When I first started journaling, I had no idea how it worked. I thought it was just recording what happened during my day. As I got older and started to understand what a wonderful tool it is.
Journaling allows you to work through your emotions and dive deeper into your everyday thoughts and behaviors.
- Having trouble knowing what write or feeling uninspired. Try doodling drawing etc to get juices flowing.
- Create a running list of journal prompts that you can turn to in a pinch.
- If physically writing out your thoughts is causing writer’s block, don’t force yourself to stick with it. You can type in Google docs or use your phone’s notepad application. Digital journals are easy to back up, access, and organize.
- Let yourself be messy, your journal isn’t here to look pretty. It’s here for you to explore your thoughts, work through big emotions, and encourage introspection.
- Don’t Edit as You Go – If you make a mistake, scribble it out and keep going. ‘Mistakes” distract you from your train of thought.
- Carry Your Journal at All Times, you can write whenever inspiration strikes (and you have a few minutes to spare!) Can’t write the entry immediately, jot down a vague heading and some bullet points containing your thoughts and ideas. Later, you can remind yourself what you thought and write the full entry.
- Write to Yourself – great way to track your progress and growth. Try to remember what it was like to be 5, 10, or 20 years younger. What were you worried about? What were your dreams? After putting yourself in a smaller pair of your own shoes, write a letter to that version of yourself.
- Write about the people you know now, your job, your family, your pets, your habits, things you’ve overcome, and areas where you’ve changed. Compare and contrast your life now and then.
- Write About What You Want – don’t force yourself to write about something that irritates you. Your journal is a tool meant for your benefit and growth. If you hate a prompt, get annoyed with a specific journal structure, or find an entire guided journal infuriating – you don’t have to stick with it.
- Write In Different Places – they can trigger different memories and bring out different aspects of your personality
- Turn Off Distractions
- Turn off your phone if you can, otherwise put it on silent and place it face down. Put away anything that will distract you as you’re writing.
- Set a Timer – set a judgment-free timer for 10 or 15 minutes. If the timer goes off and you’ve found a flow or are on a thought path you want to dive deeper into, you can continue! But you can’t stop until the timer goes off.
Stream of Consciousness – write down whatever pops into your head. Don’t worry about finishing sentences – if your thoughts switch, your writing must too!
