Recently I’ve gotten a lot of questions on how I journal and why I journal (a whopping total of one person has asked me). So, I thought that I would make a sort-of guide for the people who would like to get into journaling.
For me, journaling is habitual. But I completely understand not knowing where to start because, trust me, I’ve been there. But disclaimer: journaling is a different experience for everyone, and this story is specific to my experiences. Journaling is important to me, so I hope I can provide some insight into the world of journaling, or at least some inspiration. Or you could always ask Mrs. Collins: I know she has her students journal occasionally.
Why Do I Journal?
To be honest, I spend a lot of time on Safari (the web browser). I have over 200 tabs open on my phone, and they are all very specifically categorized. Most people tend to use the notes app, but I, for some reason, latched onto Safari instead. It is, however, relatively impersonal and academic topics, mostly words and books I search while I’m in between tasks.
My journal, on the other hand, is pretty much everything else. I write down anything from my feelings, to big to-do lists, to fake scenarios. I think there is something very palpable and meaningful about writing something by hand, so anything that is personal I try to write in a journal. I am not a sentimental person by any means, but I do think there is a great sentimental value in having records of these things.
Whenever I look through my old journals, I feel as though I am physically able to feel my character growth and see it on a linear timeline. I went through many phases: a dear diary phase (shudders), a liar phase (present and past me both know that didn’t happen), and a Kafka/Plath phase (where I decided everything had to be poetic). Now, I tend to just write things down when I think about them.
My journals are a way of archiving my current thoughts, but also of processing them.
Every day after I wake up, I grab my journal and write a long stream of consciousness about whatever comes to mind. I feel like this helps my brain feel less full for the day. Writing down ideas makes them feel less abstract and more concrete. This allows for me to stop thinking about it–in a sense, I am trapping my thoughts in somewhat of a metaphorical cage.
In between classic diary entries, I write down everything that seems important to me. From ideas to what I would like for dinner that night, I fill the pages with anything that comes to mind. I don’t tend to journal for “self-improvement,” but more to “brain dump” and empty out all the ideas in my head so I can fill it with new ones.
I also like to answer prompts before I start to write anything down because I think it’s a nice touch to my morning. I try to write these out at the beginning of every month. For reference, some of my October prompts: classics to read, habits to get rid of, feelings about change, etc.
How to Get Started:
For journaling I think two things are imperative to consider: habit and purpose. Get into the routine of journaling often and wonder how this habit can benefit you. I’m sure a lot of people think that journaling for them is a waste of time. We all process our thoughts in different ways, and writing them out may exacerbate worries.
So instead of mindlessly writing out two pages a day just because it seems like a habit you should maintain, you should seriously consider what you want to achieve by journaling. Is it because you want to rid yourself of your worries by writing them down? Is it because you want to record your life so you can look back later? Is it because you want to become more in touch with your feelings and emotions? Whatever it is, there are no specific parameters you need to meet in order to journal.
If you do decide that you want to journal and this will benefit your life, then you should try to get into the habit of it. I keep my journal on my bed, and I spend as much time as I want each day writing out my thoughts. I know some people that only journal weekly. Still, I think that setting aside time to journal daily/weekly will greatly benefit you.
What I Use:
Notebooks: I have dabbled in many different types of notebooks over the years, but my favorite ones are the brand Moleskine. I’ve tried both the dotted and lined ones, but I found that the lined notebooks are better for journaling. Some people like to use the dotted for a daily planner, but I am an advent user of my Filofax (Malden Personal Leather Organizer in brown), which I will never betray.
Currently I am using Le Petit Prince collaboration with Moleskine. I believe that this is just the classic Moleskine hardcover notebooks in large (13x21cm) with a fancy design. I love these because 1) they don’t bleed through the pages and 2) I think they’re very good quality standard notebooks.
If you desire something with thicker paper for writing and art, I’ver heard very good things about the Archer & Olive journals. I’ve never actually used one, but I’ve heard that nothing bleeds through the pages, which is always a plus. But honestly you can’t really go wrong with buying one of the random brands from Barnes & Noble or Target to start.
Pens: Now I know that most people are die-hard advocates for the Pilot Juice pens in 0.38, but frankly, I am not a huge fan. For me, they smudge everywhere. Whenever I would try to write a page, my pinky-finger would be covered in ink.
After this harrowing experience, I bought a Muji ink pen in 0.38 (which is everyone’s favorite). I am in love with Muji pens now. I quickly changed all of my school pens to Muji ink pens in 0.5 or 0.7 because I need my handwriting to be a bit more legible. I’m not sure if the legibility of my handwriting is to blame on the pen, however. Also, I’ve been shifting a lot toward blue ink recently. I’m not sure what to do about that.
I also like to use letter stamps and vintage felling Washi tapes for my journal prompt pages because I really did never grow out of bullet journaling. Just the other day I bought three new packs of stickers off TikTok Shop, so let’s hope they come in safely. And whenever I’m really really fancy, I write my headers with the Sakura Gelly Rose glitter pens (because those are awesome)
