HOW to start and WHY you should bother!
Read on, or watch the video!
A lot of people are interested in journaling, but never get started.
They worry that they might do it wrong, or they won’t be able to keep up the habit, or they’re not sure what they’ll get out of this journaling business at all.
Or perhaps they’ve seen fancy bullet journal spreads on the Internet and don’t feel they’ll ever be able to do anything like that.
It can all be a bit intimidating.
And all that writing: isn’t it a bit like homework?
So I’ll tell you about my experience and offer some tips that might help you get the ball rolling.
If you want to start journaling there are several things I’d say. The first off is, start small. It’s important that this isn’t a chore.
For a while I’d ask myself some morning questions. And this was after I’d already done my morning pages. I’d ask myself things like: What’s my highlight for the day? What am I grateful for this morning? How is my mood? What three things do I want to accomplish today?
I created a daily note template in an app and set a reminder to answer these questions every morning.
The questions varied over time. I got a bit fed up of logging my mood to be honest so that was the first one to go.
I did this for several months, but on top of my morning pages it was all just a bit too much. The reminder would pop up and I’d kind of groan. And groaning at the prospect of doing something is never a good sign.
I kinda didn’t want it to be like that. And journaling shouldn’t be like that. It should be a welcome ritual, not an obligation.
For me those questions started to feel a bit like making too much work for myself, and I was doing all that sort of thing in other ways anyway.
This journaling stuff can be whatever you want it to be. A way to express yourself creatively. Develop new ideas. Discover things about yourself. It can be a commonplace book or a keepsake.
Now I use notebooks for several different things but mainly as a productivity tool to keep track of what I’m doing and as a method of reflection. So I can learn about what’s making me tick, and the things that I really want to do or really don’t want to do.
I’ve heard some people say, one famous productivity guru in particular, that he journals as a legacy for his children when he dies. I don’t know about that.
I say do this for yourself not with any other agenda or assumptions. If you’re writing with the idea that someone will read it one day you’re writing with someone looking over your shoulder, and that will hold you back. Don’t hold back. It’s really important that you don’t hold back.
It’s also important to remember that you can’t get journalling wrong. And that’s because there’s no right way to do it. There’s only your way, and whenever works for you is fine.
This is one of the few areas of life where they are really no rules.
And as you grow and change your journal will grow and change with you. You’ll be able to experiment. Try out new things. Discard the things that don’t work for you and embrace the things that do.
The fact that our journals are unique to each of us is their greatest attribute. They’re a blank slate we can make our own, adapting them to our own needs.
And all you need to get started is a basic notebook and something to write with. Nothing flash or fancy or expensive is necessary.
Then you can try different notebooks. Different pens and pencils. You can explore. Be creative. And most important of all have fun.
Don’t be afraid. Don’t be intimidated. Just start. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Martin Sketchley 