How To Finally Create A Journaling Habit That Sticks (5 Simple Tips to Keeping A Journal)

Posted on by Molly Clover

How to create and keep a journaling habit, starting today! If you’re anything like me, you’ll see a gorgeous notebook at the store, buy a pen to match, get home and fill the first page. It’s written beautifully, colour coded, even has little stickers in all the right places.

Then a few days later it’s buried under the post that you need to deal with and you just can’t remember where that cute pen went. Or you made a mistake on the second page, couldn’t cover it up and now your book is RUINED. *cue dramatic music*

I’ve done this with countless notebooks, bullet journals, diaries, planners.

You name it, I’ve given up on it.

After all these years of looking up planner spreads on Pinterest, the truth is, I need practical, not pretty.

But today we’re talking specifically about journaling. You know, that thing everyone says is good for your mental health but we never quite getting round to doing because whose got time for that between wiping little noses and making snacks.

I’m here to convince you its worth it and it’s completely possible for you to create a journaling habit and stick to it. You can even start today.

In this post you’ll find my 5 simple tips to starting journaling and sticking to it. I’ve even included a bonus tip which applies to every new habit you’re starting!

Why create a journaling habit in the first place?

Trust me, it’s not just for teenage girls pining over their crushes and complaining about their best friends’ new gal pal.

I love journaling. So much so that I created two of my own! One for new Mums and one for parents of 1-4 year olds. You can check them out here: Dear Toddler and the New Mama Journal.

Journaling is a fantastic habit to have for so many reasons, here’s a few:

The mental health benefits are extraordinary – clarity on your thoughts, identifying emotions, talking through problems, and just having a good old vent are some of the things that will help your mood.

Your memory will improve – Once you create a journaling habit you’ll notice that less of the days blur into one. I can recall events and sequences in the last year better than I ever have before and I attribute this to journaling.

Communication gets better – There’s something to be said about articulating your thoughts and ideas, I know I’m trying to improve this every day. Even with my toddler, I try to talk in a really straight forward way. Journaling has helped me in a number of ways, including if I need to talk to someone about an idea or problem. Somehow it seems easier to get my point across if I’ve spent time writing about it beforehand.

Track your growth – You’ll never believe how much your perspective changes, especially if you’re a new parent. Reading back what you’ve written months ago is astonishing. Remember that awful sleep regression your little one was going through that felt like it went on forever? Doesn’t that seem like a lifetime ago now.

Relieve space in your brain – “Your brain is great for having ideas, not for storing them” ~ David Allen. Write your to-do list. Get your thoughts all out on one place if you’re stuck making a decision. If you’re going through a hard time, emotions can be less daunting on the page.

If you’re looking for self improvement, shadow work is the place to be – A great way to understand yourself better. Shadow work is about exploring questions about unconscious mind, your beliefs and how you perceive the world so you can uncover the part of yourself you’d rather not face. Read this if you’d like an introduction to shadow work. It’s hard work but my goodness is it worth it. ☾

Why can’t you create a journaling habit that sticks?

So you know the benefits, you start for a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks. Then life happens and the journal disappears under your to do lists and piles of laundry. You want to keep it up but why can’t you just stick to it?

Here’s the top mistakes I made when trying to create my journaling habit.

Overcomplicating journaling. I would make up all these rules and use different coloured pens (I’m a total nerd for stationery). Like I have to start with 3 things I’m grateful for, then an overview of my day, any updates about the kids, then answer a shadow work prompt, then blah blah blah. The list goes on but this kind of rigid structure just doesn’t work for me.

Plus, at the end of a long day with the kiddos, I don’t feel like doing all those things. And, because I’m one of these all-or-nothing types, I’d naturally choose not to write anything that day.

Writing as if someone else would read it. This really does defeat the point. You need to be your authentic self, even if it’s a little uncomfortable sometimes. Feeling unhappy and overwhelmed as a mother? Write it down. Can’t stand the fact that your ex is happy? Put it on the page. You need to sit with it, writing will help you figure that stuff out.

Before, I would write the noble reasons for my choices and actions that day, but in reality I just took the lazy option. You gotta be real with yourself and don’t worry about hurting peoples feelings. They 👏 won’t 👏 read 👏 it 👏

Perfectionism. You know the one: I spelled that wrong and now I’ve got scribbles everywhere, or my ink smudged and now the whole page looks hideous! It’s an easy trap to fall into, but like we said before, no-one is reading it, or at least they shouldn’t be. Don’t worry about your handwriting.

Being distracted by another cute book… Where are my fellow stationery people at? I love a pretty notebook, it’s my Achilles heel. If I buy this new journal, I know I’m gonna write in it everyday. Don’t fall for it, it wont help.

How you can create a journaling habit today and keep it up forever

  1. Reduce the friction i.e. make it easier to write every day. Leave your journal where you will see it easily and be reminded to write in it. Dyslexic? Go digital! Try any digital journal like Day One or Penzu and see what works for you.
  2. Throw the rules out the window Remember that what you write about will change because as life happens you learn and grow, you are also changing. If you feel like writing gratitude, do it. If you feel like a 4 page rant about what happened with your boss but you can’t talk to anyone about it, go for it.
  3. Done is better than perfect There are some days that you’ll just scribble something down, it’s fine. It’s all part of the process.
  4. Write as if no-one is watching… because they’re not Forget about offending people, forget about looking good. Being yourself is the way you’ll get the most out of your journaling habit. Especially when doing shadow work.
  5. If you miss a day, just keep going If you’re a bit all-or-nothing like me, it can be tempting to throw in the towel if you miss a day or even several days. Let me tell you – it’s okay! Just pick it up again the following day, write about why you didn’t check in to your journal. This can be a great exercise in itself. Were you having a f**k it moment? Because we learn and grow from these moments all the time. Reduce the pressure on yourself and just carry on when you can.

Bonus Tip: Stack the habit. Habit stacking is one of my favourite life hacks. ~45% of your daily life is not actually down to your conscious decision making but down to habits that you have. So tagging one habit onto another you already have makes it even easier to create that new habit.
When I go to bed I usually complete a Duolingo lesson to keep up with learning German. So I’ve tagged on my journaling habit to my Duolingo habit to help it stick.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/644718502925884898

Are you going to start today?

Here’s your to do list to create your journaling habit – share this post with a friend so you can keep each other accountable.

  • Find a cute journal and pen
  • Decide what time of the day you have a habit you can stack your journaling habit onto
  • Leave your journal in the place where you’re going to be writing every day
  • Let go of rules and be yourself ♡

Don’t forget to check out Dear Toddler or the New Mama Journal!