How do you start a journal and keep it?

I use my phone to just quickly note how i feel. Then later write it down in my planner/journal. Weekend is my "planner time" where I will sit and reflect on the week’s event

I use a random pad of paper, nothing fancy, and I just start writing. I write as if I’m talking to someone, telling them about my day, and then the next thing I know I’m going into detail about what I’m thinking and feeling.

I started my journal by just being motivated. There is no wrong answer with journaling. Just speak your mind. You keep it by staying motivated. you will feel so accomplished when you finish it. You will tell refreshed. I definitely recommend journaling.

First off you have to decide if you live with people that you can trust not to read your words. Journaling is an act of momentary honesty with yourself. If you are working through things you feel at the moment that will most likely change you want to be honest. Sometimes bossy people can get bent out of shape by something that was in transition. If you are confident nobody nosey is going to read your journals that pick a journal that you like that will be. Around for a long time number the books, date them and keep them on the shelf. If you have nosey eyes then get a digital journal program you can have a password to protect. That ensures that you can be honest with yourself at any given moment. I have several journals. One that I keep for everything that I learn that doesn’t contain sensitive info, and I have many time that I write in physical journals over the years not caring if they are read or trusting that they won’t be. However I also have had times when I filled a digital journal. Both seem to accomplish the same things which is personal reflection.

You find a journal that you want to write in. Whether that’s a blank journal and you can write as much as you want or it’s a journal that’s one sentence. You have to start somewhere, you can also keep a planner as a form of a journal. My personal combo is having a planner and writing in a journal. I personally found keeping my journal entries to one page saved space and was enough room to really get to the nitty gritty of what I’m feeling and expressing it in words. It’s also important to get a journal that makes you want to write in it. I have really nice notebook with a good tooth to the paper and a genuine leather cover that feels good when I get ahold of it. I guess the most important thing about all of keeping a journal or a planner or writing a sentence on a sticky note is doing something that will make you want to do it and you look forward to writing down your thoughts.

I have a small notebook (A5) that lives next to my bed. I note things down In there before I go to sleep, this keep me off my phone at night time and makes me reflect on my day. Having it on my bedside table is a really great physical reminder!

First keep in mind that you aren’t obligated to write in your journal every single day/night. It’s important to take time for yourself to write without any distractions (maybe some relaxing music can help set the calming mood) you can buy a seperate notebook and use it as a journal or if you feel more comfortable write in a notebook no one would really bother to look into. Your journal is yours and there isn’t right and wrong way of writing in it :) (try to write down the dates to remember when you wrote last time). A great idea is to write both when you are excited or something good happened to practise gratitude! However never neglect your need to vent in your journal. You might get ideas and interesting thoughts through that. Also try not to journal right before you sleep (unless it’s urgent to prevent self harm and intruisive thoughts) as you are likely to be more tired then. What motivates me to keep it is reading things I have already written down before on past pages since I compare how far I’ve come as a person!

Journaling to me is a piece of my history, I want it as accurate as possible. So i think of it that way like I dont want to forget every moment big or small. Also tell yourself im just going to write one paragraph a day. You will find that you will write more once you get started. I also got a cute journal or for men a nice one. I bought some stencils and nice pens to write with. One thing is you have a pen that isnt hard to write with. Also a book that is spiral that way its easy to turn pages. I will sometimes do a brain dump so a free flowing pen and easy to turn pages is helpful. Dont worry about grammer or spelling just let the words flow on the page. HAPPY JOURNALING

Take the time to find a journal you want to write in. Find a daily journal prompt or something similar to get into a daily practice. Don’t be critical, just schedule the time and write as much as you can. Don’t filter, it’s a process

Include a writing activity in your Morning Ritual and put your journal and a pen next to your bed before you go to sleep. This way, you will have at least one journal entry every day.