3 Tips on Journaling in 2023
You bought a notebook and thought to yourself that you are going to start journaling in 2023. But you get overwhelmed, where do you even start?
I have been writing in a journal ever since I was 8 years old.
But the writing in those early years was not good at all.
The things I wrote were:
- I had a fun day at school.
- I played with my friends.
- We went to a Chinese restaurant and ate dim sum.
- My sister took all of my stickers and I’m sad.
Where is the depth? Where is the substance?
What am I feeling when I wrote those entries?
After years of opening myself to a blank page of the several notebooks I own, here are some tips for you to get started.
By the way, I’m no expert. This is what helped me put down my thoughts onto paper.
#1: Start with a prompt.
If you searched “journaling prompts” on Google, many results would show up. An easy one would be, “What is one of your highlights of today?”
It could be big or small. It doesn’t have to change your life, could be anything.
Possible answers could be:
- I walked my dog this morning, the air was fresh. There wasn’t anyone out yet, so it was quiet and peaceful.
- I had sushi for lunch.
- I didn’t press the snooze button today.
Ok, those answers are fine. Just write anything that comes to your mind.
#2: Dump spelling, grammar, and pronunciation out the window.
You are not writing a university essay, not a report for your higher-ups, or a Medium article.
If you mess up, it is ok. But do not go back, take out your whiteout and color that space out.
Leave it and continue writing.
A tip I learned, is to cross it out with one or two strikethroughs, and then proceed from there.
#3: You can switch topics whenever you want to!
You write about how much you miss your parents, but then your brain has an idea about a new issue. Starting an ice cream cafe in Toronto. And you’re just like, why?
Follow your brain. It’s what your mind deems important at that second. Don’t let it slip away.
If you want, finished the sentence and let your writing utensils guide you through.
You can also switch in the middle of a sentence. I’ve done that many times.
Conclusion
Whatever you write, write it for yourself and nobody else. This journal is for you to cherish. The good, the bad, the ugly, it’s yours.
Sometimes we just need to put our words into paper. Whether it’s typing it down on Google Docs or writing it on a notebook, seeing it in front of us, helps. Helps us organize our thoughts that were once clouded, but now are clear.
Follow my Medium blog to hear about how this one method changed the way I look at journaling. Also, in one of the upcoming blog posts, I will be sharing 6 journal prompts for you to get started in journaling.
And if you’re like me, use the prompts just like any other. It gets your mind running.
