Why Journaling with a Timer Improved My Writing

When I first started my writing career over twenty years ago, I learned pretty fast that I had a lot to learn. My writing, although it was kind of good, felt a little juvenile at times. Especially now as I look back on it.

I knew I needed to practice, but I needed somewhere safe to do it. So I chose my journal.

Yet, back then, I felt a little scared to write, even in my journal. It was supposed to feel casual, but even with prompts, which were supposed to make my life a lot easier, I felt stuck.

Then, I introduced the missing ingredient. My timer. Here's why it worked:

Why Journal with a Timer?

When I would start writing in my journal, my pen often felt stiff in my hand. My brain felt sluggish. Perhaps I froze.

Nothing was moving!

The timer created a sense of urgency, like those timed tests we all used to take in school. As the timer ticks down, I feel as if I need to keep moving before time runs out.

It worked then, and it continues to work now.

How It Has Helped My Writing

Before I started journaling with a timer, my writing felt stiff, memorable, and a little "young". My writing needed to mature if I wanted to gain momentum as a writer.

I put a lot of pressure on myself to make each sentence sound good or have a purpose. I'd write a sentence, judge it, and freeze. I needed to learn how to stop doing either. I second guessed myself all the time.

Introducing the timer pretty much cured me of this. As soon as the first session, my flow immediately changed. I starting writing without thinking. This is where I hit my personal sweetspot. I needed to stop overthinking, connect to my heart, and write on pure instinct.

My writing loosened up. Matured. I started to take some creative risks (in a good way). I finally sold some of my writing pieces, most of which were created after I introduced the timer to my writing sessions.

All because I figured out I needed to take the filter off my writing. Journaling with a timer made me better at my craft. It also helped me generate some more ideas for future pieces. I felt like I was on a roll.

What Is Timed Journaling?

Here's how it works:

1. Pick how you want to journal. You can choose a prompt, a type of writing exercise, or just start writing whatever comes to mind.

2. Set the timer for 10-15 minutes. For me, this is a sweetspot amount of time. It's enough to get me to get my fingers moving, but not so long that I get bored before the timer runs down.

3. Focus on Letting Go. One of the biggest things that timed journaling has helped me is that it trains me to "let go". This helps me tap into my subconscious and my true writing voice.

Back then, I started doing this just with journaling. Now, I've expanded the practice to include all writing. I set the timer when I write just about everything, mostly so that I don't plague my writing with overthinking.

It helps me get my thoughts down on paper a lot more efficiently. It's a practice that could help you guys, too.

--

Want more? Every week I share deeper reflections, writing prompts, and creative sparks in my Substack, Pen to Heart. Come join me there!