5 kinds of journaling to maintain you inventive

Although I’ve always had a journal writing practice, it has changed over the years. I started with a mini-diary with a lock in which I wrote who my best friends were, who I was in love with, and the names of my future children. Now my diaries are a mixture of brainstorming, ideas, and things that are on my to-do list. It’s less structured than I’d like, but it still helps me understand my thoughts and find out what I’m thinking.

A basic definition of keeping a journal is simply recording daily events. Yet we tend to make it more complicated! Whatever your journaling practice these days, as long as you mark the passage of time, you’re doing it right. A shopping list, a few notes from a lecture you’ve heard, or a formal reflection practice, whatever.

Keeping a journal is not a new thing, and there are many different techniques you can use to develop an effective journaling practice.

5 ways to keep a diary

Morning pages

How to proceed: As soon as you get up, write three pages of Streams of Consciousness. Longhand. This is a style of free writing that became popular in Julie Cameron’s book The artist’s way. Its goal is to help artists break their creative blocks.

Those who practice Morning Pages swear by it, and there is even one 5 o’clock club on Twitter, which makes it a habit to write first thing in the morning. People usually gather at 5 a.m. Eastern Time, but you’ll find posts from the # 5AMWritersClub throughout the day.

free writing

This is a similar process to Morning Pages, except that you can write at any time of the day. Most people are more likely to write on a timer than a page number and the idea is to let your mind run free without editing it or thinking about it too much. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads.

You could start with a write immediately, a problem you want to solve, or even “I don’t know what to write” repeatedly until you know what to write next. Allow yourself to write uncensored and without judgment. They just want to get things out of their heads.

Bullet journaling

This is a simple and practical system aimed at being organized and productive. Keep Bullet Journal means sticking to a bullet-point system and learning a number of token symbols to help you plan tasks, reminders, meetings, and more.

This is a flexible system that you can create yourself and that works best when used to plan, reflect, and keep track of what matters most to you.

Gratitude journal

You can turn any type of diary writing technique into gratitude journal and it can be of tremendous help in self care, mental health, and satisfaction.

This can be an extremely powerful journaling practice as it helps you stay positive and acknowledge the things that you need to be thankful for. The result of focusing on the good? You become a happier, less stressed person.

Read diary

This is a fun journaling style for writers and readers. There’s no hard and fast formula for keeping a reading journal, but most people use it to keep track of inspirational quotes, ideas for thought, or even a list of books to read later.

Whether you are keeping a journal to better remember what you read or using it to react and analyze what you read, this can be a great way to explore words in new ways and increase your creativity.

Five reasons why you should keep a journal

Some people may refuse to keep a journal and refer to it as self-centered or even narcissistic, but as someone who has only seen positive results from years of writing down, I wanted to list five reasons, from my experience, why you should reconsider this should exercise.

You become more attentive

The habit of writing things down trains you to notice what is around you. You take in the world as an observer instead of just floating.

You become more organized

Writing things down helps you organize your life and thoughts. Do you feel great emotions? Write about it. Break it down into smaller pieces; manageable pieces.

You become more goal-oriented

If you keep an eye on events and achievements, you will be more likely to notice when you stop moving forward. Once you are aware of this, you can take your personal development into your own hands.

You become more confident

For the most part, writing a journal is a solo activity. It is a quiet time to think, reflect, and dream. It can be an important period of growth in self-awareness and maturity.

You become a better communicator

The more you write, the better you can articulate your thoughts and feelings. And the better you communicate with yourself, the better you will communicate with others.

Keeping a journal doesn’t have to be a basic activity, but it doesn’t have to be overly complex either. Daily worry, take a few notes, practice something more formal, or go your own way. If you’re looking for ways to be more creative, why not give journaling a try?