how to actually start the journal (and keep it)

Step 1: Figure out your “why”
Why do you want to start a journal? Even if you just have “a feeling” that is nudging you towards starting a journal, that’s enough of a reason. For me, I’ll share some of the reasons that I started a journal and stuck with it; maybe it will be similar for you, too.

• Document your life, memories, milestones, and more. If I had to guess I would say this is probably the most common reason that people WANT to start a journal. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look back in 10 years to see how life was like, how you’ve grown since then, what you thought about?
• Process your thoughts and feelings. Another great thing journaling allows you to do! To be honest, I started journaling for the documenting aspect, but stayed because it allows me to process my thoughts. Surprisingly, I rarely actually go back and read my old journals (it’s also quite hard to read without cringing haha); the main benefit for me is that it allows me to “refresh” my brain.
  • Journaling can also help you become more emotionally mature. Instead of having your first response to a particular situation be outward and affect other people, getting in the habit of looking INWARD and journaling first can help you stay away from making spur-of-the-moment decisions you’ll regret later. When asking yourself the right questions, you’ll learn a lot more about your mind and how to regulate it, so that you can show up as a better person for the people around you!
• Make pretty spreads. My 14-year-old self is smiling at this one, because if you’re not in it for the other reasons, you might just be like me from 5 years ago and in it for the washi tape and stickers, which is just as cool too. ;D

Step 2: What’s holding you back?
So, it’s clear you have a “why,” but then how come you haven’t taken action yet? Okay, let me just go ahead and get some of the easy things out of the way:

• “It’s June 21st, I’ll just wait until July.” No, you do NOT need to wait for the first of the year, or month, or to go on that vacation to start a successful journal. Chances are, July 1st will come and go, and the next time journaling crosses your mind you’ll be waiting for August. You can start TODAY!!
• “I just never have the time…” It’s true, life is busy! By no means am I saying that anyone NEEDS to start a journal. If you are a parent of young kids, or picking up extra shifts, or would rather spend your few moments of free time a day checking in with friends on Instagram, that is TOTALLY understandable! Not everyone has the time, nor the brain space… but I do believe that if you are still reading, this must be something that you truly WANT to figure out. And if you want to figure it out, I believe that you can.
  • Make it accessible for YOU. We’ll talk about this more in Step 3, but for now, just think about how you could journal in a low-stakes way that makes sense in your life. Journaling does NOT need to be a whole ordeal. It can be a 5 minute, one-sentence-a-day type thing.
• “I have nothing to write about.” Everyone has something to write about. Here’s a good starter prompt: Why do you think in a way that undermines your experiences? Why do you think you have “nothing” to write about?
• “I can start, but then I always mess up.” As a recovering perfectionist myself, no one cares that you spelled that word wrong and had to scribble it out, or that there’s an ink smudge, or that your bullet journaling spreads aren’t as pretty as the ones you see on Pinterest. If anything, all of the mess-ups build character — now, that journal is uniquely yours! (And, if you stick with it, one small “mess up” on one page in one book is nothing compared to the hundreds of beautiful pages you’ll write and dozens of books you’ll fill; all the more reason to keep going!)
• “I can start, but then I always forget.” Queue Step 3!

Step 3: Make it a habit
You’re serious about this thing. Then you have to make it a habit! But how?

• Take the path of least resistance: Meaning, get rid of as many of the things getting in your way as you can. Set your life up in a way that makes it EASY to write.
  • Is writing a page a day a daunting task? Hold yourself to at least a sentence a day.
  • It seems like you can never find the time during the day? Make it into a quick, on-the-go task that you do along with a specific part of your daily routine; for example, hold yourself to journaling instead of scrolling on your phone while your coffee brews.
  • Can’t remember to journal? Set a reminder on your phone, or leave your journal on your pillow and make sure you write something every night before you go to sleep.
  • Stuck on what to write on, or keep doubting yourself? Take a deep breath, remind yourself that no one has to read this, set a 5-minute-timer, and force yourself to go pen-to-paper for that whole time.
• Don’t get discouraged if you miss a day (or a week, or a month…): It happens to the best of us! The fall of my senior year in high school, life was PACKED with college applications, school, sports, work… While I could’ve technically still made the time to journal then, I didn’t have the mental capacity. And that was okay! Even after journaling every day for almost two years at that point, during these few months, I only journaled a few times a month at best. And then, once it was over, I found my rhythm again and got back into the habit. Don’t let a missed day turn into a missed lifetime!
• Make it fun: Last but not least, journaling is supposed to be enjoyable, and also supposed to reduce your stress, not add to it. Remember, this is something that you WANT to do! Add stickers if that’s your thing, make it colorful, give yourself a reward for keeping a streak. Make journaling something to look forward to!

Step 4: Simplify the process and take action
Okay! This is the last step, I promise. I realized I just wrote a whole lot for doing something that’s actually quite simple! All you really need is a notebook, a writing utensil, and some dedication. (Or even just a device of some sorts — you can make a digital journal, too.) Here is a short list of some action steps, and then you can be out in the big world with your little journal!

1. Get materials. A notebook of any kind and a writing utensil will suffice. For notebook size, I prefer A5. For a writing utensil, I prefer a pen (not a pencil!).
2. Set a routine time to write. This could be a literal time, like every morning at 8am, but I would suggest attaching it to an existing habit that you have, such as writing every night after you brush your teeth.
3. Set an achievable goal for how much you write. This could be a goal in terms of time or length. Personally, I try to write at least one page a day. This only takes me 5-10 minutes! (I don’t pay attention to my handwriting, nor the “quality” of my content.) Whatever your goal is, remember, if you don’t reach it one day, don’t get discouraged; it’s just a guideline. And when you do reach it, you can be very proud that you did.
4. Make it fun! Do whatever you need to make journaling something to look forward to. (And if you can’t find any good reason, or really hate it that much, maybe you should start a vlog instead.)