Growing up I’d always thought the concept of having a journal or diary of sorts would be really cool. I’d often read books like ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ or even ‘Dork Diaries’, in which both books the main protagonist writes the book itself, as it is their diary. Even from that younger age, the idea was appealing, but as an adult, I’ve considered actually trying it out. Writing out my thoughts and feelings, potential goals, things I want to remember, it all sounds so nice but when putting paper to pen, I struggle. It’s easy to write in a journal for a day or two, but then I ultimately end up dropping it altogether as life gets in the way. I forget a day, then a week, then I have a gap between June 12th and October 27th.
Recently I found this article that gives advice on how to stick with journaling and how to stay consistent with writing daily. In the article, Erin Greenawald writes, “The first step is redefining what “journaling” is. Many people have this notion that to journal effectively you have to sit down and write pages and pages of poetic language about your feelings. But really, journaling just means setting aside a little quiet, undistracted time to sit down and think about your life. It can be just by writing down a record of what you did that day; by venting about one thing that you can’t get off your mind; by noting something that inspired you. Some days it may be pages and pages, and some it may only be a few words. Just as long as you’re actually taking a moment to stop and think about how things are going.”
It sounds like journaling can be whatever you want it to be, and it does not need to be a traditional schedule. Some days you might write pages, others only a few sentences, but it sounds like staying consistent and trying to form the habit can be the most important foundation. Erin Greenwald also writes several tips on how to form that habit in the article, which can be found by clicking here.
