Start a new kind of journal

The type of journaling you do matters more than the tool. Expand your repertoire with 9 creative new approaches to journaling.

A blank journal page is a welcoming palette for daily reflections. Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash

Note: This post on journaling is paired with my new Wonder Tools newsletter post about the best app for journaling. Subscribe free for this and other posts.

The best app for journaling ✍️

If you like writing on paper but struggle to stick to a journaling habit…

Create a one-sentence journal

Save one memory each day without the pressure of writing long notes. My wife’s been enjoying this approach for years and my daughter just started.

Gretchen Rubin’s one-sentence journal (screenshot from The Happiness Project)

Try a bullet journal

Journaling on paper frees your eyes up from screen fatigue. It’s easy to try bullet journaling even if you can’t draw, because you can use simple symbols and shapes. Pinterest is a great spot for bullet journal designs and examples. (You can also make a digital bullet journal w/ Trello, if you must.)

Bullet journals like this one are flexible and handwritten, but orderly and visually appealing

If you’re journaling for well-being and want to make a fresh start…

Experiment with a gratitude journal

Give yourself a clear focus — appreciating something or someone. Noting what we appreciate can improve our outlook, research shows.

Chris Hladczuk shared a Twitter thread about what he learned from 1,000 days of gratitude journaling. One lesson: alternate between focusing on work, nature, and personal topics.

Craft your own story journal

Save one story each day. Accumulate a wealth of anecdotes, rather than recording minutiae. Ali Abdaal was inspired to try this by Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks, with its helpful guidance on this approach to journaling.

Make a voice memo journal

If you find it easier to talk than to write, journal with your voice. This NPR Life Kit piece provides helpful tips on this and other journaling tactics.

Feeling lots of ... feelings? Journaling can help : Life Kit

If you’re journaling for self-improvement and want to organize your thoughts in a new way…

Create a productivity journal

Keep track of progress and make note of your little daily accomplishments. Afford yourself credit when you stick to something, complete something or overcome distractions.

Keep a record of the little things you get done and the small obstacles you overcome to strengthen your self-perception as someone who is productive in your own way. Photo by Andreas Klassen on Unsplash

Design a decision journal

Note the context surrounding the decisions you make. Reflect later on the results.

• My thesis advisor, Daniel Kahneman, suggested decision journaling as a way to improve future decisions.
• Decision-making expert Sheena Iyengar’s research suggests that people make 70 decisions per day, as noted in her TED Talk.
• Alex Lieberman, Morning Brew co-founder, Tweeted on why decision journaling is useful and how to do it.

Implement an interstitial journal

Track your allocation of time. I consistently underestimate how long things will take, so I find it helpful to document the time tasks actually require, especially for projects I have to work on repeatedly. Identify patterns in how you spend time in order to open up calendar space for family time and creative projects.

Screenshot from Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s post on interstitial journaling

Start a learning journal

Document something you’re learning as you develop a new skill or practice something you love. You can use this free Google Doc template I made as a starting point.

Steal or build on this simple template to try your own learning journal

Read about the journaling app I recommend in the new edition of my Wonder Tools newsletter.

The best app for journaling ✍️

Wonder Tools | Jeremy Caplan | Substack

“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson’s journal