There is something telling each one of us that there is more to us than what we are at present. Some say it is a “better you” that you are looking for! If you are like me and feel like you have to choose to be unhappy or work towards something better you are not alone. And, there is no need to do this alone either!
It is a well known fact that journaling is beneficial. If this is new to you, then google benefits of journaling. You’ll spend hours reading about the benefits. Essentially, journaling is cheap, accessible, and it works. But, I’m not here to prove the benefits. I’m here to help you get over the hump of actually writing in a journal.
1. Commit to journaling!
The first thing to do is commit to journaling. If you’ve read this far, it’s obvious that you have already committed to journaling. When I got started in journaling I had to commit to it. I felt really weird writing about stuff (and even more weird writing about stuff around other people). It is still a commitment
2. Agree that improving a new skill is hard work.
Another mental step in this process is to recognize that it’s easy to say you are going to write in a journal. But, it is easier to say it than to do it. The most difficult part of journaling taking time to sit and work on it. But, like every athlete will tell you the work becomes enjoyable soon enough. I had no problem agreeing to that it is difficult. I had started and stopped 20 times before I found this method that stuck.
3. Schedule a time to journal.
Start with 30 minutes 3 times per week and expect to write for 15 to 20 of those minutes (at first). Grab a notebook, a pen, and a place to write (again, easier to say than to do). Once you get this figured out, please keep it all together and ready to go at a moments notice. You never know when you will want to write out of schedule.
4. Between journaling sessions, jot down things that grab your attention.
This is the most important step. Here is why: what grabs your attention are the things you need to write about. But rarely do any of us remember what grabs our attention! We’re too busy! You may have heard this, but, our brains are built to process information and solve problems. Although we are able to store information for later use, our brains weren’t built that way. So, the sooner we start jotting things down, the sooner we can stop asking our brains to store information! Free your mind!
If you don’t have access to your notebook when something grabs your attention, then use your phone. Or even better, take a picture of it! I love to journal about things I’ve captured in a photo. Whatever you use, please don’t skip this step! The things you have jotted down are what you should journal about next. These are your personalized writing prompts!
5. Have a backup plan!
What do you do if you haven’t jotted anything down? Or your mind is blank? What if you have 500 things running through your brain? No problem! This is why you have a back up plan! I want you to journal about journaling. Like thinking about thinking but different. Answer these:
- Why is journaling important?
- What do you hope to achieve by journaling?
- What can you do to improve your “jot things down” technique?
That’s it! Plan on doing this for a 6 weeks before you change your technique. In these early days of journaling you are building the foundations of a skill. It’s hard work and requires discipline. Fortunately, the benefits way out way the 30 minutes a few times a week. Eventually, you will grow from jotting down things that grab your attention into writing every day.
Will you let me know that you have committed to journaling? And also how you are doing along the way?
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