Discover your Journaling Why

“I’ve always wanted to start a journal, but I’m not sure how to start or what I would even write about.”

“I’ve started to write a journal so many times, but I can never stick with it, so I don’t think it’s for me."

I get it, like anything new, we often think we need to be experts before we even start. We don’t like that uncomfortable feeling of not knowing what we’re doing, and we definitely don’t want others to know it either.  

Maybe you’re ok with the above, and you’re ready to start journaling. Except… life gets busy, and it can be hard to find 5 minutes for yourself, let alone finding time to journal.   

 With these two (very normal) hurdles in mind, I wanted to offer 3 tips that have helped me create a journal habit.

How to start Journaling: Tips & tricks:

1. Have a goal or set a journaling intention:

The best way to start (and continue) journaling is to be clear on why you want to start in the first place.  Once you know your why behind something, it’s so much easier to make it happen.

There are as many journaling goals and intentions as there are people. Some common journaling goals might be:

• To be better organised.

• To reduce stress or anxiety.

• To keep a record of a certain point of time in your life.

 For me – it’s all about clearing out the mental clutter, clarifying my goals and creating plan to achieve these goals.  

Your journaling task:

Grab your notebook and pen and answer the following questions:

• Why you want to start journaling?

• What are the benefits you’re hoping to gain?

 There are more questions on the Your Journaling Why - Journaling Sheet.

2. Explore Journaling Prompts:

If you're unsure of what to write about, use journaling prompts to kickstart your thoughts.

Here are a few journaling prompts to get you started:

• Describe a recent accomplishment or milestone and how it made you feel.

• List five things that bring you joy and explain why they are meaningful to you.

• Describe a dream or goal you have for the future and the steps you plan to take to achieve it.

3. Set a Regular Schedule:

Another easy way to incorporate journaling into your schedule is to allocate dedicated time for journaling in your daily or weekly routine. Choose a time when you’re least likely to be interrupted and can create a consistent habit around it. This could be:  

• The first 15mins each morning.

• 5mins at the end of the day to jot down the three reflections from the day.

• Once a week grabbing coffee or lunch in a café and spending 30 minutes to reflect on the week

Whatever you choose – make sure it works for you and don’t be afraid to mix it up.    

 One final journaling tip….

Don’t beat yourself up. Journaling should be a fun addition to your day, not another chore added to your to-do list. 

Happy journaling!

Download the Journaling Sheet here