Create your own journal

 

Writing regularly in a journal can be a hugely beneficial habit. A journal or diary doesn’t simply need to a record of your day, they’re a great chance to think more deeply about your thoughts and experiences.

 

How to get started?

You’ll need is a notebook and something to write with. That’s it! The most simple journal needs only the date and then a line or two of your thoughts and feelings.

The most important thing is to set aside a regular time to write in your journal, so that it becomes a regular habit.

 

But isn’t journaling much more complicated?

Keeping a journal doesn’t have to be time-consuming or tricky. However, many people enjoy creating a beautiful journal using coloured pens, stickers and other stationery. For them, the act of creating the journal is just as therapeutic as writing down their thoughts and feelings.

If you’re very creative, why not have a go at creating a beautiful journal page of your own design? You could use different fonts and colours for the dates, add drawings or a border and write as neatly as possible.

If you need a bit more inspiration Pinterest is a great place to look. Search for “journaling ideas” and you’ll be spoilt for choice.

 

Taking it to the next level…

If you really enjoy completing a journal you may like to go even further and add pages that aren’t specifically a day’s diary entry.

Question prompts

Why not create a page where the title asks one of these questions and you fill the page with all your thoughts and ideas?

  • What am I proud of?
  • What makes me happy?
  • What am I afraid of?
  • What do I want to be doing in 5 years?
  • What motivates me?
  • Who or what inspires me the most?
  • What are my goals for this year?
  • What am I thankful for?

 

Inspirational quotes

You could also spend some time researching inspirational quotes and add one to each page of your journal to give you food for thought on that day?

 

Tracking goals

You may also like to use your journal as a motivational tool. Saving to buy something special? Why not create a page that tracks your progress and where you can see yourself getting closer to your goal over time?

Alternatively, you may create a wish list of things you’d like to do or achieve over a period of time. Record all your ideas on a page and tick them off as you complete them.  

We hope you find this short guide helpful and enjoy getting to grips with your own journal.