How To Journal: The Only Beginner’s Journaling Guide You Need
So you want to know how to journal?
Well good then you are at the right place, because I really, really like it.
Keep reading, if you want to know the things that I learned about it ->
I remember practicing this habit almost EVERY DAY ever since I was a kid in school.
I also remember thinking at that time:
“Why doesn’t anyone else write and think about their lives at all? I must be really weird.”
Sure, people are busy and trying to be productive. But as a kid it seemed to me as if everyone was just going through the motions and telling others to do the same for some reason.
Is it that weird to wonder WHY we are here and why we are doing the things we do?
(I mean, we are born and live on a giant rock that is spinning around an even bigger glowing hot fireball. Meanwhile, we all pretend as if everything is normal. Isn’t that wild?)
Yes, that is a lot of thinking for a kid. Now you know what the very quiet, shy and introverted kid is doing inside, while everyone is outside. The kid that seemed to not be too active in the outside world, but was very active in a very big inside world.
So, did I tell anyone that I was writing down all these IDEAS every day?
You better believe that I did not tell anyone about it. Because I already was often teased about my overweight body and I didn’t want to give them more fuel.
To be really honest, I only figured out last year that what I was doing is called journaling. I never gave it much thought before, because it was always part of my life.
People also always used to tell me that I was overthinking everything. They said that I was thinking too much and discussing everything in life. Everyone in my life including my parents, siblings, friends and even strangers told me the same thing:
“You really like to discuss everything to the smallest detail, you should become a lawyer.”
Now you might think that sounds like a compliment, but to me it sounded like I was being scolded.
You know what that made me do?
It made me keep my thoughts a secret. Instead of discussing everything, I wrote what I was thinking about in my secret notebooks. I wrote it in code language so that only I could understand it. Because I didn’t want others to see what I was thinking. These were my secrets.
After doing that there was even a long period of time where I mainly wrote in symbols that only I understood. Because if they think discussing life is already weird, how could they possibly understand the DREAMS I was thinking more and more about?
Why Learn How To Journal?
As I kept writing all these years, I kept improving my life. It was definitely not a smooth upward line at all, but it did improve little by little.
Writing in my journal those years helped me achieve almost ALL my dreams and it is still helping me with new dreams. Learning how to journal helped me achieve the dreams I was aiming for in multiple areas of my life. Those areas were health, relationship, career and most importantly happiness.
These were not extreme dreams, just some of the things that I personally wanted growing up:
1. Become as fit as I could be in the gym so I could start to be more confident.
2. Not end up alone or with the wrong person.
3. Get the career I wanted for a long time.
4. I want to be happy.
Most people tend to forget the last one. Because they believe they will automatically become happy when they achieve their other dreams, which is not the case. I’ll explain more about it at a different time…
After achieving those dreams, I am now aiming for new dreams and new adventures. One of my dreams is writing what you are reading at the moment, writing what I am PASSIONATE about and learned.
Why?
Purely because I want to and just for fun. It is about the journey right…
(I know I talk and write like a 5-year old, that is just how I am. English is also not my first language and I have never written for other people before. Besides, I believe kids are part of the few who have not given up on their dreams and happiness yet. Just think about the ones you know and you will see the proof there.)
Which Journaling Methods Are Effective?
On my journey to all my goals I use 2 simple ways to write in my notebook:
1. Free writing
2. Writing with prompts
I like to use both of them and mix it up. Although for beginners it might be easier to start with prompts, because it gives more guidance.
But for ease of understanding, I will start with explaining the first one.
Free writing can be about multiple themes. Later, I will talk about the specific themes that helped me. For me, the main PURPOSE of free writing is very simple. It is to take whatever is on my overwhelmed, full mind and write it all out on paper until my head is empty again.
I don’t worry about spelling, grammar, style, structure or filtering myself while doing this. Actually, I do the opposite. I just write down whatever pops up in my mind, directly onto the paper.
Writing it out and thinking about what I wrote down brings more structure to the chaotic and abstract thoughts in my head. After writing it down I don’t have to think about it anymore until my next writing session. You can test it out for yourself.
Other ways to describe this method is brain dumping, vomiting out your thoughts or diarrhea on paper. It does not have to look pretty.
Too graphic?
Ah well I guess you won’t forget how to do it…
Writing with prompts on the other hand is more structured. In my opinion, a prompt is just a question about life that I ask to understand myself or the situation better. The way I use this method, is by having specific questions that I want to answer DAILY to see how I am doing and am progressing.
Like I said before, with this way of writing it is easier to have something to write because of the guidance. The disadvantage is that it gives me a lot less freedom.
An famous example of one of these prompts is:
“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
(Did you just eye roll deep in your brain after reading that question? Good, good it is important to relax those eye muscles in between reading.)
