It seems as if the internet is filled with journal-enthusiasts nowadays – and we love it! There could really be worse trends than bringing your deepest thoughts, goals and dreams on a piece of paper.
Have you always wanted to start your very own journal but just haven’t gotten around to it yet or don’t know how to start? We’ve got some inspiration for you right here:
Journal for Nobody but Yourself
Make sure to journal only for one person – yourself. Keep it in a safe place and write as if no one will ever read it. It’s up to you to share it, but it shouldn’t affect your writing process in any way.
Make it pretty for your own sake but not to impress anyone else. If colorful details and a neat layout make you happy and get you writing, that’s awesome! But don’t put too much pressure on yourself. There is no Grammar Police in your private journal and there is no one to judge your sloppy handwriting.
You are not writing a bestseller – you are writing to be writing!
Get Started on your Journal and Fill the Empty Pages
Blank page – so much pressure! Start with the simple things. Where are you? What day is it? What are you doing? Get into detail bit by bit and soon you’ll be filling pages with your adventures and rambling on about rude people on the subway.
Another great idea is starting off with a question for you to answer every single day. Pre-write them and try to answer them as detailed and honest as possible. As an alternative, choose a quote that just perfectly sums up the day you’ve had or the thoughts on your mind. It’ll get you going and give you the opportunity to work on your calligraphy skills.
Embrace Slowness and Make it a Habit
Writing a journal is rather easy – sticking to it is the hard part. Create a little routine if you need to and take a few minutes out of the day to write down all your thoughts. This could be in the evening with a hot cup of tea and your favorite playlist, out in the sun on a park bench or on the train between two destinations. It really doesn’t matter where you journal, as long as you do
Choose the Right Medium
There are plenty of options when it comes to the medium. It really depends on your personal preferences. If you prefer typing over handwriting, pick an App that’ll give you the security and opportunity to start journaling wherever and whenever without needing Wifi. You can also start writing down your thoughts in a simple document on your laptop or even start blogging!
If you are a bit more old school and prefer the feeling of paper in your hands, opt for a paper notebook or grab good old pen and paper. As long as you’ve got enough room for all your thoughts and it fits into a bag, you can easily write on anything!
For a more long lasting solution, check out our notebooks, which give you a lot of space on blank pages and protects your thoughts from getting all messed up in your bag. Plus: They are gorgeous and inspirational – and that always helps.
Enjoy the Process
As you are the only person you are writing for, it should be obvious that you do in fact enjoy doing so. Keeping a journal can be rather tough but the results are oh so pleasing. You’ll never know what you are missing if you don’t give it a shot!
Only a few of the many benefits of keeping a journal
Now we know how to start journaling but what about the why? We’ve come up with a selection of just a few benefits that make journaling so important and rewarding!
Confidence
Your journal can help you to improve your daily performance on a personal and a professional basis. Writing down your goals for the next day or week and imagining every possible outcome to a situation will leave you prepared for anything! No stuttering around or searching for words anymore – you got this!
Mental Health
You’ve got your happiness in your own hands! You and your little journal can achieve great things. It’ll help you to process challenging and frightening events in a safe environment or distract yourself with an escape into a fictional world you’ve created on your own. If you are feeling down, writing can help you cope and see the world from another perspective.
Creativity
With writing into a journal day by day you do not only improve your creative writing skills, you will also expand your mindset. Try writing an alternative end to a shitty situation in the past and learn from it. Maybe it didn’t happen like this but that doesn’t mean it can’t in the future. Doodling in your notebook makes it look more personal and sometimes a picture just says more than all the words in the dictionary.
Discipline
Journaling will help you being aware of your life choices at all times. If you want to stick to a certain diet for example, writing down everything you ate will help you maintain disciplined. You are now surveying yourself and cheating is just not worth it!
Organization
Writing down what you’ve done every day and what plans you’ve made for the future will give you a perfect overview on everything that’s happening in your life. You can also recall all past strategies you used to achieve your goals and you will see which ones really did the trick for you. Stick to them – efficiency at its best!
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