How to build a journaling habit that sticks
tips that have helped me maintain a seven year journaling habit
Hello you!
Is there a feeling more hopeful than that of opening a new journal? The excitement of the possibilities that can and surely will unfold on each page. A journal can be many things to us. A sacred space to document our lives, write down the thoughts that we feel alone with but would never say out loud, record hopes or dreams and make plans.
Research heavily supports the benefits of journaling not just for our mental well being but physical wellbeing too. Benefits of journaling include having an emotional outlet, increased likelihood to meet our goals because we’ve written them down and can track them, stress reduction, a creativity boost and it can even help our immune function.
Journalling is powerful because it connects us with our intuition. All those crazy thoughts, ideas and feelings we have somehow organise themselves when they flow out of us onto the page. The sense of relief and clarity that comes with journaling is one I’ve enjoyed for the last seven years. For a long time such a habit was merely a pipe dream. I loved the idea of keeping a journal and felt drawn towards doing so but the reality was I didn’t know where to begin or how to stay consistent.
Here’s what’s helped me maintain my journaling habit…
Start small - One line a day is plenty let alone a page a day. This is especially true in the beginning while you’re building your journaling muscle. I’ve found it’s what we do a little bit of on a regular basis matters more than what we do perfectly, which is nothing because perfection doesn’t exist. In her book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron insists on writing three pages per day. My personal favourite is half a page per day. The easier we make a habit the more likely we are to actually do it.
Marry the habit - It’s scientifically proven that if we marry a new habit with an existing one it’s more likely to stick. In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear refers to this as habit stacking. This is how I’ve engrained meditation, journaling and yoga into my morning routine. All three are stacked together and once I start I go into autopilot until the yoga YouTube video finishes. Magic! Think about a habit already woven into your daily life and make time to journal right after it. This could be brushing your teeth, putting the kids to bed, eating your breakfast or dinner.
Notebooks matter - Using a notebook that feels somehow special makes journaling feel like a treat. Finding a journal that feels right for you can take some trial and error but the pursuit is worth it. Experiment with size, colours, paper quality and layout. My favourites over the years have been Moleskine and Papier. I like the quality of their paper, the size of their books and general feeling of them. Papier is my go to each year these days for their beautiful designs and personalisation options. I love that you can use plain or lined paper too.
Forget perfection - The fear of messing up a beautiful notebook with what’s in our messy brain or our loathed handwriting can be so crippling we never begin. This is a mistake. One of the beautiful things about journaling is we allow ourselves to get up close and personal with ourselves. You’re going to mess up at some point and that’s a good thing, the beauty is in the mess. Try not to self sensor. Let what’s inside come out of you free from judgement. If you need a prompt to get you going… ‘hello journal, what will you mean to me?’ is a good way to get to know one another.
If you don’t know what to write - you can search journal prompts on Pinterest and endless ideas will appear. Focusing on what you’re grateful for will always leave you feeling more joyful. Don’t underestimate the importance and effect of recording your daily life either, both the good and the bad. The most mundane details now will feel blissfully nostalgic to you in a few years time. Allow what you write to flow depending on what you feel like writing that day. There’s no right or wrong way to journal, only the way you enjoy and this is allowed to change and flow alongside you.
When it comes to old journals the options are to keep them, scan them, burn them or recycle them. I used to recycle mine but honestly they’re the only thing I’ve ever regretted decluttering and so now I keep them. Adobe scan is a great app if you don’t have a scanner and if you opt to burn them doing so under a full moon is said to be the most powerful time to let go of what no longer serves us, as is the first day your cycle if you menstruate.
Do you journal? Would you like to? How have you maintained your habit? Share your experience and any tips in the comments so we can all learn together.
Lots of love
Jessica xxx
I’ve just started a journal as I used to love writing. I didn’t know where to start so I’m following an idea from Dr Rangan Chatterjee where you ask yourself the same three questions each morning and write your answers down. It’s made it manageable and I’m already starting to naturally expand on my answers once I start writing. I sometimes miss a day, but try not to get disheartened and just start again 💕
I loved this. It’s like you read my mind. I just sat down with my neglected journal hoping to start the habit (again!). Great advice ❤️