Kick Start Learning How to Journal – Series

Series 2 of 3

Journaling Ideas

This is part 2 of my Kick Start Learning How to Journal Series with journaling ideas for establishing a routine.

Journaling Ideas for Morning and Night Journal Routines

An important thing to keep in mind as you are working on starting a new journaling routine is that there is a big difference in the time of day you choose for your routine. It’s important to explore different journaling ideas to figure out what fits you best. Writing in a journal at the beginning of a day is often quite different than journaling at the end of the day.

Everything is different, from your mindset and energy level, to what you want to write about and how it can benefit you.

Take a look at how journaling might change depending on if you choose a morning or nighttime routine. 

Journaling in the Morning

The first option you have is to add journaling to your morning routine. This works great for many people who want a new morning routine that sets them up for the day. You can really improve your productivity with a morning journaling practice. 

When you journal in the morning, it might be to:

Set Your Intentions for the Day – This goes far beyond just making a to-do list (see below). Setting intentions is a way for you to visualize what you want your day to look like, including your mood, your positive attitude, things you are grateful for, or an inspirational quote. Plus, morning journaling is perfect for setting good intentions you can focus on each and every day. 

Task and To-Do Lists – Don’t forget your tasks for the day! With a morning journaling practice, you can also write down what you need to get done, whether in your personal or professional life. Put together a to-do list, write down a daily goal, and put things in order of priority.

Gratitude – One of the most beneficial things to include in your journal is expressions of gratitude. Expressing gratitude allows you to appreciate all of the good things in your life. It helps put you in a positive mood, relieves stress, and helps you move past bad days.

Inspirational Quote or Affirmations – If you are someone who is really trying to improve your mindset, try to also include an inspirational quote or affirmation for the day. You can use the same one each day, or change them up as needed. This is another great reason to write in your journal in the morning.

Journaling at Night

The other option is to add journaling to your nighttime routine. This is more what people think of when they think about a traditional journal or diary. You can write about your day and include journaling ideas such as how you’re feeling, and work through anything you are dealing with. 

For a nighttime journaling routine, you might write about:

How Your Day Was – Writing about your day benefits you in a few ways. First, it documents your life, which is helpful to look back on when you are trying to sort through issues or see what you were doing during a particular time in your life. It’s also a good way to reflect and get clarity.

Ways it Could Have Been Better – Not every day is perfect, but by expressing how you feel and what you experienced that day, you can reflect to see ways it could have been better. Have a bad day? Write about it, then include what you could have done differently. Trust me, this really helps you out in the future when trying to make decisions.

What You Are Grateful For – Gratitude isn’t just for the morning! You can also express your gratitude in the evening, especially with specifics about what you appreciate each day. It can be something as simple as having coffee with a friend or showing appreciation for a co-worker who helped you with a project.

Goals or Tasks You Completed – Have a good summary at the end of every day that shows what tasks on your to-do list were completed and whether or not these tasks are helping you reach your goals.

Want to benefit from both? Try to find time in both the morning AND evening to write in your journal.

Ditch the Rules and Judgments

If there was just one mistake a lot of beginner journalers make is that they try to set too many rules. Filling up pages, writing about certain topics, making sure your spelling and grammar is on point and the many other rules and regulations which make journaling feel like a chore. And when it feels like work, it is really hard to motivate yourself to keep up with it every day.

Ditching the rules is a better solution to make your journaling ideas a fun, carefree, and rule-free activity. Don’t judge yourself for whatever method you use to journal. If you are going to be writing about situations you deem embarrassing or overly personal, keep your journal private so you aren’t afraid to speak your mind. Most importantly, never have any rules aside from writing in your journal every day.

Here are some tips for ditching the rules and judgments when it comes to your new journaling practice:

There are No Rules in Journaling

The internet and Pinterest are filled with journaling ideas and ways to do it better. But just because you read how other people go about their journaling practice, doesn’t mean you have to do it that way. In fact, honing your personal journaling practice takes time to figure out by trying different journaling ideas on for size. Make the time to do it right so you can sort out exactly the type of journaling habit you want to have. 

Want to use a notebook instead of a journal? Go for it. Rather use a digital journal? Perfect. Not a great speller? Who cares. Just write in your journal, in whatever way works best for you. Switch up your routine using different journaling ideas as often as you need to, and stop giving yourself these pointless rules. 

Keep Your Journal Secret and Private

I believe you should keep your journal private, but I know there are others who journal publicly in the form of blog entries. If you don’t keep it private, one of the issues you might face when journaling is that you feel like you have to make it appropriate for other people. Even if you intend to keep it to yourself, you may become worried that curious eyes could find it and read it. This in turn causes you to write in such a way that you wouldn’t be embarrassed for others to see it.

The main problem with this is that you aren’t being honest and true to yourself. If you feel this is going to be an issue for you, keep your journal completely private as this allows you to feel more comfortable thus more honest in your journaling. You will get a lot more from journaling when you don’t feel like you have to monitor what you say.

Never Judge Yourself

Along the same lines of being open and honest – don’t judge yourself for how you think or feel. Write your truth, no matter what it is. Even if it’s not socially acceptable, even if you’re not sure why you feel that way or what it means. To find true clarity and discover your own path to happiness, you have to start from a place of pure, raw honesty.

Stay Tuned for Part 3 in this Series on Journaling….

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