I woke up early this morning, still buzzing from the Dodgers world series win, to journal before everyone got up.
Actually, I get up before everyone else does most days so I can do my daily writing without interruption. It’s become part of the rhythm of my day and I’ve grown so fond of it that it truly is a joy to journal daily.
It wasn’t always this way though. I once gave up on journaling altogether until I discovered a simple system that helped me do it consistently.
I’m going to share with you my 5 secrets to journaling consistently every day so you can create a daily journaling habit that you’ll stick to and love.
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1. Pick A Time To Journal With The Least Amount Of Friction.
When I first started journaling, I thought I was supposed to write pages and pages of notes. I’m not sure where I got the idea, but I started journaling about 10 minutes a day or so.
It quickly became a chore rather than something that was supposed to be helpful. So I quit before it could make an impact on my life.
I decided to give it a go again because of all the benefits I read about journaling. Also, it was something I once did regularly as a child and wanted to rekindle my love for it.
Soon after I restarted, I realized that my daily journaling habit was haphazard. To reduce the friction it was causing, I chose a day and time that was the most conducive to writing.
Pick a time of day where your mind will be alert. For me it was the first thing in the morning before everyone got up because it was quiet and I could focus just on writing while my brain was awake.
Then, choose the days of the week that will give you a block of time to write. I chose to write on the days I didn’t have to go to work, which are Monday – Wednesday and Friday – Saturday. I don’t usually journal on Sundays to give myself a break from writing.
2. Ask Yourself Why You Want To Journal.
If you’re new to journaling and want to be consistent with it, ask yourself what your end goal is. Mine was to make sense of my thoughts and to relieve stress.
It gives you just enough of an idea of what you want to write about each day without it becoming redundant or overwhelming.
Your reason to journal each day might be to practice more gratitude, track your health, make yourself more productive, or release your thoughts on a piece of paper to clear your mind.
Here are some examples of journaling to give you an idea of why you want to journal every day and stick with it:
Gratitude Journaling: to cultivate an attitude of gratitude
Bullet Journaling: to stay focused and increase productivity
Mindful Journaling: to make sense of your thoughts & feelings
Morning Pages: to overcome creative blocks
Journaling Therapy: to help with healing
Habit Tracking: to establish good habits
Brain Dumping: to clear mental clutter
Reading Journal: to keep track of books you read
Self-Discovery: to discover your true self
Self-Reflection: to reconnect with who you are
Self-Awareness: to become aware of how you think, feel, & act
Garden Journaling: to keep track of your gardening
3. Choose A Journaling Method.
In my opinion, there are 2 basic ways to journal, unstructured (freestyle) and structured. My favorite way to journal is freestyle, but it’s a method that can get overwhelming pretty quickly if you’re starting cold turkey.
This is because most journaling beginners don’t know what to write about. Then they start to doubt whether they’re capable of journaling in the first place or if it’s even worth it to practice on a daily basis because of the stress of getting it “right”.
If this sounds like you then I highly recommend doing morning pages, which is a sort of unstructured journaling method, from the book The Artist’s Way.
I loved it so much that I created my own version called The 5-Minute Morning Page Journal that is a gentler introduction to freestyle journaling.
Structured journaling follows a specific format where there are prompts written for you so you can start right away and achieve a specific goal. Some examples are self-discovery, gratitude, and shadow work journals.
You can check out my resources page to grab all 3 journals for free or purchase my printed journals, The 5-Minute Morning Page Journal and Shadow Work Journal, on Amazon.
4. Start Journaling As Low As Reasonably Achievable.
When it comes to journaling, I recommend starting ALARA, or As Low As Reasonably Achievable. My mistake the first time I started journaling was to set the bar too high, or journaling at least 10 minutes a day.
At the time, it was too much because of my busy work schedule. I should have started with baby steps and aimed for writing just one line a day. Of course, hindsight is 20/20.
Setting the bar as low as you can helps you avoid frustration, confusion, and overwhelm that can often come with starting a new habit like journaling.
When you start really low, you have nowhere to go but up, and you’re more likely to stick with it in the long run because it feels more satisfying and fulfilling.
5. Don’t Judge Your Writing.
The last and probably the most important thing to remember when it comes to building a daily journaling habit is not to judge what you’re writing.
When I first started my journey, I remember feeling like there was someone looking over my shoulder, waiting to grade my writing.
It came from the belief that my writing had to be perfect to be acceptable, even if no one would ever read it. It made me question whether or not I was good enough to write, even in a private journal.
When I completed The Artist’s Way, the journaling technique to help you overcome creative blocks, I learned not only to keep a consistent journal habit, but to stop judging my writing and ultimately who I really am.
Why You Should Start A Daily Journaling Habit.
Journaling can be relaxing, joyful and fun, which is why I wanted to mention the benefits if you’re unsure whether or not it’s worth making it a daily habit.
I can only speak for myself, so I’ll tell you how it helped me. Before I started journaling, I felt lost in my roles as a married, working mom of three kids. I started journaling because I read somewhere that it can help you find yourself and even relieve stress.
I thought perfect, I’ll start journaling and it will solve all my problems right away. Of course I was wrong, and like I mentioned before, I almost gave it up entirely.
Keeping a daily journaling habit opened a door for me. It seemed pointless at first but after a while, I noticed myself becoming more self-aware.
I noticed patterns in the way I thought, felt, and behaved. It became a way of making sense of what I was thinking & feeling, so I can live a life that felt more meaningful & intentional.
It helped me connect with who I really am as a person and ultimately accept and love myself unconditionally. This is why I recommend starting a daily journaling habit because it can truly be life changing.
Daily Journaling Prompts (Free Printable Download).
I’ve created some daily journaling prompts, to help you know yourself on a deeper level, that you can download for free. Start your own journaling practice and reap the benefits of daily journaling below:
[⬇️ Download Your Daily Journal Template Here]
Daily Journaling Prompts To Get You Started.
Here are a few simple journal prompts to try each day if you’re new to journaling and need a little inspiration to get started:
- What am I grateful for right now?
- What emotion needs my attention today?
- What would make today feel good?
- What do I need less of? More of?
- What’s something small I’m proud of?
- What did I learn about myself this week?
- How can I be a little kinder to myself today?
Use one journal prompt a day or repeat your favorites.
Last Thoughts On Daily Journaling.
I used to wonder how in the world people journaled every day and looked like they were enjoying it. That is, until I discovered that it can be easy to start one and even look forward to writing in a journal every day.
Journaling can be a joy if you remember to start small, not judge your writing, give yourself a reason why you’re journaling, and pick a time that is easiest to journal every day.
More Ways To Jumpstart A Journaling Habit.
If you’re curious about morning pages, check out my article on Morning Pages: A Quiet Habit That Changed Everything For Me.
If you’re a newbie to journaling, here are 3 articles that will help you get started right away: How To Start Journaling And Actually Enjoy, the The Pen That Changed My Journaling + How To Choose Yours, and My Favorite Tools For Journaling.
I hope you found these tips helpful. Let me know what you think in the comments!
