Create A Journaling Habit -8 Tips To Create A Journaling Habit

8 Easy Tips to Create a Journaling Habit

We’re living in some wonky times right now. We’re all feeling all. the things. Journaling can be a great way to get out all the things you’re thinking, feeling, and experiencing by giving you a safe space to express yourself.

Journaling is a simple, elegant solution with lots of benefits. Even if you’re just starting out with it. (You probably know by now that I love simple, elegant solutions. (Everything I offer is built around this.)

Use these 8 tips to create a journaling habit today.

There’s power in getting things down on paper.

In this post, we’ll look at 8 easy tips to help you easily create a regular journaling habit.

Create a Journaling Habit: Getting Started

Creating a journaling habit is pretty simple. All you need to get started is a pen and some paper.

Of course, there are numerous types and styles of journals and ways of journaling that may (or may not) be more effective depending on your goals.

You can always change your mind and use something else as you develop your journaling practice.

You can also go digital if you like. But give the paper method a go first.

There’s something special and magical about writing things down.

Pro tip: The important thing it to begin. I have used many different types of journals over the years. (I’ve been keeping one since junior high school, and yep, I have all of them.) A plain-lined notebook or even just notebook filler paper and a folder can be a place to begin. Choose a pen you like writing with, and you’re all set.

8 Tips to Help You Create a Journaling Habit

Tip #1

Dust Off Your Pen and Paper: You don’t need anything special to keep a journal; in fact, I believe that using pen and paper is the best way to journal because you can carry it with you anywhere and you don’t need technology. So, there will be no excuses. Plus, writing things down carries its own power.

Tip #2

Journal in the morning before you do anything else – Don’t give yourself a chance to procrastinate about keeping your journal. If you do it in the morning before you begin your day, you can begin your day with the right frame of mind. That’s a win. Plus, you only need five to ten minutes, and most of us can squeeze that into our mornings. If you can’t, then consider getting up a few minutes earlier to allow yourself time for journaling.

Pro Tip: I also use this “first-thing in the-morning” approach to anything that I really want to give priority to in my life, like meditation or exercise.

Tip #3

Make it the last thing you do each day– Another time to do it is before bed. This works especially well for gratitude journals. That way, you can go to sleep thinking about all the things you are grateful for instead of the things you’re worried about. It might even help you clear your mind so you can get a better night’s sleep.

Tip #4

Write Every Single Day. Whenever you choose to do it, try to set it up so that it becomes a ritual and a habit. Journaling every single day is going to be more effective than just doing it when you feel like it. Treat your practice as sacred and non-negotiable. It’s something you do just for yourself. You can even light a candle, burn incense, play music that you find uplifting, or sit in a special place to help it feel more special.

Tip #5

Start Simply – Don’t fret about style right now; just work on the daily habit with pen and paper ( Don’t make it hard – just get going. Journals don’t need to be elaborate or complicated to be useful and magical. I have used everything from blank lined paper kept in a folder to hard bound journals. They all do the job of helping me add that extra bit of something to my day.

Tip #6

Begin with Today – Start right now and write about your day. What happened today? How did you feel about it? What would you do differently? Would you do the same? These can be really powerful questions that can lead to some interesting answers. You might be surprised by what comes out.

Creating a journaling habit can be as simple as just going with whatever comes up for you and let it flow onto the page.

Tip #7

As you create your journaling habit, try different types of journals. Once you develop the writing habit, you can start trying different types of journaling, like a bullet journal, or a vision journal, or maybe even a project journal for your next project.

For inspiration, check out this post: 10 Types of Journals You Can Create

Tip #8

Keep It Private: Your journal should be kept private. This gives you the permission and freedom to really explore how you’re feeling, thinking, sensing, and what you truly want. It allows you to write in an uncensored way. You can always choose to share your thoughts with someone else, like a therapist, counselor, or coach. You might even want to turn it into a book or a course, to help someone else overcome whatever you were able to overcome.

Create a Journaling Habit Summary

To experience all the benefits that journaling offers you, create a journaling habit for yourself. Keeping a journal will help you deal with the things that happen to you. It will even help you deal with what hasn’t happened by giving you a way to write down your fears or anxieties about a coming event or situation.

Writing it all down also helps you remember what you did right and what you could have done better.
It helps you improve your decision-making skills in similar situations.
It helps you gain a better understanding of what your next step is when you’re dealing with something you need clarity on.

The more you do it, the more you’ll begin to see the magick of journaling show up in your life.

Do it in any way that works for you. That’s the key to beginning to see the benefits in your life. Getting started.

Journaling is a simple, yet powerful practice.

Enjoy creating your journaling practice!

Blessed Be.