By: Anna Lee
Since I was young, I’ve always kept a diary. There are volumes after volumes, and though some are lost, and some are gathering dust, but most are still here. They occupy a big space in my bookshelf, but I do look back at them at times, and they give me so much joy. Now as a college student, I’ve recently started keeping a journal again, and I made it my 2018 resolution to journal every day. After 4 months, I think I can confidently say that you should too. Here’s why:
Start or End Your Day Right
I personally prefer to journal the end of the day, right before I go to sleep. Partly because I like to reflect on my day, and partly because I’m a mess in the morning. However, whenever you decide to journal, find a set time and dedicate yourself to it. I find that if you don’t have a set time period to do your journaling, excuses will build up, days will get busy, and it will be pushed until you just don’t do it. So just set aside 15 minutes every day and write.
Write About Something, Anything
I know people hate this. Having a set topic or recounting the daily trivialities of everyday life seems boring and schooled, for lack of a better word. However, I decided to just write. It could be a random thought that flitted through my mind, or a story I’ve crafted in my head. It could be really short (I’ve once written two words on a page), or it could be pages and pages in my fast illegible handwriting. It’s freeing. It’s fun. It’s beautiful to just write. So just do it, because you’re bound to have something to say.
This is Yours, and Yours Alone
Sometimes we’re terrible writers. Even the best writers have four or five or six bad drafts. But in this private world you’ve carefully constructed of yourself- a physical reification of your mind- you can be anyone or anything. The best part of journaling is that you owe no obligations to anyone else. Of course, you have every right to share, but you don’t have to. It’s not a school paper and it doesn’t need multiple drafts to be perfect. In this day and age where oversharing is the norm, there is such a privilege in privacy and silence.
Stay Consistent
This is the hardest of them all. To be consistent and to continue journaling after a week is where the challenge hits. For me, I set myself reminders on my phone for the first month, but after a while, it became almost second nature. Writing daily will not only help overcome writer’s block, it will open the gates for creativity, and will teach you discipline.
Writing is not something we do because we have time or leisure. It’s something we do because we’re drawn to it. I’ve always dreamt of being a writer, and for me to achieve that I need to have a two-fold plan: read a lot and to write a lot. Reading is easy, but to write and make writing a habit is much more strenuous. I couldn’t have found a more perfect hobby than journaling to channel it. And I sincerely hope that you can see the value- in all its subtle changes- of this daily practice.
Creativity
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This is one of the most overlooked and most useful ways to help writers develop and practice. Practicing the written word every day is the best way to get better, and you won’t have ideas for new stories or poems every day. Writing about yourself, your day, and your thoughts is a good way to practice without putting in the effort of story-building. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your advice and kind words!
I always want to journal but never find the motivation to do it. I think I need to get in the mindset of doing it daily, even if I do not completely love whatever I am writing down. Like you said, I think consistency with journaling is especially important. This article inspired me; hopefully one day I can actually keep up with journaling too!
You can do it! Set a reminder! Write big post-its! It’s hard but it’s doable!!!! Write on!