7 Ways To Make Journaling More Effortless
I’ve journaled for 7 years. Here are 7 simple but important changes I’ve made along the way.
Have you ever struggled to start or keep up with your journaling? I did too.
Journaling is cathartic. I’ve journaled for almost 7 years and it’s one of the best habits I’ve developed. But before I started, I failed miserably. I tried writing my thoughts in a notebook, I bought a daily journal and a gratitude journal but I couldn’t keep up. I always felt like it was a task, like homework.
There are various types of journaling. A daily prompt or gratitude journal can work if you’re disciplined enough. I like to journal freely about anything I want and feel.
One day, I really had to let my thoughts out. They just needed a space. In fact, I didn’t even know how to articulate them to another person because I couldn’t make sense of them.
So I turned to what I thought was my last resort. I opened a blank document on my laptop and vomited all my thoughts out.
And it felt great!
I’d always associated ‘journaling’ with traditional notebook and writing, and I’d never even tried writing on my laptop.
I found myself journaling more often and certain practices made the process more effortless for me. 7 years later, I still journal, and I still think it helps.
Here’s what helped me:
Write where it’s most natural for you
Writing on a blank doc on my laptop worked the best for me. Some people prefer writing in diaries or purchasing a gratitude journal. Anything can work as long as that is most natural to you. Try all methods for a month at least before you give up on journaling completely. You can write at home, from a cafe, at work, or any place you’re comfortable.
It’s okay to not journal daily
I resisted journaling for the longest time because I couldn’t be consistent with daily journals. It felt pressurizing to come up with something new to write every day. I let go of this pressure. I journaled only on the days I felt like with no rhythm. This could be once a month, twice a week, or thrice a day. It could be on just the bad days, but it could also be on the good days. Journaling is meant to be an outlet to feel better, not a stressor. Write when you feel like it.
Your thoughts and tone don’t need to make sense at all
The first time I journaled I was shocked to see that my thoughts have no coherence. I was unable to write out my thoughts about one situation before jumping to the next. My tone switched from caring to harsh to angry to satisfied. It felt wrong to write this way. That’s when I realized the beauty of journaling. It shows you exactly where your mind’s at and how it’s processing information. And it’s not meant to be pretty like academic or artistic writing. It needs to serve the purpose as an outlet for your thoughts. So just write as you think.
Journal as soon as possible; ‘later’ never comes
Very often, if I tell myself I’ll journal later or the next day, the feeling passes, so I don’t feel the need to do it anymore. But this feeling crept up later because I didn’t address it, and it was a momentary pass due to distractions. I’ve now learned to journal as soon as I feel a certain way or at least on the same day before sleeping. The reason I come back to journaling is because of the way I feel after I journal. And the reason I feel better is because I address these thoughts in time. The baggage gets offloaded, and my mind feels lighter.
Feeling like you have to fill up a page
Journaling is supposed to serve you. Not the other way around. The first few times I journaled, I had pages to fill up. But the next few times, I had a paragraph, sometimes half a page. I thought to myself, “That’s it? That’s all you wanted to say?” I was almost judging myself for making a big deal which translated to a few words on paper. Slowly I learned that thoughts and words are not directly proportional. Emotions are not logical and I have to let go of any expectations of myself while journaling. I’m not reporting to anybody on how much I journaled except myself.
Correcting grammar and spelling
Grammar and spelling are important in all kinds of writing. But when it comes to journaling, I differ slightly. I feel that if you want to allow thoughts to truly flow, you need to worry about only that and nothing else. The minute you pause spelling and grammar checks, your mind is diverted from emotion to logic, and the thoughts take a backseat. This has happened multiple times to me until I slowly learned to shed my need to treat journaling like sharable writing. If you need to make it pretty, do it after you’re done journaling and take the help of an AI tool like Grammarly.
Treat journaling like a conversation with a friend
There might be times when friends are unavailable or you can’t share certain feelings with them. Most of the time, if you’re in a highly emotional state and want to talk to someone, it’s to vent or share. You don’t really need opinions; you need validation and sympathy. Learn to give these to yourself. Vent it out on paper and behave like you’re writing your friend a long text or email. You can even think about it from this friend’s perspective and share some validation, cheer or sympathy with yourself! It makes you stronger and able to think about anything with more perspective.
“Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction.” — Michelle Obama
A fracture of serious illness always requires a professional. But think about if you have a tiny cut at home. You can let it bleed out and not treat it. It will take longer to heal itself but if you tend to it with first aid, it gets better faster.
Journaling is like first aid for your thoughts. It’s an important tool to keep with you in mental first aid kit! Make it as effortless as possible.
