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As a writer, it’s always a good idea to keep a journal. This is an easy way to practice your writing in a relaxing environment, record any ideas which may pop into your head, or keep track of your writing goals. Even if you don’t consider yourself a ‘writer’, journaling or keeping a diary has proven to be very helpful and beneficial to a lot of people, for a lot of different reasons.

Journaling can help you relax, help you keep track of your goals, remember important dates and events, and can even help you recover from depression or traumatic events. But if you’re anything like me, it usually feels like there just isn’t enough hours in a day, and you find it hard to keep up with your entries, or are left feeling unsure of how to make the most of your journaling experience, so here are some helpful tips;

Find the time to write 

You’re going to need some point in the day to actually sit down and take the time to write things down. How much time this needs to be depends entirely on you, but it’s also important to set aside a realistic amount of time, to a) ensure you don’t get bored of writing for yourself, and b) ensure you actually have that much time to write. 

Take a look at your schedule and decide when you should do your writing. This is just as important as knowing how long to write, because when you’re trying to accomplish a goal, (like consistently writing in a journal) you have to set up a routine to set yourself up for success. Again, when you choose to write is up to you, and how well it fits around your schedule.

2: You don’t have to write every day

This can be very essential for people like me, who feel as though they’re obligated to write every day (or as much as humanly possible) while keeping a journal, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Especially if you’re just getting into journaling, or you’ve struggled with keep up with it in the past, know that how often you write in your journal, is just as much a flexible arrangement as when you write. 

If you’re especially busy, pick a few days a week (or just once, if that suits you better), to write your entries. If you’d rather write every day, or as often as possible, remember you don’t have to do all-out, fully-written, entries of everything which happened that day. You’re allowed to keep things short and simple until you can find a day or time to include a longer, more detailed entry. 

Some good examples of this would be to answer a single, random question each day, write down one beautiful thing you saw, one new thing you learned etc. This way you can keep up on your writing while getting to know yourself every day, as well as making sure you don’t feel overwhelmed. Click here for a fantastic list of journaling prompts and questions, as well as a good example of a daily log in for your journal.

3: Decide what sort of journal you’re going to keep

This is essential to do BEFORE you begin writing, in order to prevent your journal from becoming an unorganized mess of random things. (I skipped this step, and this is a pretty accurate description of my current journal.) Make a list of things you want to include in your journal, and, if need be, set aside some designated space inside the journal itself for certain dates, lists etc.

Journal types

Dated entries only; a classic, and easy to follow plan. 

Doodling journal; for when you feel like drawing

Photographic journal; like a scrapbook, but simpler and more personal

Recovery journal; to keep track and take note of your recovery progress

‘Artistic journal’; small doodles, poetry, bits of random ideas, anything to help with the creative process

Goals journal; so you can record your goals and personal bests. This will allow you to look back at everything you’ve accomplished

Planning and daily log journal

Personal journal; a plan to get to know yourself

Remember that no matter what kind of journal you decide to keep, you can write or place anything you want inside of it. But you should try and figure out what the overall purpose of you journal is going to be. 

If you’re having trouble coming up with what you should include in your journal, you can go to the following lists for some ideas.

A List of Journal Prompts/Questions

70 Great Journal Prompts