How to Start a Journal
The Beginners Guide to Establishing a Consistent Journaling Practice
It’s the new year and you’ve purchased yourself a pretty journal, but the thought of filling the pages with beautiful, dreamy content is daunting. Don’t worry, I’ve been there, and I feel you. Make this your official permission slip to write and create whatever you want without judgment. But if you’re like me and still don’t know what to do with all this freedom, read on.
There are so many different ways you can journal these days:
Bullet Journal
The trendy bullet journal is making waves across the internet, and for good reason. It is super aesthetically pleasing and calls for creative freedom. It usually incorporates elements of productivity, like habit tracking and planning.
Free Writing
Also known as morning pages, this technique is typically practised first thing in the morning. It is three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing. It is about anything and everything that crosses your mind. Similarly, I also find the stereotypical ‘Dear Diary…’ opens a space for whatever needs to come out.
Guided Journaling
For people who want more structure or when there’s nothing to shed at that moment, guided journaling is perfect for staying committed to your practice. It also prompts you to think about aspects of your life that you maybe didn’t realise needed work on or discover any hidden triggers in specific questions. Everyone can benefit from this style of journaling because it prompts you to reflect on your current world in a safe space.
My go-to guided journal is this one. It explores 100 questions covering several aspects of your life to unlock your truest, most authentic self.
Productivity Planner
A lot of the aesthetic journals you see are mostly productivity planners. As a professional event planner myself, I wholeheartedly believe in productivity planners. However, for truly transformational work, I recommend you opt for the first three types of journaling.
You can still journal about productivity and brain dump your priorities. This is what I would do on a Sunday as a way to mentally prepare for the week ahead.
Themed Journals
There are plenty more structured journals centred around a specific theme like dreams, gratitude, food, emotions, art, pregnancy and more. These are super helpful for specific areas of your life that you’d like to hone in on. If you’re wanting to cultivate a deeper gratitude practice, these journals are amazing. I usually start my evening journal practice with a quick list of three things I’m grateful for that day. Sometimes I’ll just write that list and that’s it, and other times I’ll continue writing to process any built up emotions and reflect on anything that happened that day.
Why Journal
Journaling is a powerful tool for healing, growing and connecting with your true self. The act of putting pen to paper and having your thoughts in front of you, shines a light on your inner world, allowing you to make sense of your internal state and process your thoughts, emotions and experiences. This beautiful practice of introspection is a simple, yet profound way to manage anxiety, heal from past trauma and rebuild confidence.
How to Journal
The beauty about this practice is that there are no rules. You do not have to be an artist to curate a beautiful bullet journal and you don’t have to be a writer to unpack the contents of your life on these pages. You just have to be yourself to let the true beauty of journaling come through.
Saying this, there are a few commitments you should make to yourself in order to get the most out of your practice:
Be unfiltered
This is your safe space where you can be your true self. Don’t edit your emotions or worry about spelling and grammar. Truth lies beyond the censor.
As a recovering perfectionist, I found this aspect of free writing really difficult at first. I remember tearing pages out of my journal because my handwriting wasn’t neat enough or if my drawing looked terrible. My younger self wouldn’t even recognise my current journal with all its scribbles and messy handwriting!
Be honest with yourself
I also found this really challenging at first because once your truth comes out on paper, there’s no unseeing it or denying its power. You can choose to live in a world where you bottle up your truths and soldier on because it’s more comfortable that way, however you won’t be living your truest, most authentic life, and ultimately you will become resentful and unhappy. The earlier you can pick up on these truths the more liberated you become. This part really isn’t easy, but by being courageous and writing through the discomfort, you can transform your world.
Be kind to yourself
This whole process is a practice of self-love. You have to give yourself space to write and create, and then you have to be kind enough to accept everything that comes out. We are all messy but magical beings on our path to self-discovery, so accept all the facets of yourself for what they are.
You’re also going to want to give yourself grace for when you don’t show up daily for your practice. Life happens and you are human. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or FEW.
Start Journaling
With all that said, it’s time to take pen to paper!
Take the pressure off
Firstly, let’s take the pressure off creating perfection and scribble, you read that right, I want you to scribble like a 1-year old on the first page! Let go of the expectations you have on what journaling should look like. This is a portal into your inner world… not that ‘picture-perfect’ influencer who inspired you on tik-tok. It’s all well and good to be inspired, but inspiration can quickly bleed into comparison, and we all know that comparison is the thief of joy. Your journaling practice should be a joyful, heartfelt experience.
A quick 2-minute task
Turn to the next page and write ‘I am grateful for’ and then list three things that went well today or you’re happy about. I love starting my practice like this because I will write literally three words if I’m tired and can’t be bothered, or maybe I will think I’m tired and can’t be bothered, but then feel inspired to write about something simple that had a beautiful impact on me that day.
Be Consistent
Here are a few ways you can maintain your practice:
Schedule in your practice
If you want any new habit or hobby to stick, then you need to schedule it into your day and prioritise it. According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, the best way to solidify a habit is to stack them against other habits. For me, I get some time in the evenings to myself and prefer to journal before bed. I incorporate it into my nighttime routine, right after brushing my teeth and hopping into bed. It’s the perfect way to clear my head, process any built up emotions from the day and clear my mind before going to sleep.
Create your little zen zone
I like to light a candle and get comfy in my bed, resting my journal on top of a big pillow. I’m not writing an essay, so this position is perfect for my evening practice.
Keep it in an easy to reach spot
My journal lives in my bedside table so I can quickly grab it and start writing. I’ve also got several pens in my drawer in case one goes missing. There’s no excuses to not journal when it’s literally right in front of you.
Love your journal
I think it helps to have a journal or notebook that is beautiful to you. There are so many pretty journals on Etsy or even some cute ones in Kmart.
Journaling Tips
It is possible to type your thoughts, so if this is you, then don’t be afraid to pull up a Word doc and start there.
Start slow. Literally just scribble on your first page and then write three things you're grateful for. You can build up to beautiful poetry or works of art.
Have fun with it. There are so many cute sticker books. I’ve recently enjoyed dropping in stickers to match my mood.
Flick through from time to time and reflect on past experiences. Hindsight is truly wonderful and reflecting back may give you some perspective on the situation.
Just try it and don’t make it a big deal.
Need some writing prompts? I’ve got you covered with either my digital or physical guided journal. The 100 thought-provoking questions within this journal help you explore a host of topics - from reimagining success to setting soul-centred boundaries and honouring your intuition - empowering you with the clarity and courage to listen to your truest self.
