Journaling is that shiny elusive object that we all know and admire—albeit from a distance. I have known so many people who love the ‘idea’ of journaling but are clueless as to how to journal.
I have been on the journal path for a few years now, and I have faced similar struggles. Remember that feeling you are all pumped up after reading a book, listening to a podcast about the benefits of journaling; you see yourself in fancy pajamas like that influencer on Youtube with a notepad in hand, and a coffee cup on the table, just journaling like it’s effortless.
The reality? We all know the reality is different. Don’t we? Even if we do manage to wake up early, wearing our oversized T-shirts and baggy shorts that are clearly made for men—we sit down with that brand new journal we got from Starmark, and then what?
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
We are clueless about how to journal and what to journal about.
Have you been in situations like this? If yes, then keep reading.
Here are three tips to reframe your current frustrating journal journey into something that is enjoyable.
Start with gratitude
This is the easiest hack for journaling beginners looking to learn how to journal. Take a good hard look at your life, and notice the things you are taking for granted. Start by being thankful for them.
In the beginning, you will repeat the big things—family, partner, financial stability, home, etc. but as we continue to keep up, you will start to notice the little things that seem to bring you so much joy and peace, and these will make wonderful additions to your gratitude journal.
The best part about this technique is that it takes only 5-10 minutes to do this, and you will never run out of things to be thankful for.
Write morning pages
Julia Cameron introduced Morning pages to the world. It’s basically three pages of free flow writing first thing in the morning to let go of the junk in your head. It encourages us to write all sorts of gibberish as well, as along as it fills three pages.This process is designed to remove the clutter in your conscious mind, giving you access to your sub conscious mind, thereby creating space for original ideas, and intuition.
Many artists swear by this practice. I think it has a lot of merit but unfortunately I have always struggled with writing full three pages. By the end of the first page, my handwriting starts wavering, and I really cannot even think of gibberish to write.
Try it. It might work for you.
Explore activity-based journaling
One more easy way to start with journaling is to focus on a particular theme that is of importance to you at this point in life. For e.g. you could start a time journal, where you log and document activities to see how you are spending your time. It’s a great way to build the habit. Or a food journal where you track and document everything you are eating in a day to see if your patterns are healthy.
You can also maintain a running journal where you come back from a run, and take two minutes to reflect on how the run was, your thoughts, your feelings, etc. Tie it to an activity, so you have something specific to focus on.
That’s all I wanted to share today, if you have other techniques that have worked for you, please let me know in the comments. If you are still looking for an answer to ‘how to journal’, I will say—Just start and it gets easier! : )
