“If I do not write to empty my mind, I go mad.”
Lord Byron
It’s been estimated that we think between 50,000-70,000 thoughts every day. Many of these thoughts are repetitive, or go unnoticed, but they can often build up like weeds in the garden of your mind. The fastest way to declutter your mind, to untangle your thoughts and make sense of your cosmic mind, is journaling.
Journaling is like having a best friend that doesn’t mind when you rant for hours about insignificant things. The more you write, the more you’ll begin to see your life like a story. You’ll understand pieces of your past that influence who you have become. You begin to understand others; you begin to understand yourself. Your thoughts are put into perspective.
I’ve kept a regular journal since I was nine, but for the last five years I’ve journaled every night before I go to bed. I do it because I love writing, and because I want to remember all the little day-to-day moments that make up my life—because if I don’t write, I will forget.
Chances are, you want to journal but don’t know how to begin—or maybe you journal sometimes but feel uninspired to make it more interesting. Wherever you’re coming from—whether you journal once a day or once a week or once a year—today we’re going to explore how to start journaling and enjoy the process.
So, grab your journal and a pen…and let’s get started.
THE BASICS
First things first. What makes a journal different from, say, a diary? Or a bullet journal?
A diary records your experiences: what you did, where you went, projects you’re working on, the happenings of your daily life.
A journal goes a level deeper, meaning that you share your personal impressions about life—thoughts, reflections, feelings—in essence, your response to your life experiences.
A bullet journal is something more like a self-created planner, in which you write down all the details of your life, usually consisting of yearly, monthly, and weekly “spreads,” ideally in an aesthetic way. In each spread, you fill out your life plans, to-do lists, shopping lists, reading lists, etcetera, maybe even using your hand-lettering skills to write out meaningful quotes.
WHAT TO WRITE
“Write what should not be forgotten.”
Isabel Allende
You’ve probably felt it at some point, when you flip open your journal and stare at a blank page and your million thoughts just vanish into an abyss, and you’re left with nothing but blank white static in your mind. It’s called writer’s block, and it’s beyond frustrating.
When you can’t think of where to start, here are some go-to recipes for getting the words flowing again:
record the day’s happenings
This is the simplest approach to journaling. Write down what you did today, in as much detail as you like. Start with “I woke up and __” or “Today at work, I did __.” Mention what you had for lunch, share strange interactions you had, talk about what you’re reading at the moment, write about how you feel about life right now. No detail is too small.
creative nonfiction
Instead of writing down everything that happened during the day, choose just a single moment. Set the scene, remember dialogue, write down your internal responses to things. Remember as many details as possible; tell it like a story.
stream-of-consciousness
You’ve probably heard this term floating around in the Pinterest world, and it’s a pretty simple concept: basically, you flood the paper with all of the brain lint in your head, writing without any censoring or editing whatsoever, until you’ve filled three or four pages. It’s very therapeutic. Would highly recommend. Good for when you have the overwhelming urge to rant to an inanimate object.
dream boards/vision boards
Either capturing a current aesthetic or envisioning a future one—this is the modern version of cutting and pasting magazine pictures to capture an aesthetic or mood.
take notes
If you listen to podcasts, audiobooks, or nonfiction books, keeping notes is a great way to track what you’re learning. Take notes, just like you would for class, and keep track of the main idea of each chapter, along with any quotes you really like. Then, years afterwards, you can flip back to see the main points of How to Win Friends and Influence People or Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
lists
So many POSSIBILITIES here! So many, in fact, that I made a list:
- reading lists (or to-be-read lists)
- lists of movies or tv shows to watch
- passwords for all your websites
- playlists of music that describe your current vibe
- compliments you’ve received
- lists to keep track of health: meal plans, weight loss spreadsheets, sleep logs, etc.
- your favorite self care rhythms
- mood trackers for the month (or even the year!)
- wish lists
- finances and savings plan
- your ideal wardrobe
- travel plans: packing lists, flight plans, things to do on vacation, places to travel, etc.
- housekeeping/cleaning routines
- study plans
- social media/blog/content planner
WHAT WORKS FOR ME
So now that we have an abundance of options on the table, let me share what works for me. I like to keep one journal per year. At the opening, I’ll start with a title page and write out my name and the year of the journal for easy reference. In the first section of the journal, I draw out a yearly spread with the upcoming highlights, my goals, important dates, and my vision for the year ahead.
After that, for each new month, I start with a monthly title page followed by a monthly spread that includes my goals for the month, my reading list, and my favorite memories. If I’m in the mood, I’ll write out a quote, make a vision board, or put together a current playlist.
With all the planning/bullet journal stuff mapped out, then comes the journaling itself. I try to write every day. Sometimes it ends up accumulating and I have to catch up on the weekends. If a lot happens to me that day, then I’ll write a lot—sometimes pages and pages at a time. If nothing happens, though, I just jot a few quick sentences. You can always find at least one interesting thought or encounter for each day.
ONE LAST THING
Last autumn while I was studying abroad in England, my three closest friends and I spent a lot of time escaping to cafes to update our travel journals—in fact, we probably spent more time journaling than we did doing homework. During our cafe escapades, we shared notes on our latest adventures, wrote out our dramatic stories and existential conversations, record hasty to-do lists of upcoming assignments. Most of the time it would be quiet as we journaled, but now and then someone would pipe up and say, “Remember when…,” and we would all laugh about it and pipe in with our own versions of what happened.
What I noticed, week after week, was how different all of our journals were. One friend focused more on structural bullet journaling and planning, while another doodled out song lyrics and wrote really really tiny so she could cram as much detail in her stories as possible. We all took inspiration from each other, but none of us copied. We didn’t need to.
The best part about journaling is that no two journals look the same. Your style is your own; never sacrifice it in imitation of someone else. Roses and sunflowers are both beautiful, but they look nothing alike.
You don’t need to have a regular time to journal. You don’t need to do it every day. The goal of a journal is to express yourself and remember the changing times of your life. If you’re writing, you’re doing it right.
Happy journaling,
<3 Olivia Grace
