Journaling ≠ “Dear Diary...”

In 2024 I was incredibly inconsistent when it came to journaling—but at least I didn’t consistently neglect it like some years!

Journaling has been my habit since elementary school. Sometime I wrote because I wanted to and sometimes I wrote because someone else told me I should—whether my mom or some guru online.

Writing is a lifeline for me, and with the kind of year I’ve had, I’ve needed a lifeline. The kind of year I’ve had hasn’t been very conducive to consistency; still, my various notebooks have been there for me when I needed them.

Sometimes I wrote for pages on end. Other times I simply left a quick note for myself in my phone.

Reflecting on these various “journals” I have kept this year makes me grateful that I no longer feel like I have to stick to any one method. Years of experimentation mean I have a whole variety to choose from.

I’d like to share three of my favorites with you.

These three are particularly beginner-friendly, but are also creative enough to provide a spark of motivation for even the most seasoned journal-keeper.

1. One Line a Day

Yes, the idea of writing a line a day is as simple as it sounds... and yet there are two rather distinct approaches to this method.

Some journal-keepers tell themselves, “I only have to write one line,” and then write more if that one line gets them into a flow. They let “one line a day” be a minimum, a starting point.

Others treat it as an exercise in brevity.

When I first tried this method, I set aside a single page in my bullet journal, numbered it with the days of the month, and limited myself to writing one line to sum up or highlight a single thing about my day.

Looking back over these month-at-a-glance pages is enlightening. The simple summaries trigger more detailed memories—memories I thought I’d forgotten.

Sometimes I took note of mundane things that turned out to be more memorable than expected. In May 2017, for example, I noted feeling strangely tired and a little sick to my stomach days before realizing I was pregnant!

Whether you choose to try this exercise to spark your writing fire, or use it to constrain yourself like the practice of Haiku, “One Line a Day” is one of the simplest ways to bring new life to your journaling habit.

2. Morning Pages

Julia Cameron coined the term morning pages, but the concept is quite basic: fill three hand-written pages with whatever is on your mind, be it mundane, emotional, petty, creative...

I have attempted to form a “morning pages” discipline at different points in my life, but it has never stuck for very long. When I write first thing in the morning I prefer to dive straight into writing something that I aim to publish, especially now that I am a mother with limited focus time before my children wake up.

Still, having a place to brain-dump and let random thoughts and ideas spill onto the page is important to me. Even if I don’t pick up my journal for days or weeks it is a comfort to know it’s there when I need it.

In the past month or so, I have successfully established an “evening pages” routine. Using a real, physical notebook and pen has been important—the thoughts flow differently when real ink is flowing.

Many of these evening entries have turned into published pieces, even though I didn’t set out to publish them. The freedom to just write expanded naturally into an opportunity to begin publishing again, and I’m not complaining.

It made me more purposeful about what I did choose to publish, though, since I had to type up what I had first written. The extra step provided a beautiful break between the fluidity of drafting and the refining work of editing.

3. Digital Journaling

My inner minimalist doesn’t know what to do with the pile of journals I have amassed over the years. When I moved out of my parents’ house over a decade ago I had to face my stuff and that inspired me to try journaling digitally for the first time.

Using a digital journal app provides features like daily reminder notifications that make it easier to maintain the habit. The ability to attach images and search your journal entries adds to the attraction.

If I want to turn anything I journal into a story for, say, Vocal, it’s a lot easier to copy-and-paste from a digital journal than to type up something I initially wrote by hand, which means I can even make a little money journaling with basically no extra effort!

I used the Day One app for a good year or so, but writing on a screen is not the same as scrawling on a page. Even while I was using the app consistently I picked up a physical notebook to jot random things in as well. Incidentally, I also began my bullet journal during this phase.

What can I say? I like using paper and pen!

Try various methods to find out what works for you.

Don’t get hung up on finding the perfect way to journal. Start writing.

If you’ve kept a journal consistently or inconsistently in the past, try something new.

Experiment with different notebooks and apps. Write a little, write a lot. Keep a journal in a particular place and write at the same time each day. Carry a tiny notebook with you or simply use your phone and jot down thoughts no matter where you are.

Stop making excuses.

That’s what I had to tell myself multiple times this year.

When the notebook I’d been most apt to grab when I wanted to write accidentally got packed into the storage unit when we moved, I decided to limit myself to a page a day and used the space in my planner.

When my mind was swirling with so many thoughts I hardly knew where to began I wrote in stream-of consciousness, letting entries flow into each other without worrying about dating them or having a clean beginning, middle, and end.

And when I reached the end of the year and reflected on the mess I’d left in my wake I smiled. It wasn’t the pretty notebook or a fancy app that kept me going. It was simply writing.

Of all the habits I tried to form in the past year, this is one I know I’ll be taking with me.