5 Ways to Develop a Daily Journaling Habit

Are you always looking for ways to improve your health and wellness? One great way to do this is by developing a daily journaling habit. Journaling can help you stay mindful of your thoughts and feelings. It can also help track your progress towards fitness and health goals. And even boost your creativity.

Turn Daily Journaling into a Habit

Daily journaling is a great way to find clarity when you need it, but developing the habit of doing so every single day provides even more benefits. When you journal every day, not only will the entries help keep track of what is going well in life but they can be therapeutic as well!

It is easy to get started, doesn’t require a big investment, and there are so many types of journaling and forms of writing, that there is definitely something for everyone.

1. Discover Why You Want to Journal Daily

Before you can make daily journaling into a habit, you first have to understand why you are doing it.

If you want to eat healthier, chances are you already know why – whether it’s to lose weight, have more energy, or live longer for your kids.

It’s the same story with healthy habits like journaling. You won’t have the right motivation to continue if you don’t know why you’re doing it and why it should be a habit.

Reasons to Journal Daily

You Can Reduce Your Stress Levels

Journaling is a great way to release stress. The next time you feel overwhelmed by your work or home environment, use journaling as an opportunity for self-care that will help calm those emotions.

It Helps to Find Clarity

You can also gain more clarity in your life. Find what motivates you, why your goals aren’t being met, and where your emotions are coming from. Journaling has many different types. But a daily journal or stream of consciousness journal is when you get honest with yourself and discover more than you ever knew.

It is Great for Tracking Health and Other Habits

Journaling is an excellent tool for anyone wanting to lose weight, figure out allergy triggers, or why you’re having panic attacks. You can journal about these events and search for patterns in order to discover what is making you sick or preventing you from achieving your health goals.

Why Do You Want to Start a Daily Journaling Habit?

If you’re still not sure what to write in your journal, consider buying a new one. On the first page, write out why you’re creating a journal and WHAT you hope to accomplish by making it a habit. This way, every time you open your journal, you can look at that first page and keep that motivation.

2. Choosing What to Write About

After you’ve decided why you want to write in a journal for yourself, the next step is selecting what to write about. This is also a more personal choice. The reason you should pick your own reasons and inspirations is not only because it helps you keep this habit, but it also allows you to get the most out of journaling.

Different Types of Journaling

Daily Journaling

The more traditional approach to journaling is daily journaling. You’ll typically write in it every day without a single focus. You might write for a stream of consciousness by setting a timer and writing about whatever comes to mind. You may set a goal of filling up one page each day. Or a goal of writing in it first thing in the morning.

Gratitude Journal

A gratitude journal is a more focused version of journaling. Each day, write down what you are thankful for in a journal. This kind of writing can help with stress or mental health problems. It will help you look past the stressful days because you can focus on the good things in your life.

Art/Coloring Journal

An art or coloring journal may be the type of journal you’re searching for if you’re a creative individual. In your journal, you can combine writing and artwork. Get out your art materials and color pages to fill up your journal. It can be a coloring page you created yourself. Or stretches to express your feelings next to words.

Bullet Journal

If you want the benefits of journaling without having to write much, but still want to organize your life, a bullet journal may be right for you. Bullet journals can be more work to start a routine. But it’s fantastic for those looking for a more organized, structured, and planned lifestyle.

Consider Why You Want to Start a Daily Journaling Habit

Another way to figure out what kind of journaling style you want to do is to consider why you’re keeping a journal in the first place. What was your initial decision? Are you looking for more self-discovery? Do you wish to understand why you keep binge eating? Are you coping with issues at work or at home?

When it comes to journaling, all of this is important. It not only encourages you to use your journal but also provides ideas of what you might want to write about.

What do You Want to Get Out of daily journaling?

Finally, consider what you want to get out of it. This also ties in with why you’re doing this and why it should be a routine practice for you. Are you looking to become more confident? Want to live a healthier life? Get answers to a problem that has been weighing on your mind for a long time?

These questions make a difference when wanting to take journaling from something you want to do someday to something you want to do right now.

3. Create a Daily Journaling Environment

Having a place set up to journal is a good start toward forming a habit. When you’re happy with your setup for journaling it’s easier to be motivated to write every day.

2 things you need to set up your journaling space:

• what to journal with
• where to write

Find Your Favorite Journaling Supplies

You don’t want journaling to feel like work or a chore. So, the best way to make journaling enjoyable is to find supplies you love using.

You can start with anything you have at home. But you may want to go shopping and buy a journal that you absolutely fall in love with.

Find a journal you love

You can find so many different types of journals and notebooks to use. There are hardbound journals and softbound books meant for journaling. Or you might prefer something with larger pages, similar to a notebook.

Use what you love. Whether it is the size, look, color, lined or unlined pages.

Journaling supplies

Next are the journaling supplies, including what you are going to write with. Everyone has a preference for the type of writing utensil they use. Buy pens and pencils of different varieties and write a few sentences with each one.

