Any day is a great day to record your own personal history, but spring — a time of new beginnings — is a perfect time to start or rededicate your efforts to keeping a journal. This week’s Liv Avenida Blog has some tips and ideas you can try for starting or staying consistent at keeping a journal this month. It will help you preserve your memories and reap all the other benefits of journaling, in your apartment or anywhere else in Chandler, AZ!
Decide what you want to get from your journal keeping. People approach journaling differently because one creative outlet that works for one person may not work best for another person. If you’re not naturally a writer, you can still keep a journal that’s meaningful to you without forcing it. There are plenty of different types of journals that can work for you, including a bullet journal, an online blog, a gratitude journal, or a notebook you use to draw, paint, or design in. Consider your talents and hobbies and see how you can incorporate it into keeping a journal that is unique to you.
Make it an easy addition to your everyday routine. Instead of making a lofty goal to write in your journal for an hour or more every day, take it one small step at a time and adjust it according to what you want to get from it. Writing for an hour about your day may totally work for you, but if it’s difficult to make that commitment, start simpler and write down something (or multiple things) that made you happy each day. The consistent effort will turn it into a habit that you’ll eventually look forward to and get better at.
Use your journal as an opportunity for reflection. Embrace the opportunity you have to completely be honest with yourself by really thinking about what you’re writing and what it means to you. You definitely can write (or draw, etc.) about whatever you’d like, but going through your struggles and triumphs on paper is a great way to learn and re-learn lessons and show yourself how you’ve grown over time. You may only be able to see those lessons in hindsight as you read through a few completed journals, but those will be invaluable to you when you do!
What are your favorite ways to keep a journal? Share your ideas with us in the comments! Thanks for reading!