I know it is a scary question that gives me flashbacks to previous job interviews. But seriously, take a deep breath and ask yourself:
“Have I really honestly answered this question for myself? Not the politically correct answer that everyone else wants to hear, but what I actually want. Which is to fulfill the childhood dream deep inside of me.”
After talking to people I found out that one of the reasons why they find that question scary is because they are scared of the answer. But you can face your fears, you can do it. When things get too scary, it always helps me to take smaller steps. More about this later, let’s get back to the topic for now.
By having a clear prompt like this I am able to get a clearer answer. The question makes me more focused. It is different from free writing where my brain can go in all kinds of directions.
Especially when I am doing it with pen and paper…
Digital or Paper Journal?
Speaking of pen and paper, I mainly only journal with pen and paper. In the past I have tried to do it on the computer before, but it was not as fun for me. Sure, things are easier to track and change, but it does not have the same feeling and POWER for me personally.
When reading back what I wrote on the computer, the words have less impact on me. It feels fake and just words on a screen that anyone could have written. I feel more emotions when I write by hand and read my own handwritten words.
Also when I read it back I can see that I wrote it and that makes me believe it more. It is like when you see your own handwritten signature. This is especially important when I give my future self advice. Besides it is also just more fun to read it because it’s handwritten
More fun?
Yes, more FUN. Just think about it. Imagine if someone went on a fun, sunny, relaxed vacation and they sent you a handwritten card with a beautiful picture of the beach on it. Does that make you smile more than an email from them that you get in your inbox, which still has 10085 other unread emails?
(Luckily for me this is not a guide about how I organize my email inbox.)
Again this is just my personal opinion, you just have to test what feels best for you. I stopped doing it on the computer, since this all also made me a lot more inconsistent. It is easy to bring my notebook anywhere and write a bit. If you are a beginner, being consistent is especially important.
On the other hand, the disadvantage that I have with handwriting is that I am an idiot.
Why am I an idiot?
Because many times after I wrote down all my big ideas and dreams, I just couldn’t read my own handwriting.
(I told you I write like a 5 year old.)
For almost my whole life I did this and I don’t know why…
Well I guess it is probably because I somehow always have to make a looot more mistakes than most people. That is why I always believed that I am not talented, which always made me doubt if I can achieve my dreams. But it also always made me put in more effort.
This eventually resulted in me believing that if I can make my dreams come true, then there is hope for anyone. All I did was just keep putting in the effort and being patient.
Anyways, here is a free pro tip that I only found out last year for the handwriting problem mentioned above ->
I now write in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS and write slower to make what I write easier to read.
What Is the Best Pen For Journaling?
Some people also find it easier to write more clearly with different pens. Unfortunately for me it is often not easy to read either way. If you wonder what pen to use, honestly any pen is fine in my opinion. Don’t make it too complicated. Just start. You got this.
Well, okay, if you like to correct things you can use a pencil instead, because then you can use the eraser. But sometimes the words fade when you write with a pencil. So if you don’t mind scratching on the paper, then a pen will make things easier to read.
What Is the Best Paper For Journaling?
Like I said before, whatever is on the paper does not have to be pretty. And also any kind of paper is fine: lined, blank or dotted. It is fine as long as what you write doesn’t bleed through, which only happens sometimes when someone likes to use ink or markers. Again, keep it SIMPLE. You can do it.
Okay, okay, just don’t use toilet paper. I know there is a lot of crap in our heads, but…
(I guess I also make jokes at the level of a 5-year old)
When Is the Best Time To Journal?
Even though I don’t write on the toilet, I think that people should do whatever works for them. Personally, I wrote whenever I had time and that was different during different phases of my life.
Some years I did it in the morning and other years in the afternoon or evening. In the morning it helped me to start my day with a positive, organized mind. When I did it in the afternoon, it was a nice break in-between tasks. In the evening it helped me evaluate and prepare for the next day.
However, the last few years I moved it back to the evening, because I liked doing it so much that I kept doing it during the day. It became a procrastination activity for me. Again, you just have to see what works for you. If I were a beginner again, I would choose only 1 moment a day to keep it easy.
In addition to that, I would also choose the same time every day to write as a beginner. The reason for that is because it makes it easier for me to remember this new HABIT.
And that is it. Now you know the basics of how to journal and you are good to go.
In part 2, I will continue with one of the main themes I write about that helped me make my own dreams come true. Meanwhile, I will also share what I journal about right now for beginners who want new journal prompts to write about.
Thank you for reading and…
If you have dreams you want to achieve…
CREATE YOUR OWN LUCK!
P.S. Like I said several times before, everyone can and should do whatever they want to do. But everyone also needs the basics. And that is why I created this multipart guide for beginners.