You will find that there is a lot to each style of pen. Some are more comfortable to hold in your hand, others bleed and will drive you nuts. You may prefer thinner points or thicker points. Some people like to write in pencils, others prefer pens.

You’ll notice the difference between using cheap pens and spending a lot more on nicer quality ones.

Create an Area for You to Journal Daily

A lot of times, the success of your journaling habit is due to your environment. If you keep trying to write at the kitchen table while your kids are eating and demanding attention, you probably won’t be able to focus too well.

Having a place that is quiet and free of distractions can help you create your habit.

Here are some tips for setting up a journaling area in your home:

Find the Quietest Place in Your Home

Find a place where you can go to be alone and comfortable. Something with fewer distractions. Sometimes this can be as simple as sitting on your bed before your family wakes up.

You may have a little reading nook in the family room that you can use for journaling. Think of where you might get at least 15 to 20 minutes of quiet time every day.

Create a New Spot

Sometimes your home isn’t set up to have the perfect journaling spot. So you need to be creative and find one. Do you have a corner of your bedroom you can turn into a little journaling area? Try to see if a little desk and chair might fit there.

Or do you have a shed in the backyard you could transform into your own personal She shed?

Think Outside the Box

Not everyone can find those few minutes every day while at home to only focus on journaling. But you can journal anywhere. An example is journaling in the car while waiting for your kids to get out of school. Or while you’re waiting at a doctor’s appointment. Also, try writing during your lunch break at work.

Be Ready

You can bring your journal with you everywhere you go. But think about having your main journaling area set up ahead of time. Have your journal, pens or pencils, and other things you may need like a lamp or candle ready. It makes it much easier to sit down and journal when everything is already there waiting for you.

4. Decide When You Want to Journal

This is another important part of turning journaling into a habit. Other than just writing whenever you find the time.

Think of journaling as exercise. You know it’s good for you. You know you should do it every day for your physical and mental health. But do you only do it when you feel like it? Or is it easier for you to schedule it in and stick to that appointment?

Journaling doesn’t need to feel like a chore. But by scheduling a time to journal each day it becomes a habit. Then it will become a part of your daily routine. Something you know you need to do and you actually look forward to.

Choosing Your Perfect time to Journal Daily

When will you have quiet time alone?

It may be hard to focus on your writing with noise in the background. So the best time to write in your journal may be the time of day when the house is quiet. You might have to get up a little early before the rest of your family. Or you may have to bring your journal somewhere you can be alone.

When do you feel most creative?

Is there a certain time of day when you tend to be more creative? When do you feel like working on craft projects at home? Or when do you enjoy trying something new? This could be when journaling would also be the best time for you.

Are certain times of the day a better time to reflect?

Another thing to think about is when you want to self-reflect. One of the benefits of journaling is to provide clarity and increase self-awareness. If you’re too tired in the morning that you don’t think you’d be able to self-reflect, try journaling later in the day.

Is your main goal to start your day in a positive way?

If you want journaling to help you in creating goals and starting your day with a positive attitude, then writing first thing in the morning is best.

5. Keep it Personal and Private

When trying to turn journaling into a habit, keep in mind you need to keep your journal personal and private. This will help you to be completely open and honest with yourself while you write.

Keep it somewhere private and make sure nobody has access to it. If you feel like someone might read it, you won’t be as open and free in your writing.  

3 Tips to Help You Be Successful with Your New Habit

Use Journaling Prompts

If you find yourself unsure of what to write try using journaling prompts. This could be a question-style prompt or a topic for you to write about. You can find a ton of prompts online.

Here are some examples to get you started:

• What made you want to start a journal?
• Do you have a bucket list? What’s on it?
• Are you happy in your life right now?
• What is your happiest childhood memory?
• What are your next 90-day goals?

Find more journaling prompts in this post

Make Journaling Fun

Journaling shouldn’t feel like a chore. If it does you need to change your mindset around it. Try using colored pencils and art supplies in your journal. Or set up your journaling area to be bright and colorful.

Involve Others

Journaling is a quiet activity but you can find ways to involve family or friends. One way is to get everyone in your family a journal of their own. Maybe a different color of the same journal for each person. That way everyone in your family can feel included.

You can throw a journaling party. Get a group of friends together to write in your journals. Then reflect with each other about anything you don’t mind sharing. You may get fun journaling ideas from others. 

Conclusion: Turning Daily Journaling Into a Habit

Daily journaling provides so many benefits. It is easy to start and something everyone can do regardless of their budget. And it can be done anywhere.

I think once you start seeing all of the benefits that come with regular journaling, you’ll be hooked! It’s such an easy way to stay mindful of your thoughts and feelings, track your progress towards fitness and health goals, and boost your creativity.

Are you ready to make journaling a habit? Let me know in the comments below.