I started a journal when I first learned how to write. It felt natural, like it was the right thing to do when one learns how to write. After all, now that the world has opened up for me via the written word, it was time to practice. I had the instincts of a writer, even back then in elementary school. At the time, though, I didn’t consider myself a journaler. After all, I was very young.
What’s interesting, though, is that I did have the intuitive sense that I needed to find a way to practice my writing so I could get better. Over time, my journal writing practice evolved. I started to answer writing prompts in my journal. I learned that journaling could have other purposes, as well.
My journaling practice has evolved. Now, I journal every day. Here’s how it changed my life.
When I Started Journaling Each Day
In its purest, most basic form (for me), I started off treating my journal as a forum for practicing my writing. I continued the practice all the way through college. I stepped up my efforts when I became an English major. Even then, I still used my journal to practice and for nothing more.
However, it was in college where I set the goal to write every day. I wanted to be the best writer I could, and this is the way I chose to do it. It was during this time that I started to understand that journaling was doing more for me than improving my writing. I was experiencing real mindset benefits.
Benefits I Experienced by Journaling Every Day
My journaling practice grew over the years, and I still focused on journaling most days. Back then, I used my journal to warm up before a writing session., and since I wrote every day, it’s safe to say that I journaled every day. This is around the time when I first started my writing business over twenty years ago.
Here’s a look at all the benefits I experience from journaling:
Clarity
Journaling has given me clarity about what it is I really want out of life. It’s because the journal helps me tap into the deepest, most intuitive parts of myself. Who am I? What am I supposed to do in life? The journal helps me know the answers to these questions for real.
Healing
My journal is my favorite tool for promoting emotional healing. I went through a divorce about ten years ago. My journal has been instrumental in getting my where I am today. Journaling helps me go a lot deeper than I otherwise would, and that’s where real healing comes from.
Creativity
About five years ago, I was deep into my journey of healing my creative burnout. Namely, it was by doing Morning Pages as part of The Artist’s Way program by Julia Cameron. Now, my burnout is healed, I still do morning pages, and I’ve learned that my journal is my number one tool for creative inspiration.
Writing
I still use my journal for its original purpose (for me), and that’s to practice my writing. Every journal exercise that I do helps achieve this, but I also have a few writing-specific exercises that I do, such as the free write.
Heart Connection
Journaling each day also helps me better connect with my heart and my true self. It is through journaling that I’m able to clear away all the clutter and reveal what’s truly real inside myself.
How to Start Journaling Every Day
So, how do you start journaling every day? Here are the steps I use in order to make sure I remain consistent:
Determine the Minimum
Set a minimum amount of time that you plan to journal each day. Usually, I set my daily goal as small as I can manage while still gaining momentum. For journaling, a five minute minimum is enough for me. Then, I give myself permission to stop after the five minutes are up.
Give Permission to Write Anything
In order to get the most out of your journaling, you need to feel as if you can write about anything. When I worry about what others will think, or if I overthink my writing, it won’t really won’t work. You need to write whatever you want and remain unfilled in order to really grow through your journaling practice.
Create a Routine
For me, this has been the most crucial to adhere to because journaling, to me, often feels a little indulgent. So, I am in the habit of journaling for five minutes each day before I get out of bed, right after I wake up. This is why my thoughts and feelings are at their purest.
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I didn’t know it when I first started journaling all those years ago, but journaling really did change my life. It has helped me level up my writing, boosted my creativity, helped me get in touch with my honest emotions, promoted healing, and in general, has given me a place to truly be myself. Journaling every day has even been more life-changing because the consistency helped me make great strides in the practice.