Journaling is one of the most popular methods of personal improvement today. Popularly endorsed y authors, thinkers and influencers, the art of journaling might seem new and exciting, however, the oldest journal can be traced back to the 11th century!
Journaling is the act of jotting down your feelings and thoughts in an assigned notebook. There are no real rules to how a journal entry must look like. It can be a journal that is written in a stream-of-consciousness manner, or it can be a listicle format with important tasks and issues to tackle. Every journal entry may look different, and every journal may be unique. However, just the habit of writing down what your mind says can be greatly beneficial.
Having a journal or a diary has many benefits. The act of journaling is known to improve mental health, communication, handwriting and mood disorders too. Having your thoughts, ideas, problems, and plans written down can reduce clutter and increase productivity too. Journals are the best way to unwind and remove the stress while also being a creative outlet of sorts for all age groups.
If you are starting your self-improvement journey with journaling here is a quick guide to set, you up without any hassles:
- Journaling requires a few stationery items mainly a notebook and, a smooth-writing pen. With just these two items, one can easily begin their journaling journey with ease. However, if you are a creative person who loves having a variety of colours in your notebooks, then you can consider having sketch pens, stickers, highlighters, glitter pens and pencils too. Washi tape too is popularly used in some types of journals.
- Make sure that you are using a pleasing notebook that is appealing visually and which contains high-quality paper for the best writing experience. Every Classmate notebook has chlorine-free smooth paper that is wonderful to write on, making it suitable for journaling too.
- Once you have your instruments ready, it is time to explore which journaling style suits you. Scour the internet to understand the various types of journaling people use. From academic journals, food journals, secret journals, wedding journals, and work journals to bullet journals, travel journals and more, there are many kinds of journals used. Depending upon your goals and reasons, choose your journal type.
- Do away with reservations. Your journal is yours. You can fill it however you like. Do not succumb to social media aesthetics or the pressure to stick to one format.
- Make sure to keep your journal handy in case you have bursts of inspiration or some free time to journal.
- Journaling is one of the best habits to have. To make this activity a habit, you must add it to your daily routine. Set aside 20 minutes on your calendar or timetable and make sure to sit down and create a new journal entry at that time. Repeating this for a few weeks will ensure that the habit is formed.
- If you are a parent who wants to encourage their child to journal, make sure to buy some school stationery and cheerful colours like crayons and colour pencils to motivate your child to begin journaling. Also, set a time in their schedule every day to journal so that they form a habit too.
- Lastly, don’t be afraid to use up all your pages. Write to your heart’s content!
