How to Start a Journaling Practice for Self Improvement

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How to Start a Journaling Practice for Personal Growth and Self-Improvement

Journaling has been gaining popularity lately, and it’s for a very good reason.

Journaling is a positive activity to add to your self-care routine, and it can also help you with self-discovery.

Whether you are a natural-born writer or not, there are ways to find journaling simple and enjoyable, while reaping all of its benefits.

Here are some tips on starting a journaling practice for personal growth and self-improvement.

Add it to your daily routine

The easiest way to implement a new activity is by adding it to your daily routine.

Pick a dedicated time to journal each day.

You may prefer to journal in the morning and start your day off strong, or maybe you end your night by clearing your head with some writing.

Stay consistent with when you choose to journal.

Related Reads:
• 75 Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery
• Why You Should Make Time for Self-Reflection

Set a timer and journal until it goes off

It might feel unnatural to journal for a certain length of time, especially if you feel like you have nothing to write.

You might be surprised by what comes out when you intentionally dedicate a length of time to your journaling practice.

You can start small, with two or three minutes at a time, and increase from there.

Use journaling prompts to guide you

Journaling prompts can effectively spark creativity and inspire some of your best writing.

Check out these 365 Days of Journal Prompts with each month being a different theme.

Prompts can be extremely helpful especially in the beginning as you are just starting your practice.

Turn on a relaxing playlist

There are many playlists out there for writing and journaling, so find your favorite!

Music can help you focus and get in the mood to journal and reflect.

Aim for something instrumental or acoustic so it isn’t distracting, and listen to it whenever you write.

Throw any expectations out the window

Remember when you were in school and every piece of writing was analyzed with a critical eye? The same does not go for journaling.

Your writing does not have to be polished. Your spelling and grammar can be incorrect. You may be scribbling things out, using bullet points, or end up writing something that doesn’t even make sense to you.

Get rid of those expectations or preconceived notions, and just start.

Hold yourself accountable

Accountability is important with any new practice.

Find ways to hold yourself accountable, like tracking the days you journal on a calendar.

You could also set up a reward system like you don’t pour yourself a much-needed cup of coffee until after you have journaled.

If you have a friend interested in journaling, you could start together and be accountability partners.

Journal on gratitude, your goals, and your emotions

So, what do you do if you have nothing to say? Have some topics that you can always revert back to!

The trifecta for journaling are gratitude, your goals, and your emotions.

Let’s walk through each of them.

First, you can express gratitude. Journal on all the things in your life that you are grateful for—big or small.

Next, you can write about all of your goals. What are your goals for the next month, year, or 5 years? Write them out and why you want to achieve them.

Lastly, you can journal about your emotions in the present moment. This will help you process anything that you are going through and be more mindful of how you feel.

Don’t be afraid to get messy and honest

Your journal is for you and no one else, so don’t worry about the words that you write.

You might be opening up about a tough time in your life. Your writing could offend someone. You may be working through something that you have never told anyone before.

Unless you choose to share it, your journal is private and your words will not be shared. Be raw and real and honest, and from there the magic will truly happen.

Change up your environment

You may need to change up where you journal to feel more inspired.

If you sit in the same spot all day long, you could benefit from journaling outside or in your living room instead of your office.

Go for a walk and journal at the park.

Switch it up and discover where you enjoy journaling the most.

Use real pen and paper instead of writing digitally

It might be tempting to journal on Google Docs, but there is something powerful about putting pen to paper.

Physically writing can help you retain information, and you have to be more aware of what you are saying.

This is why some people prefer to brainstorm on paper and actively think through ideas. Not to mention, who doesn’t like a cute new journal?!

Reflect on past journaling entries

You definitely don’t want to live in the past, but there is a lot of personal growth that can be found in reflecting on past journaling entries.

Maybe a year ago, you wrote about your goals. Looking back now, you can see how far you have come.

You might find that you were manifesting your present a year ago without even realizing it.

You can also learn from past entries and become a stronger person.

Keep your journal on you at all times

Even if you have a set time of day when you like to journal, you never know when inspiration could strike.

If possible, try to keep your journal on you all day.

You may be feeling a heavy emotion, you can briefly write about it and instantly feel lighter.

If you are working through a conflict, you can journal on some pros and cons and the different options you have.

If you are just feeling joyful, journaling can help you capture that positivity.

Final Thoughts

Your journaling practice should be personal, messy, and transformative. Don’t worry if you get writer’s block from time to time. Don’t worry if you have to cross out words or write for a few minutes until your words start to make sense.

The imperfect aspects of your practice are what will lead to breakthroughs.

Journaling daily will give you more peace of mind and presence in your life, and you will continue to learn more about yourself and grow.

Keep these tips in mind and use them to start your journaling practice today!