Journaling is the simple act of recording your experiences, writing down your ideas, reflecting on things that have happened to you during the week, or even in one day. There are other things you may want to keep track of as well. All these things depend on whether you want a personal daily journal or if you are a business owner who wants to keep up with different aspects of the business. Do you have hobbies you would like to journal about, or do you want to keep a health or weight loss journal? There are so many areas in journaling to choose from.
So, you have decided you want to start journaling?
To start journaling, ask yourself a few questions:
- 1) How Do You Start a Journal?
- 2) What Type of Journal Interests You?
- 3) Where Will You Journal?
- 4) What Time of the Day Will You Journal?
How Do You Start a Journal?
Journaling can be done in different ways. You can begin a journal just by simply picking up a notebook or paper you have lying around to record your experiences. You may also choose to purchase a nice journal to use.
Some people choose to record their ideas or experiences on the computer. If you choose to use the computer, there are different programs you can use, like Word or One Note.
Once you decide what medium to use you will need to decide what type of journal you would like to keep. You may decide you want to have journals for different aspects of your life. I personally have several.
What Type of Journal Interests You?
If you are a beginner and have never journaled before you may want to start with a personal daily journal. This type of journaling does not have a specific subject matter or reason. A daily journal is a way to express your feelings about events of the day, a record of what happened, or just a record of the feelings you had that day.
You may have had a really bad day and you need to “vent.” Writing your thoughts down helps you to unleash those feelings that were pent-up during the day. Writing about the feelings from your day brings healing.
You may have had a great day and you are excited about something specific that happened and you want to write it down so that you can revisit your journal later and read about that specific day.
There are many reasons to journal and keeping a daily journal is a way to record those things that happened in your daily life. Nothing more.
As I mentioned earlier, I have several types of journals. I have my Bible Study journal that I use while meditating on scripture or reading a Christian book that I want to keep notes on. I have the Blogging journal that I draft my blog posts in. I have the Reading journal that I enjoy taking notes in for other books I enjoy reading. I have a personal journal that I keep my thoughts regarding feelings I had or something specific that happened to me.
You must decide what type of journal interests you, grab your pen and paper, and start jotting down your thoughts. It is that simple. Over time you may begin to develop different types of journals based on other aspects of your life where you would like to keep things separated.
Where Will You Journal?
Once you decide you would like to keep a journal, you will need to decide where you will journal. If you have a family, you may want to find a comfortable place where you can be alone for a few minutes with only your thoughts and your medium of choice. This allows you an opportunity to reflect on the day with no distractions.
Most people choose a quiet room off to themselves. I have a home office and I enjoy journaling with a composition notebook and sometimes on my computer. It depends on what I am focused on.
You may decide you want to set up a small nook with a desk and an extra pen and paper. You may have a desk with a computer, and you want to jot down your thoughts of the day at your desk.
Where you write in your journal, maybe a little different at specific times of the year.
During the spring and summer, I enjoy sitting alone in front of the window in our great room. It is brighter and I enjoy looking out over the yard, watching the birds and squirrels play and watching the sun come up.
In the winter months when it is darker, I enjoy sitting in front of the fireplace, listening to the fire crackle and pop, and feeling the warmth of the fire.
Where you decide to write in your journal is completely up to you but make it your space for your journaling time.
What Time of the Day Will You Journal?
What time of day will you journal? This is a personal preference for everyone. I journal at different times of the day depending on what I am journaling about. In the morning I enjoy doing my Bible Study and I may take a few notes in my Bible Study journal.
In the evenings, I sneak off to my home office and grab my Blogging journal and begin drafting a thought that I had or sometimes I jot down a few thoughts in my personal journal.
Everyone is different, so the time of day that you choose to journal will be different. You may be more of a morning person and you have some quiet time to yourself before the family rises. You think more clearly while it is quiet, and you can reflect on the day ahead or events from the day before.
If you enjoy the evenings, you may want to focus on the day that you had and how you would like to do things differently tomorrow.
As stated earlier, your journaling may evolve over time. You may begin with a personal daily journal and over time decide you want to journal about your hobbies, your business, your travel, your family, or other aspects of life.
Beginning to write in a journal is really that simple. Journaling does not need to be an elaborate event. You have feelings you want to write about or exciting things that happened to you. Just grab a notebook and start jotting down your thoughts.
Happy Journaling!
Pamela
