The first step in journaling is finding a reason that journaling should be in your life. If your journal doesn't have a meaning or a purpose to you, then why are you even going to spend time doing it? I'm one of those people that has tried and failed at journaling over and over again, but when I finally figured out exactly what journaling meant to me I was able to write daily and create so much more positive energy because of it.
Finding that reason as to why you want to journal is going to be a different journey for everyone. Some questions to ask yourself could be:
Am I journaling to...
+ keep a memoir of my daily events?
+ vent about bad things that happen?
+ retell all of my happy moments?
+ scrapbook major events?
+ harbor a creative energy?
+ focus my mind?
and the list goes on and on.
Once you find this reason you will be able to create a journaling routine that fits this daily activity into your regular schedule. That's what I did, and that is why journaling has been such a successful endeavor for me this time around. It has changed my morning ritual, updated my evening routine, and created a happier day for me.
When I wake up.
After I get out of bed, rub the sleep out of my eyes, and take out the puppies, I start my morning off with a tasty and healthy breakfast, some coffee or tea, and my journal. By working my journal into my morning routine I allow myself to organize my thoughts bright and early and get ready for the day ahead.
My favorite part of my morning is journaling. I write about my morning thoughts or any interesting dreams that I had, and I also write my thoughts on my daily devotional reading. I read The Intellectual Devotional every morning--I love it because its a fun way to learn something new on a regular basis. I often wind up thinking about my new bit of knowledge all day and researching it some more. Adding this journaling step to my morning routine has been good for my mind and spirit.
During the day.
I also find myself journaling throughout the day. This isn't always set in stone, and sometimes I don't journal during my busy day at all. But often times I find it relaxing to pull out my journal while I'm riding the bus to class, while I'm waiting for a lecture to start, etc. One of the best parts of journaling during the day is that it allows me to feel social even when I have a busy day of only being with myself; I get to spill out my every conscious thought to someone who I know will always listen--my journal.
Before I go to bed.
This is a new addition to my journaling routine. I decided recently that I wanted to document my day more rather than simply using my journal for wandering thoughts. So, while sitting in my bed, I write out everything that happened in my day. This usually takes up quite a bit of time and a lot of pages in my journal, but I know that I am going to love reading over all of these little tid-bits when I am older.
Journaling has really changed my daily attitude and my thoughts. Writing seems so much more easy, my thoughts seem more calm and collected, I feel more confident in my daily actions, and so much more. If you are interested in journaling I would urge you to give it a serious try. Find out what you want to journal about, figure out how you can work journaling into your routine, and let it impact your life!!
