How to Make Journaling a Lasting Habit
How do you start to make journaling a daily habit? You’ve got to dive in. Keeping a journal is a fantastic way to record daily events, reflect on personal emotions, and practice mindfulness. However, many people struggle with keeping a journal on a long-term basis. That’s why we’ve come up with three great strategies to help you stick with your journaling goals.
1. Make it enjoyable.
You’re much more likely to keep up with a habit if you enjoy the activity. Journaling can be highly gratifying, as it provides an opportunity to look back on the best parts of your day. On some days it will be easy to identify the high points, such as the day you get promoted, go on vacation, or adopt a new pet. Everyone has bad days, however, and it may be difficult at times to find a good part of the day. Journaling can help you get through those bad days by finding the happy moments, no matter how small.
2. Remind yourself to write.
One strategy for journaling on a daily basis is to set a clear reminder. One way to do this is to set a reminder on your phone for the time you plan to write in your journal, perhaps ten minutes before you go to bed. Another way to remind yourself is to place your journal on your bed after you make it in the morning or on your nightstand so that you’ll see it later in the day.
3. Schedule a regular time for it.
You’ll have trouble making journaling a daily habit if you’re trying to squeeze it in between other responsibilities. To fit journaling in with your schedule, you’ll have to make time for it. This may mean spending less time on social media, cutting time out of your existing night-time or morning routine, or possibly adding time to your routine. Journaling doesn’t have to be a major time commitment; 5-10 minutes a day can be enough time to write a journal entry.
One of my goals for this year is to write 1,000 words per day. I write at night and journaling kicks off my nighttime routine. I haven’t been able to get to 1,000 words yet, but I’ll get there! I really want to be able to print my JRNL book at the end of this year and have a daily account of everything I’ve done and the people I’ve spent time with.
Journaling is a fantastic habit to have for people of all ages. It allows you to reflect each night on the past day and have a clean slate for the day ahead. With the tips listed above, you can make it a consistent and highly satisfying habit.
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All good recommendations. I also like to write in the same place if possible.