Equip Yourself!
At least this is one hobby or practice where you don’t need to invest hundreds of dollars in buying equipment only to find that you give up after a few months. All you truly need is a piece of paper and a pen or even just your computer or phone.
Having said that, it will make the experience much more enjoyable if you equip yourself with a journal and pen (or computer app) that you enjoy using. There’s still no need to spend a fortune but I once heard that you shouldn’t worry about the cost of a beautiful notebook if you’re going to fill it with life-changing or even million dollar ideas. And since then, I don’t scrimp when I’m buying them. Choose smooth paper that is easy to write on. You may have to test out a few different notebooks to find the one you like.
The other thing to watch out for is the kind of binding. A traditional case bound notebook has a spine. If you choose case-bound make sure it lies reasonably flat on a surface when you open it. It’s annoying if the pages have a tendency to spring closed when you’re trying to write.
You also find many notebooks with a spiral binding. Which means they always lie flat but the binding may get in the way especially if you are left-handed.
You could also choose to write on single sheets of loose-leaf paper and just file them away in a ring binder.
If you want to use prompts, you could choose a guided journal. There are some excellent guided journals available but you might have to try a few to see which one works for you. As a beginner you could settle into the practice so you have more idea of what you want before you buy a (sometimes expensive) journal with printed prompts.
As a beginner you could settle into the practice so you have more idea of what you want before you buy a (sometimes expensive) journal with printed prompts.
If all those choices seem overwhelming, just grab any piece of paper or notebook and begin!
It’s the same story with pens. So many choices! You can buy one that’s cheap and cheerful, choose a mid-range pen or splash out. In any case, you want a writing implement that is comfortable to hold first of all and then the ink must flow freely across the paper and not blot, smear, or bleed through. And you definitely don’t want ink all over your hands.
Know Your Why
So, you have your paper and pen or computer app. What should you do then?
You could just start writing. But if you want to get maximum benefit from your time spent journaling, think through what you want to get out of it so that you actually achieve that as you journal.
You might want to journal
- as a means of artistic expression. If you love to write then this will be a traditional written journal but you could also add pictures or create a whole art journal with mixed media (or both!)
- to improve your mental health and better understand your thoughts and feelings
- to become more self-aware – what you’re doing, thinking, and achieving
to help find solutions to particular problems or issues in your life - to relax and reduce stress by having an outlet for pent-up emotions
- to improve your creativity – a journal is great for brainstorming new ideas
as a memory keeper that you can read late - to help you achieve your goals, to celebrate progress and work through setbacks
- to practice your writing
You can achieve all this and more in your journal, but you have to start somewhere. Where do you want to start? What is your biggest motivator for wanting to give this a go? Start there!
Set some time aside
It’s not always easy to find time to journal but if you want to start a regular practice decide when you will do that. Some people like to journal in the morning to set themselves up for the day, others like to journal at night to process everything that happened. Some do both. You could experiment with different times to see what works best for you. Then be as consistent as you can until it’s a habit you don’t want to break.
If you’re just going to journal here and there, here are some tips on finding time.
Privacy
Most journal writers don’t plan to share their private thoughts with the universe (or their nearest and dearest) so think about where you will store your journal to keep it safe from prying eyes. You’ll get more out of journaling if you know that you will be the only one to read it, otherwise you’ll find yourself censoring your thoughts and not exploring issues as deeply as you could.
Just write
Assuming you’re not planning on publishing your writing, just get started. Don’t worry about how the words come out and whether your spelling or grammar are correct, just write. If you’re not sure what to write about, just pick one of these ideas to get going:
- Today, I plan to or Today, I <did this>
- I decided to journal because
- I want…
- I’m happy that…
- Something that’s important to me is…
The more you write in your journal, the more you’ll get comfortable with writing your thoughts
In any case, there’s truly no right and wrong way to journal. The best kind of journal is the one you like using. The best time to journal is the time that works for you. And best way to journal is the way that serves you best.
