I used to be absolutely terrible at keeping a journal. Every time I got a new diary, I would write the first entry, waxing enthusiastic about what journaling was going to help me organize my life and express my thoughts. Then I would pick it up again a week later, and write in it again. Then I would look at it a month later, and write another entry about how this time, I was really going to stick with it. Then I would pick it up again after almost a year, feel too guilty and embarrassed about it, and buy a fresh journal to start all over. (Once blogs came along, I did the same thing with them, by the way.)
Now I blog and write in my journal nearly every day. What changed? Well, here are the lessons I eventually learned.
1. Get a notebook you’ll actually use.
This is way more important than it should be. All that’s required for writing is a pen and paper, right? Apparently not if you’re as neurotic as I am. Find one that’s the precise dimensions you want, and lined in a way that encourages you to write as small or as large as you’re most comfortable with. It has to feel good for your hand to use. Also, you need to feel okay being seen with it in public, as that’s where you’ll do some of your best journaling. So don’t use a Britney Spears notebook like the one full of lyrics Eminem lost on an airplane at the height of his career and had to offer a reward for. Embarrassing.
2. Make it a ritual.
Find a time every day that’s ideal for you to do about 20 minutes of journaling. For me, I’m most likely to do this when I can multitask in some way. So I do it while I’m making coffee in the morning. You can try journaling over lunch, if you don’t mind the occasional stain. Or do it at the end of the day, as part of your getting-ready-for-bed routine. If you take public transportation to and from work, that’s another perfect situation.
3. Go full stream-of-consciousness.
Organizing your thoughts is for other kinds of writing. Think of your journal as a giant brain dump, where emotions, musings, to-dos and ideas mingle promiscuously. It’s therapeutic to get out what’s in there. Experiment with combining your journal time with a Buddhist-style meditation routine where you try not to think. (This is, ironically, one of the best ways to start having ideas if you can’t think of any.)
4. Do a weekly review.
About once a week, look over what you’ve written. Underline anything that’s actionable or important, and move it from your journal to whatever other organizational system you may have. If you don’t have one at all, just write the items on individual Post-It notes. I’m a big fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done approach, myself, and it’s done wonders for me to have a working system through which I can process all the stuff that comes pouring out of my head. A lot of what comes out of your pen won’t be important and actionable at all though, and that’s okay...ideal, even! Know when to just let your ideas come and go.
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About the Author
Nadia Jones is an education blogger for an online education website and a freelance writer on all things academia. Nadia uses the written word to share her knowledge on accredited online college education and the latest news in the educational world. Though Nadia's mind is always preoccupied with topics of education, she spends her downtime volunteering with middle school students and pitching for her adult softball team. She can be reached at nadia.jones5@gmail.com.
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