Let me ask you. How many times have you embarked on something new only to give up just days after beginning? Perhaps it was because you didn’t have clear direction on where you were going. Or maybe, it was because you took on too many things at once, quickly drowning in the overwhelm.
No matter the reason, chances are you lost out on something very good.
Let’s not lose out on the benefits of the spiritual discipline of journaling before even getting started. Consider these twenty tips for sticking with it and reaping those benefits.
Tips for Overall Journaling Success
1. Take baby steps.
Start small and keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm yourself by jumping into multiple methods at the same time. Choose one or two methods. Journaling is a discipline for a lifetime. Keep your journaling simple enough that you want to continue it.
2. Give yourself permission.
Some of the journaling methods you come across will be new to you. Give yourself permission to try them even if they cause a little discomfort. You won’t know if you don’t try. At the same time, give yourself permission to abandon anything that just simply does not work for you. Not all methods are a good fit for everyone. Again, you won’t know if you don’t try.
3. Loosen up.
Remember, just as there is no right or wrong way to pray, there is no right or wrong way to journal. If it works for you, it’s right.
4. Be intentional.
Setting aside time for this important discipline is key. Schedule it. Put it on your calendar. Set an alarm. Use the best system for helping you remember.
5. Set the tone.
To receive the most benefit from your journaling, the time you set aside for it needs to be uninterrupted, quiet time – preferably when you are alone, alert, and ready.
6. Be consistent.
As tough as it is, try to journal every day. Setting aside time to journal every day or at least once a week at a specific time sets the stage for follow-through success.
7. Don’t catch up.
While consistency is our goal and will produce the greatest benefits, there will be times we simply cannot journal on our “journaling day” or at our “journaling time.” Don’t allow this to cast a shadow over you. Be okay with it. Then continue on. This precious discipline is meant as a source of nourishment, growth, and joy. Don’t be robbed of the blessing.
8. Ask yourself questions.
Many journaling methods include or prompt questions. Answering those questions can help lead you to your next thought and propel you forward in your writing.
9. Do not give up.
Starting a new habit can be difficult. In fact, research shows that depending on the behavior desired, the person involved, and the surrounding circumstances, it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for someone to form a new habit. Given all that is involved in the discipline of journaling, it may take a few weeks for this new habit to be formed.
10. Be honest.
It is not always easy, but it is so very important to take time to reflect and to think about what is going on in a particular situation. God grows us in the hard places of self-reflection and honesty.
11. Prepare an invitation.
Leave your current journal in plain view so that it can beckon you to come and spend time with God.
12. Date your entries.
This habit is a great way to get something on your blank page, and it will help you track your spiritual growth over time. If you are away from home, it is also a good idea to jot down your location and why you are there. This will help put your journal entry into context.
13. Add details.
Record your mood/emotions at the time of each entry. This is also quite helpful when looking back at your entries and trying to put them into context.
14. Banish the editor and the art critic.
This is that voice that booms from the darkest recesses of your mind such things as, “You shouldn’t be writing that,” “That is not the way to write,” “It doesn’t look like everyone else’s,” or “You call that art?” Journaling is not about a polished product. Banish those negative thoughts from the get-go.
15. Remove barriers.
I tend toward perfectionism. This trait can be a paralyzing agent when it comes to journaling. Making those first few marks in a journal can be traumatic. “What if I mess up the page?” To get around this obstacle, I have developed the practice of purchasing inexpensive composition notebooks for my journaling adventures. These books can typically be found for about one dollar. Even better than that, during back-to-school season I have been able to pick them up for fifty cents each. Using these books moves me beyond the paralysis. I’m not quite so upset if I spill something on it or “mess it up” in some way.
16. Re-read.
Establish a practice of reading your entries at a later time—after a short break, at the end of the day, or even at the end of a week, month, or year.
17. Reflect.
When you re-read an entry, consider adding an insight line. An insight line is a brief reflective sentence or two. What is God teaching you? What question do you still have? How have you grown? What new insight do you now have?
18. Re-evaluate from time to time.
Whether it’s at the beginning of each new month, on your birthday, or at New Year’s, plan for a time to reflect on your current journaling method(s). If the method is no longer working for you, change it. For added insight, whenever you choose to leave a method behind, either temporarily or permanently, take the opportunity to record the “why” in your journal.
19. Mix it up.
Many journaling methods can be incorporated into other disciplines. There are no rules or limits. Take for example verse mapping, which is a method for Scripture journaling. Try using it as you pray and call it prayer mapping. Or use it when journaling your spiritual journey and call it spiritual journey mapping.
20. Stay with it.
Journaling is a discipline that requires perseverance. When its newness wears off, when you don’t feel like it, when you are going through the “hard,” press on. Ask God for His help and strength and energy to keep going in this worthwhile endeavor.
