There is a powerful tool that lives its best life between your fingers. As the adage goes, it’s mightier than the sword. But a pen is also an instrument of reflection, as much as it could be for power. A pen can slow you down, make you think – and when you journal, it can gift you the same stillness that meditation delivers.
Journaling, according to reams of research, helps with self regulation, self realisation and sometimes, pulling yourself towards yourself.
The habit or hobby has become popular again. It involves keeping a diary of your days, what you did and how you felt. It’s old school, but it’s found a new cool. It’s never too late to pick up a pen and jot down life’s nuggets and charcoal bits.
Get your reasons shuffled and aligned
Think about why you really want to journal. Research by PositivePsychology showed that journaling is most effective when it is intentional rather than just creating another habit.
Writing with a clear purpose improves emotional processing and reduces stress. Writing in a journal can be a place to untangle your thoughts.
The first sentence in your journal should be the reason you started in the first place. Read this line every time that you want to give up and instead watch some TV.
Choose your format
It’s the 21st century and we are no longer limited to pen and paper.
You can journal with your laptop, phone, tablet or even talk your way through it with a voice recorder that transcribes it later.
Studies referenced by The Papery note that people are more likely to maintain journaling habits when the tools they use feel enjoyable and personal. Any format can work if it first your lifestyle. The best kind of journal is the one that you’ll use.
Keep it straight and simple
A journal is not a legal filing system, nor is it meant to be a library with complex references and page annotations. Too many complications will tire you before January is done.
Research about habit formation has shown that simplicity increases follow-through. Keep it simple and create a daily ritual of a short daily reflection, a brief weekly summary and a monthly check-in.
Research cited in behavioural journaling studies indicated that structured reflection improves clarity and momentum by reducing decision fatigue around what to write each day.
Prompt yourself
This can be a powerful tool at the end of each year. Reviewing your reflective writing has shown that prompts guiding you through it can help identify emotional patterns and cognitive blind spots. It’s said to be more effective than just jotting down random stuff.
A prompt framework means that you list emotional states, behaviours and other states of being to make it easier to refer back to at the end of the year. It helps journals reveal what worked, what didn’t and why.
This creates an opportunity for a reset before the New Year and can help resolve issues before January rolls around.
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Make it easy to build the habit
Ambition to complete or sustain a task sounds impressive, but success lies in the small things. Repetition is what it’s all about.
Research summarised by PositivePsychology highlighted that even five to ten minutes of expressive writing can deliver measurable mental health benefits. Journaling does not work because it is time-consuming, but because it is regular. Remember, you are doing this for yourself.
Don’t make it simply event based
Simply noting when you woke up, what you did and what happened during the day will get you yawning super quickly. Journaling should be about values, and that is what you need to be writing down, too.
Studies on values-based journaling have shown that linking writing to personal values improves motivation and long-term behaviour change. Values like health, creativity or better interpersonal connections should be written down with intent.
It turns journaling into a decision-making tool rather than a record-keeping exercise.
Tweak it
Don’t wait until the end of the year to review what you journaled. Research has shown that some of the biggest benefits appear when reviews happen more often. Quarterly or monthly reviews allow you change direction, refine goals or even change your journaling style entirely.
Flexibility helps keep the project alive, identify emotional patterns and what stresses you out with mundane regularity.
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