3 Easy Methods to Start Journaling

If you’ve always wanted to start journaling (or just try something new) but don’t know where to start or find it all overwhelming, this blog post is sure to help!

This month I’ll be outlining 3 simple and easy ways you can start journaling and kick off the new year!

To begin let me break down what I believe are the basic concepts of journaling: documentation, goal-setting, and self-reflection. 

In this post I’ll be outlining 3 simple ways you can accomplish these basic concepts, with each method covering a different concept.

Let’s start with the easiest and my favorite method to start journaling: buying a calendar.

This method is to tackle the documentation aspect of journaling. If you find that writing things down in a traditional journal is hard, then the calendar method, as I call it, is a much easier way to document your life.

1. Expo Calendar (Exhibition Calendar)

This is exactly what it sounds like, it exhibits your life. Basically you get a calendar (I get mine from the dollar store but you can also print cute templates for free online) and fill it out after you’ve done something. And so you essentially get an archive of your month.

As for what you put on the calendar, it can be anything you consider notable. Whether it’s completing a goal like finishing a book or working out, or fun plans or activities like dinner with friends or painting, just write them down on the calendar the day you did them.

This not only helps you keep track of everything but also makes you feel accomplished when you look back and see just how much you have actually done. Often times we don’t remember the things we do and when we think back it seems like much less than it actually is.

This calendar gives you an at a glance view of everything. It can also motivate you to do something noteworthy, so to speak, if you notice a week looking particularly empty. 

Below is an example of how you could fill out an Expo Calendar. (If you want to take it a step further you can color-coordinate by choosing a color for goals or plans/activities.

 

This is something I’ve been doing since 2019 and I’ve really enjoyed going back through the calendar (especially at the end of the year) and realizing how much I’ve actually done.

-.-

The second method is to address the goal-setting concept of journaling.

2. Monthly Notes

I’ve talked about this on my blog multiple times because it’s something I truly stand by and implement in my life for years now. Basically, the idea is to write down 3 goals you hope to accomplish in a given month.

(I’ve dived deeper into this in these blog posts and I highly recommend checking them out for more information: Different Kinds of Goals and Organization and Goals)

If you’re not sure where to start on the 3 goals then the easiest way is to make one of each type: Fun, Achievable, and Challenging. Essentially, make one goal that is fun for you to do, another goal that you’ve been meaning to do that’s achievable and one goal slightly more challenging.

You can write these in an actual journal, on a post-it note, or even digitally, whatever works best for you. A month, I find, is a good amount of time to try to get things done, not too long and not too short, but it’s good to check in midway to make sure you’re on track to accomplishing these goals.

If you follow the method of setting one of each type of goal, you will likely have at least one or two of them checked off by the end of the month when you re-evaluate. This method is an easy way to make sure you’re staying on top of the things you want to accomplish.

 

-.-

The last method is to cover the last concept of journaling which is self-reflection.

3. Journal Prompts

I know this may seem obvious, but a bottleneck for a lot of people with journaling is they don’t know what to write. This is where just choosing from a list of journal prompts comes in handy.

If you’re just starting out, I recommend making some time once or twice a week to go through one or two journal prompts and answer them. Doing it daily can be a lot for people who haven’t adjusted but by doing it weekly you can slowly build up the habit. Once you answer a few journal prompts, coming up with what to write might even become easier.

Below is a list of Journal questions I came up with a while ago (also posted on my Instagram highlights).

 

-.- 

I hope these 3 easy and simple journaling methods assist you on your journey! These are all things hat I personally do and work for me and I’d love to hear about your experience with them, so feel free to leave a comment!

Thank you for reading!