A journal is a place where you can release your thoughts, ideas, emotions, or experiences onto paper. But not just any paper – 200 pages worth of crisp cream pulp stock, bound to the cover of oak tree leather, kind of paper.
The journal is a place where imagination meets reality, and where words govern time and space. It is a place where you can create your future and alter your past, or at least your own perspective of it.
Without sounding any more pretentious, your journal is an extension of who you are. You can finally talk freely of your strengths, your weaknesses, your aspirations and that time you called your teacher “mom”, without any social consequences.
There are no boundaries to what goes inside your journal. From eloquent poems to linguistic disasters, who you are is not up for your journal to decide. Regardless, the objective of journaling always remains the same: to release the mayhem of your mind into a tangible place.
There are many ways to skin the cat when it comes to journaling (and apparently not many alternatives for that crude expression). But frankly, some methods are better than others.
In this article, I present 6 fundamental rules you should follow to maximize the benefits of journaling. You may use these rules at your own discretion, as they are merely guidelines to release your imagination as effectively as possible. But whatever you do, please don’t start with dear diary.
1) The First Rule: No Rules!
Being the first rule of six, this may sound conflicting. Let me explain.
The “No Rules” rule of journaling is more a mentality than a rubric. Do not restrain your creative energy to the typical “writing rules”, like grammar, structure, tidiness, or being politically correct.
Be messy, be arrogant, and have fun with it.
2) Get a Journal
This one may seem fairly obvious, and that’s because it is. You can’t journal without a journal. Note: I’m about to get real snooty.
Loose-leaf is not ideal to use as a journal as the page can be easily separated from it’s binder. God forbid that your letter of distaste to Brenda from work falls into the wrong hands…
Large copybooks are not great either, as they are hard to carry around and do not hold the same “pizzazz” as something more compact.
Here are some typical sizes (source).
I personally use an aesthetic black leather 11 x 18 cm, which falls between a pocket and large size. Very important to have black leather, or you might as well just write on a napkin. I’m half kidding… but having a high-quality cover does prevent degradation over time. And looks less like something an angst teenage girl would use.
3) Set An Intention
Before the ink of your ballpoint pen graces the pulp of the paper, it’s important to have an intention of what you want to write about.
If you want to write mindlessly, set the intention to vent. If you want to set goals for the new year, set the intention to goal setting.
While it is important to not limit your creative freedom, knowing what you will write about makes the process much more efficient, effective, and meaningful.
There are hundreds of exercises you can use. Some of my favorites are:
Gratitude Log
- Simply recalling things that you are grateful for.
Goal-Setting & Strategizing
- Defining your goal and the parameters of measurement. Developing a solid strategy is only possible when you understand how to measure the success of your goal.
Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis
- Defining what you are good at and what you need to improve.
Dream Journal
- Recall your dreams as best as you can, and try to interpret them.
Travel Journal
- To take while you are travelling and recalling the experiences you come across. When you re-read the journal, you will feel that same energy as when you wrote it.
Priming
- Tony Robbins uses this method for his morning meditation, but I find it very effective for journaling too. Simply recall three things you are grateful for, three people you love, and three experiences where you overcame great difficulty and performed at a high level.
I also recommend checking out Tim Ferris’s take on the 5-minute Journal.
4) Make a Routine
Journaling is such an unnatural practice that if you do not practice often, it will be painful. Unfortunately, it can be painful even when you do practice… But just like playing golf, we practice because it helps us improve. Allegedly.
Thankfully writing is not the primary objective of journaling – the objective is to release. Run-on sentences are encouraged (See rule 1)! Hell, even a single sentence is better than nothing.
I like to use Matt D’Avella’s Two-Day rule: you cannot prolong a habit for more than one day. So if you sleep in on Monday and miss your journaling session, you better make sure you have something to say for Tuesday!
Of course you are at your own discretion, but to reap the full benefits of journaling it’s important to do it as frequently as possible, no matter how sluggish you feel. Even a bad workout is still a work out.
Daily journaling will help:
- Enhance your memory
- Relieve stress
- Organize your thoughts or goals
- Make you feel happier
- Improve the quality of your life
Having a set routine makes this a lot easier to implement. The two most important variables to consider are time and place. Writing at the same spot at the same time everyday won’t just increase your efficiency, it will make your writing more impactful.
Of course there will be days where you cannot write in the same place or at the same time as your schedule demands. In these circumstances, try to at least keep one variable the same; write in the same place at a different time, or in a different place at the same time.
Alternatively, if you come across spontaneous inspiration, to hell with routine – release the kraken! Take advantage of these opportunities, as they are your greatest source of creative energy. That’s also why it’s so valuable to keep a pocket journal, as you never know when inspiration will creep up.
5) Keep It Simple
Don’t overthink it. Though short is indeed quite sweet, long is even sweeter. And medium has got a kick too! Don’t fret about the length or the quality of the work. Remember, there are no rules (well, except the six I am telling you).
There will be times when you can write for days, and times where the writing will feel like days. The best way to prevent the latter is to simplify the intention (see Rule 3). Think “less is more”, and release as best you can.
6) Keep It Meaningful
The best thing about having a journal is that you can be your authentic self without any social bias at your influence. It’s your time to have a conversation with yourself, which is quite rare nowadays.
If you decide to begin journaling, take it seriously. This is the place where you will need to get radically honest with yourself, and that takes courage. Expressing your deepest fears or darkest truths reinforces their value tenfold, especially when they are in writing.
But to truly reap the benefits of journaling, there should be some sort of emotional significance attached to it. This is very important. If you are not releasing your tensions or insecurities here, you are probably expressing them subconsciously to the world.
“If you do not make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate” – Carl Jung
Your journal is an extension of you. Keep it sacred and keep it secure – its value should be held as high as you are.