Kick Start Learning How to Journal – Series

Series 3 of 3

In this 3rd and final installment of my Kick Start Learning How to Journal Series, you will learn simple strategies for journaling when you don’t feel like it. You will also learn how to start your first few days of journaling by answering simple questions like ‘what are your journaling goals’. If you want to start at the beginning, start here.

Strategies for Journaling When You Don’t Feel Like it

No matter how much you enjoy writing in your journal, there are going to be times when it is the last thing you want to do. Whether because you’re tired, dealing with writers’ block, or the stress of your life is keeping you from your regular routine, it happens to the best of us.

Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do to push through and keep your journal practice going, regardless of the reason you don’t really feel up to it. 

Set a Timer

This is a little trick that works great not just for journaling, but for any time when you can’t seem to get the motivation for work. Just set a timer and know that you only have to write until that timer goes off. A good journaling goal to start with is 5 minutes, which goes by a lot faster than you think while writing in a journal. You can eventually increase the time if you want to get a little more journaling done.

Journal a Page a Day

Another simple strategy for journaling to help with getting past writers’ block is to commit to just write one page in your journal per day. If you have a smaller journal, this is super easy to do. Just write what comes to mind, whether that is your plans for the day, your journaling goals, or how you’re feeling. Then, stop once you have filled up the page.

Doodle and Draw

There is no reason you have to only write in your journal! There might be a day when you’re feeling creative or just want to doodle until you think of something to write about. Get out a pen, pencil, or even a coloring pencil, and just draw what feels right to you. This is not only a good activity for de-stressing, but often sparks thoughts for your next journal entry.

Brain Dump Writing

One thing that often keeps people from writing in their journal is not knowing what to write about. Remember, this is your journal to do what you want with. Even if you have been trying to follow a certain topic or style, doesn’t mean you can’t just have a few days of writing whatever is in your head.

This is called doing a brain dump. This strategy is where you don’t think before you write. Just put pen to paper, and see what happens. The first thought can be something as simple as how your day was and can change topics as you get going.

Use Journaling Prompts

My personal favorite. This is a great strategy is to use when you need some help writing in your journal. There are many prompts that ask you questions or direct you to a certain topic to write about. This gives you a little direction and can also inspire other journal entries when you’re feeling a little stuck.

When your journaling brings up questions for future journal entries, write them down. Save these questions for a day when you need a push or if you are following a prompt series, use your questions on days you don’t like a prompt. 

Kick-Starting Your Routine – The First Days

For this final section, you will learn about how to choose your journaling routine, and what to do on those first few days of writing in your journal. 

Choosing Your Journal and Writing Utensils

Get prepared for your journaling routine by first deciding what you are going to use for your journal. There are so many options these days because journaling has become so popular. You can find softcover and hardcover journals, spiral notebooks, traditional notebooks, digital journals, and everything in between.

If you want a journal with various templates to fill in, you can also look at online printable pages. These are pages that you print out and add to a binder or book of your choice. 

For pens, try out a few different ones to see what you enjoy writing with. Journaling by nature involves a lot of writing. You don’t want to get frustrated every day just because you chose the wrong pen. Personally, these pens are my favorite when I use a paper journal.

I choose to use a digital journal via the GoodNotes app on my iPad with my Apple pencil.

What Time of Day is Best for You?

As for the actual routine, think about your current schedule. When would you have 5-10 minutes to write in your journal? Do you want to wake up a little earlier in the morning to write before work? Would you prefer adding it to your nighttime routine? You get to decide what is best for you.

Whatever you choose needs to be sustainable. Therefore, if you know getting up any earlier to journal won’t work for you for very long, don’t set yourself up for failure. Create a routine you can commit to.

Also, consider the type of journaling you intend to do, as this might determine what time of day and environment is best. 

Your First Few Days of Keeping a Journal

On the first day of your journaling practice, write about why you want to start journaling and what you hope to get out of it. This sets your intentions and keeps you inspired. 

The following few days might include:

How you feel

Your journaling goals

What you enjoy about journaling so far

Ultimately, just have fun with it! Allow your journal to reflect on who you are and how you feel. Most importantly, remember to let go of the rules so you can enjoy yourself.