I’ve always wanted to be a consistent journaler. But wanting and actually doing are two very different things.
I’d do well for a while, and then I wouldn’t. I’d get a new journal, thinking that would be the key to lifelong journaling, and then it wasn’t. I’d try an electronic journal, and then that didn’t work out either.
And I’d get so far behind, that I’d give up every time because I knew I’d never get caught up. I guess I thought I had to record everything—pages upon pages at a time.
However, I still really longed to be a consistent journaler. So, one morning while listening to a podcast which featured one of my favorite authors, Greg McKeown, as the guest, Greg outlined how he’s journaled every single day for the past 10 years. Every day. That caught my attention, for sure!
He talked about how he had also hit the journaling roadblocks in the past like I had, so he did something I thought was so brilliant:
He set a daily upper and lower limit for his journaling:
- Lower limit: Write 1 sentence
- Upper limit: Write 5 sentences
Brilliant, right? Here’s the thing: The most important thing is to simply journal consistently. And the best way to do that is to make it super simple, every single time.
Like writing 1 sentence.
And yes, he said he does go over his upper limit sometimes, but no matter what, he at least hits his lower limit. That’s his goal for the day. Write 1 sentence and done.
I took this advice to heart, and I started writing in this journal. Which I am totally in love with!
I’m on day #152 of writing every single day, and this first refill is about done. Which is HUGE for me!
I got to day #23 when I first started this new ritual of journaling, and I was in a really great routine. But them I got home from a trip late one night, which threw me out of my routine, and I forgot that night.
But I started right back up again the next night because I knew that if I let too many nights go by before I got started again, the chances of even getting started again would get lower and lower
Here’s how I’m journaling right now, knowing that it will evolve over time:
- I write down 5 things I’m grateful for from the day. I try and make them unique to that day, which helps me watch for things to be grateful for for that day.
- I borrowed Greg’s lower limit idea and I write at least 1 sentence about the day. (I kind of like Greg’s upper limit of 5 sentences too).
That’s all.
I do those two very simple things, and I’m D.O.N.E. Done.
This it the most consistent journaling I’ve done in years and years. And it feels amazing! I look forward to journaling every night.
If you’d like to be a more consistent journaler, here are some tips:
- Set lower and upper limits that are totally doable no matter what’s going on or what happens in your day.
- Find a journal you LOVE. And don’t feel like a journal has to be THE journal you’ll love for all time. Try out a few different ones to see what you love best. I am totally in love with mine, and I found it here. I also love that I’m supporting a student-owned small business when I buy from them!
- Journal what you want to journal. This is your thing, no one else’s. You get to decide what you do.
- Keep it accessible—where you can’t miss seeing it. I keep mine on my nightstand, and I don’t ever cover it up with anything else. I cannot miss it. I also take it with me on trips.
- Choose the best time to journal for you, not what the “experts” suggest. For me, right before bed works best. It helps me remember what I’m grateful for from that day, it’s a great way to end the day, and when I was doing gratitude the next morning, I often couldn’t remember what I was going to write about. And it’s pretty nice to go to bed with what I’m grateful for on my mind.
What are your journaling tips? Please share, as I’m always looking for ways to become an even better journaler. Because I really do love it!
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