If you are like me, you always loved the idea of journaling. Sitting in a café with a notebook losing yourself in your own thoughts. But after the first couple entries you simply stop writing. Leading to an house full of unfinished journals.
In this article:
1. How to start journaling?
2. Different types of journals.
3. When to journal.
4. Ways to stay consistent.
It can be challenging for a beginner to know how to start, even though it seems simple. Just grab a notebook and a pen and start writing.
As Simon Sinek said: “Start with why”. Why do you want to start a journal? If you know your ‘why’ and most importantly write it down. It helps you stay accountable to yourself. It keeps you motivated, even on the busiest days.
The reason I journal is because of clarity, improvements in productivity, keeping goals in check and telling my story. I can’t wait to be old and read the journals I wrote in my twenties. It must be so magical to read the challenges you faced in your younger years and be able to compare them to your current life. To literally see where you came from.
Other why’s could be improving mental health, tracking personal growth or fostering creativity.
What is your why?
Congratulations! You wrote down your ‘why’. Now you can start journaling. The first thing you need to know is that there are no rules you need to follow. Your journal is yours ‘Surprising, I know’. So don’t feel like you have to do certain things if you don’t want to.
Now it is time to decide the type of journal you will go for. There are hundreds of journals, some more elaborate than others. Below are some of my favorite types of journals:
A gratitude journal focuses on cultivating a positive mindset by writing down things you are grateful for each day. This type of journal is perfect for those who want to practice mindfulness and improve their mental well-being. Entries can be as simple as listing three things you’re thankful for or reflecting on moments that brought you joy.
The bullet journal is a highly customizable system that combines planning, journaling, and organization. It uses bullet points, symbols, and short notes to track tasks, events, and thoughts. This type of journal is ideal for people who want to stay organized while also having the flexibility to include creative elements like doodles or habit trackers.
Interested in tracking habits this way? Check out the habit tracker I use in my journal.
A daily diary is a classic form of journaling where you record the events of your day, your thoughts, and your feelings. It’s a great way to document your life and reflect on your experiences over time. This type of journal is perfect for those who want to create a personal record of their life.
A dream journal is used to record and analyze your dreams. It’s especially useful for people interested in understanding their subconscious mind or exploring dream interpretation. Writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up can help you remember them more vividly and uncover recurring themes or symbols.
A travel journal is a wonderful way to document your adventures, whether you’re exploring a new city or traveling abroad. You can include details about the places you visit, people you meet, and experiences you have. Many people also add photos, tickets, or sketches to make their travel journal more personal and creative.
Morning pages is a daily journaling routine in which you start your day by writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts first thing in the morning to clear your mind. Introduced by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. The goal is to write freely without editing or judgement. This helps to start your day with mental clarity and focus.
The beauty of Morning Pages lies in their simplicity. By writing first thing in the morning, you tap into your unfiltered thoughts before the distractions of the day take over. This "brain dump" clears mental clutter, allowing you to start your day with a sense of clarity and focus. It’s not about writing something profound or polished—it’s about letting your thoughts flow freely, no matter how mundane, messy, or repetitive they may seem.
Looking for even more inspiration for the kind of journal to use? Check out this blog post
When you journal is mostly personal preference. Basically whenever the ‘feeling’ hits is a right time. Some people like to do it in the morning, others in the evening before bed and some like to do it while being unable to sleep. It’s even possible to do it on the go.
For example; I got a little pocket journal on me for on the go. Whenever I have nothing to do I take the journal out and start writing. Time and locations vary, I write in trains, buses and cafe’s. This way its very easy to just write and keep the habit consistent.
Need some inspiration? This question gets asked on Reddit all the time. Check out the discussion here.
Staying consistent in journaling is a challenge. As I told you at the start, I have more empty journals than I can count and even more that have only one entry.
One way to stay consistent is by making consistency itself the goal. Train your journaling discipline by telling yourself you will write everyday, even if it's just one sentence. The goal resets at midnight. This means you cannot write for an hour on monday and tell yourself that you did good for the whole week. Focus on writing something. Even if it's just you saying: “I feel unmotivated today. See you tomorrow.” This way you still kept your habit going. Try to hit the highest streak possible.
If you keep your streak going for 5 days and fail on the 6th day, its not failure. You just gave yourself a streak to beat. Keep challenging yourself. In time you will see that you are consistent.
Habit stacking is another great way to keep consistent in your new habit. This concept refers to the ‘stacking’ of a new habit onto an old habit. You combine them.
For example; every morning I make a cup of morning coffee. I prepare breakfast and sit at the dinner table. To add journaling to my morning routine I stack the ‘journaling’ habit onto my ‘morning coffee’ habit. From now on, whenever I have my morning coffee I take out my journal and start writing.
Habit Stacking is originally described by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. If you want more background information to understand why this works, I recommend checking out his book.
Good luck on your journaling journey! Remember, there are no rules you have to follow. Stick with your new habit and the results will follow.