How I Was Able To Journal Every Day For 365 Days
5 Steps That Helped Me Write Every Day
“I want to journal, but just can’t keep up the habit.”
I have heard this complaint a lot. And I get why. It’s hard to cultivate a habit of writing randomly every single day.
I was in the same boat not too long ago.
Research has shown that a journaling practice can bring improvements in one’s immune function, even sleep. It also leads to drops in blood pressure and other markers of stress. All of this was enough to convince me to take the plunge into journaling.
I had this vision of myself waking up every morning, brewing a cup of coffee and sitting down with my journal. And with this habit, I would figure out everything I needed to know about life. But I did nothing to make it happen. Life always got in the way.
In late 2018, fresh from a recent breakup and a short battle with loneliness post-graduation, I finally decided to pen down my thoughts for the first time. I found an online journaling challenge and decided to set a goal to journal for 30 days.
I managed to journal for 30 days. And before I knew it, the 30 days turned into 100 days, which eventually turned into 365 days of putting my thoughts on paper. It was not a clean streak. I did have a few days where I couldn’t manage to journal, but the habit stayed with me, and I am still actively journaling every day.
If you have been thinking about journaling but haven’t yet started, I hope this can help kickstart that habit. Or, if you have stopped journaling for any reason, this can help you jump back in.
What I share below are a few learnings that helped me start a regular practice of journaling and unlock its magic.
1. Set a specific goal.
“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” — Bill Copeland
It’s essential to set a measurable and achievable goal for your journaling habit. I started with a concrete goal for myself to journal every day for 30 days. This helped me focus my efforts on a single outcome of completing a journal entry for the next month. You could also give yourself similar goals: three journal entries per week for the next month, or maybe just five minutes of journaling every day for the next two weeks.
Having a specific goal will help you feel motivated to achieve it. Also, keep the first goal small and attainable — no need to shoot for the stars by setting yourself for 100 days of journaling from day one.
2. Use journaling prompts.
“The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self. And the arbitrariness of the constraint serves only to obtain precision of execution.” — Igor Stravinsky
I tried to start a journaling habit once before this. It did not go well.
I spent 10 minutes every day trying to write but usually got lost figuring out what to write. I tried to write down whatever came to my mind. It worked fine for the first few days. But soon I started to spend more time thinking about what to write than actually writing. I was paralyzed by the possibilities of what I could write about. And before I knew it, I had lost my journaling streak and my habit.
In 2018, I took another approach — I decided to give myself constraints. There are several studies suggesting that constraints can help you be more creative. I tried to apply this principle by using a new prompt everyday for my journaling.
Some of the prompts that helped me were:
What’s one thought that has been getting the best of you lately?
What do you appreciate most about your life right now?
Name a compassionate way you’ve supported a friend recently?
I no longer had to worry about staring at a blank page. I just used the prompt as a guide to stimulate my writing. There are numerous ‘prompt’ lists available online for all types of journaling. These prompts can significantly help direct your mental energy towards the act of writing.
Less wondering, more writing.
3. Have a dedicated time.
“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” — Charles Bruxton
It can be helpful to find a time in the day that you can dedicate to journaling. I usually try to journal before starting the day. It doesn’t always work out, but trying to stick to the structure helps. Having a time set for journaling makes it easy to get to the activity without trying to figure out how to fit it into my routine every day.
Find a time that works for you. Stick to that time as much as you can to ensure you build the muscle memory for your journaling habit.
Do not be too harsh on yourself if you can’t journal at the same time every day.
Shit happens.
Don’t fret and get back to it tomorrow.
4. Keep your journaling to a physical medium.
“Handwriting is a spiritual designing, even though it appears by means of a material instrument.” — Euclid
One piece of advice that I read online was to find a journaling app when starting my habit. A bunch of articles online touted the ease of journaling digitally. For some reason, each time I tried to journal online, I would get distracted by some other app (a.k.a Youtube) after the first few minutes .
But things changed when I had to resort to a notebook one morning as my laptop was in the shop for repair. And as I am writing this post, I am on my third notebook.
Moving to a physical medium was one of the best decisions I could make for my journaling habit.
There was something strangely satisfying about writing in a notebook. It helped me slow down. It made journaling an experience of calm and relaxation rather than stress and anxiety.
5. Try a new environment.
“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” — Alexander Den Heijer
Even though I have a decent desk in my bedroom, I didn’t want to use my regular workspace for my journaling. Being in the same spot where I work usually meant getting distracted by some other work-related to-do.
I decided to move to the kitchen table. Setting up a new environment and changing my scenery helped significantly. Somehow I felt more inspired, and my thoughts flowed more freely.
This doesn’t necessarily need to be a spot in your house. For around two weeks I used to stop by at a cafe on my route back from work for my daily journaling.
Don’t hesitate to find new set-ups for your journaling. Feel free to be creative.
Journaling is a beautiful thing. When practiced regularly, it can be transformational.
“A personal journal is an ideal environment in which to become. It is a perfect place for you to think, feel, discover, expand, remember, and dream.” — Brad Wilcox
The way one journals is personal to them. Just because the above ideas worked for me does not mean it is a guaranteed method for everyone. What I shared are some observations that have helped my friends and me start a journaling habit.
Feel free to use the above tips as a starting point and add in your flavor to it. Experiment. Come up with your journaling routine. All you need is a pen and paper.
Remember, don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a few days.
Don’t stress about the missed entries. Instead, celebrate the pages you write.
