
Review old entries regularly (to see how far you've come)
Create a done list instead of a to-do list (things you've accomplished/finished)
Focus on gratitude (your journal can just be a gratitude journal)
Write down small wins, no matter how simple or trivial
Write without editing (just write what you want and/or feel)
Try voice notes if you don't feel like writing
Try junk journaling (use receipts, labels, napkins, papers, etc)
Decorate your pages if you don't like just looking at your writing
Use what you have (and it can be a pen and paper only)
Just start journaling.
IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING:
Start your first journaling page (if you haven’t yet) or spend 10 minutes just journaling today.
JOURNALING PROMPT:
Why do you want to start journaling? What will be its purpose in your life?
