When it comes to starting a journaling practice, don’t make it harder than it needs to be. So many people feel intimidated by the idea of starting a journal because they don’t like the idea of staring at a blank page or empty screen.
Even I get intimidated sometimes. Just this morning I was starting a new type of journal, and it took me ages to decide what to write about on the first page!
So, you’re definitely not alone, and it’s completely normal to feel a little apprehensive when your starting a journaling practice. But I’m living proof that you’ll get there eventually, if you just take the plunge and keep practicing!
The main thing to remember is that journaling is a practice. That means in order to get the most out of your journaling practice, you need to do it regularly. It’s also important to remember that you can’t do it wrong. There is no one way to journal, and I think everyone has a little bit of a different style even if they follow the same general format of journal.
The important thing is that you get something from your practice. Starting a journaling practice and working with your journal regularly can help with things like personal insight, finding solutions to problems, boosting your creativity, getting clarity on what you want from your life, and more.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Let’s start at the beginning, even as we’re keeping the end in mind…
Here are two simple steps for starting your journaling practice…
Step 1: Start by planning your day
This first step for starting a journaling practice is so easy, and so habit forming that it’s still the first entry I make in my journal every day even after almost 50 years of keeping of journal. And that is, planning your day.
The easiest way to do this is to write your to-do list in your journal every morning. Try and keep it to no more than three items you want to accomplish that day, and then keep them in the forefront of your mind as you go about your day.
They don’t have to be huge items; in fact, it’s better if they’re not. Because it’s the focus and the positive energy you get from completing all three tasks that is going to power your momentum going forward. The more you write down your goals and cross them off each day, the more focused and motivated you will be to continue the practice.
This is a great way to get focused and start your day with a positive mindset.
Step 2: End by reflecting on your day
I personally love daily reflections, and it’s something I don’t do enough of. The easiest way to do this evening journal practice is to simply write down three things that went well during the day. You can write them in a list and be done, or you can write a few sentences about each one. Either way, you’re still thinking about your day and how it went.
When you take the time to process the day’s events, it can also give you more clarity for choosing your three items to complete the next day.
If you want to, you can also tie the two together by reflecting specifically on the three items you started with that day. Did you complete them? How did that make you feel? Did you run into any obstacles? What did you do to solve them?
I’m getting carried away here. But this is what journaling can do for you when you start developing your own practice.
Final Thoughts
In essence, a journaling practice is just another way of having a conversation with yourself. You ask yourself the first question, and then answer it and from there you either can develop your action plan for the day or ask yourself more questions to refine that plan.
But, whatever you do, take the leap into starting a journaling practice and realize that it doesn’t have to be hard to get started. It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s practice because it’s just for you. At the end of the day, no one is going to see it but you and the only one who is going to benefit from it is you.