Our society is highly skilled in the art of making excuses. With jobs, families and households to run, it is easy to put things off. We promise ourselves we will “get to that later” or that the “diet starts tomorrow,” and then the routines and demands of daily life sneak up on us and get in the way all over again. It’s easier to just put that “thing” you have been meaning to accomplish on the back burner instead of diving right in.
Let’s imagine for a moment, that time was not a concern. In fact, let’s say you had all the time in the world or you actually could have a few more hours each day. Would you really start that diet or pick up that new hobby you have always wanted to learn? Or is something else keeping you from taking that first step?
Perhaps starting a journal is something that you have been putting off as well. After all, journaling takes time and your time is precious. Maybe you think that only “writers” keep journals and you have never thought you were good at writing. But that is the beauty of a journal; it’s entirely personal! And while it does take time, you may find with some of these tips, journaling can be a fun and easy way to discover that you’ve got more skills than you thought you did.
Write a Journal: Getting Past the Roadblocks
1. Choose the journal that is perfect for you. Journals can be so much more than the brightly colored, lock-and-key versions from childhood (not that there is anything wrong with those, of course.) A lined and bound notebook might be the perfect place to share your stories. Or perhaps you need more of a clean slate to doodle among your words, and a journal with blank pages would be better choice for you. If a pen and paper journaling experiences scares you , then work your way into a journal writing practice by trying out an online journal online, or you can simply save documents in a folder on your computer for starters. If it worked for Doogie Howser in the early ‘90s, it can absolutely work today!
2. Just write...anything. Have you ever had this thought when thinking about starting a personal journal? “I don’t have anything interesting to say, anyway.” These thoughts can make starting a journal nearly impossible. To get past that road block, try this simple, daily exercise:
Grab your journal and find a comfortable place to sit. Set a timer for 10 minutes and begin writing. Write anything you want; it’s that easy. It doesn’t have to make sense; it doesn’t even have to be “interesting.” Just be sure you are writing for the full 10 minutes. Perhaps your 10 minutes will be spent simply making a list of things you did that day or the things you wish to accomplish. Maybe you’ll write down that funny story your co-worker told the group over lunch or what happened that morning when your daughter tried orange juice for the first time. Whatever the subject, this exercise allows for you to focus a small amount of time on something so important: a journal full of your life’s stories, however interesting or mundane they may be.
3. Be kind to yourself and your abilities. So perhaps you are not the best writer. Maybe your grammar skills are not as clean as they were in high school. And no matter how many times you look it up, you just can’t seem to recall how to spell “necessarily” without the spell-check. Remember, perfection is not a word that your journal cares about, nor is your journal something you even have to share with anyone else. You will not be graded or tested on the stories and entries that come from your heart.
Remember, a personal journal is exactly that: personal. The look, feel and spirit of the journal belong to you and only you. It is a place where you can share your thoughts without judgment or interruption. Most importantly, it’s easy. All it takes is that first step!
You'll find some other ideas on how to write a journal here.
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