Journaling: How to Start Being Consistent

Most of us have heard about the countless benefits that come from writing in a journal everyday, but for most people (including myself), the hardest part about the habit is actually the writing everyday part. It is important to understand that every journal session will be different and have a different level of intensity. Like with life, the energy you have for journaling will ebb and flow, wane and wax, and that’s totally normal. A lot of the benefits that come from journaling don’t always depend too much on the content of what you’re writing, but rather the consistency with which you authentically write. So, here are some tips to help you keep a steady journaling practice:

Materials

I recommend scheduling a shopping trip, or online shopping spree, specifically with the intent to pick up your journaling supplies. Going out to get fresh materials can subconsciously keep you accountable for your journaling practice because of the conscious time and money you are investing into yourself and the practice. When choosing supplies, think about what will entice you to journal more often:

1. Choose a pretty journal that resonates with your personality or with an intention/goal you have in mind. If you are attracted to a certain journal (yes, even that big, extravagant one with the sparkles), I recommend buying it because if you are attracted to it in the store, than you will probably be attracted to it at home. This can make you want to pick up your journal to write more often.
2. Choose a practical journal that makes sense for you and your writing goals. Keep size, lined or unlined, soft or hard cover, and paper thickness or color in mind. If you are going to be traveling, you may want to opt for a smaller, soft covered journal that fits more easily into your bag. If you love to accompany your writing with sketches, you may want to go for unlined pages or a journal that alternates between lined and unlined. If you often write on your sofa without a table, a hard cover journal could be best for you. If you hate bleeding ink, you’ll want to choose the correct paper thickness for the pens you are going to use.
3. Choose a pen(s) you enjoy writing with. Is it comfortable? Is it the color you like? Do you like the way your writing looks on the page? Can you make art with this pen as well as write? Will it bleed through the page too much? I, personally, love a good, black, fine tip pen that I can easily use for writing and drawing.

It’s All Right There

I used to sporadically jump from my poetry journal to my lists journal to my sketch journal and so on. It was difficult to stay consistent when I had so many journals to keep track of and it kept me unmotivated because they just weren’t filling up.

1. Keep one journal for everything. I recommend keeping your journal entries, lists, drawings, poems, Venn-diagrams, and whatever else, in one journal. It will be easier to stay organized and find specific logs, especially if you put dates on everything. Your journal will also fill up quicker; Although you shouldn’t write just to fill up the journal, it can be motivating to write more consistently when you see a noticeable, somewhat metaphorical, sign of growth and progress. Plus, since you’ll have recorded everything in one place, it’s like you’ll have a chapter of your life!

Making Rituals

1. Create a ritual in your day. Choose a time of day for journaling to aim for everyday. I believe that golden hour, A.K.A dawn or dusk, is the optimal time for tuning into your intuition for writing. However, choose a time that works best for you and your schedule so you don’t have excuses to skip a session. Know that if you have “missed” your scheduled time slot you haven’t failed. The goal is just to write daily, so ultimately, whenever you get to writing is when you get to writing.
2. Create rituals in your entries. Think about writing your dates a specific way or starting off your entries the same way every time. For example, I often start with “Good morning,”. I also like to have a loose structure with my entries by starting with gratitude statements, and ending with “I am” affirmations (plus a heart doodle <3. However, I keep in mind that I haven’t failed my journal session if I don’t pertain to the structure. The structure is there simply to remind me of my intentions for journaling which helps me stay consistent.
3. Create a ritual of ‘kind content‘. If you are writing about yourself, are you writing about yourself in a kind way? If you are documenting your progress towards goals, are you giving yourself positive motivation? Are you celebrating your wins? When you write with kindness and optimism, you’ll have a more positive association with journaling. Your mind will circulate more kindness to yourself and the world. With consistency, this can greatly improve your self-esteem and also help you stay consistent.

Privacy

Your journal is your safe space and you should feel free to be as vulnerable and messy as you want without the worries of prying eyes.

1. If you live with family members or have roommates, have a serious discussion with them about the importance of keeping your journal private. Stress to them how important this is to you. If they are noncompliant, think about keeping your journal somewhere they won’t find it. I have a brother, so I have had to do this before.

Storage

1. If possible, keep your journal and pen together in an obvious place that you know you will see everyday. This will remind you to journal.

At the End of the Day

The key to the magic of journaling is consistency, not perfection. So, one day, if you happen to give-up on journaling, I encourage you to convince yourself to pick up that journal and write just one thing. It could be a sentence, two words, one word. It could be an emotion you are feeling. It could be a scribble. Write anything to keep your streak going because you’ll be so proud of yourself if you do. Every time you pick up your pen, you are honoring yourself, your vision, and your “why”.

You’ve got this. And remember, these are just my personal tips. Journaling is somewhat of an abstract idea that changes from person to person because everyone is different. At the end of the day, you’ll be the one who figures out what works best for you and it may be something I haven’t mentioned here. This is your journal, not anyone elses. You can, and should, do whatever the heck you want with it. Have fun!