Whenever I share my morning journaling routine on Instagram I get a ton of questions on my method. There are so many ways of journaling – I do different types at different times and for different reasons. Here’s my breakdown:
In the Mornings
My best days start with morning journaling. I cannot tell you what a difference it makes to wake up and immediately reach for my journal versus my phone. The days I do I am more at peace, more productive and more confident. I get into a flow with this and truthfully will usually go a few weeks before falling off. Then, when I’m feeling a little lost or anxious, I pick it back up again. THAT’S OKAY. It isn’t about being perfect. I guarantee you will want to go back to it because you WILL notice a major shift when doing this.
My morning journaling is “stream of consciousness” AKA pouring out literally anything and everything that comes to mind as it comes and… not judging it. This is key. Don’t judge what you’re writing, just write it. It may start boring if nothing comes to mind easily, but it will evolve and probably even surprise you, trust. Mine often starts out pretty negative honestly, with any top of mind anxieties coming out first. However, by the time I’m done I feel SO much lighter and have a notably more positive outlook on things. I usually write 3-4 pages, which takes about 10-15 minutes. I don’t plan it, it just naturally comes to a stop around then. For this type of journaling I use any lined journal or notebook (My personal fav is B5 size and I prefer soft back so I can fold it). I tend to pick these up whenever one speaks to me and use them for a few months before they fill up. It’s your choice to keep or toss afterwards, but it has been helpful for me to look back at where I was at certain times.
To Release
If I find myself ruminating on a situation I will pick back up my daily morning journal at any time of day and get my thoughts out of the chaos in my brain and onto the paper. I don’t know what it is, but even if you just write down exactly what you were obsessing over in your head, it feels better. You will feel an immediate release and like a weight has lifted.
I’ve also done this with things I want to say to people that may not be productive to actually say IRL. I’m a huge proponent of speaking your truth, but there are certain times in your life when you need some more time or clarity before doing so, or you know it won’t be productive. In that case, I write a letter in my journal to the person and get out everything I want to say to them, but never send it. Bonus points, you get to sit with it and either: send it later if it feels right or… light it on fire. I’ve done both! Lol.
To Organize
Two words for you: BRAIN DUMP. I guess all types of journaling are sort of a brain dump but in this form, which I call a brain dump, it’s in a list. I turn to this when I’m feeling overwhelmed with everything I have to do, or am having trouble focusing. I don’t do this in my daily journal, but usually on a random sheet of paper or in a spiral notebook.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and start listing out everything you need to do. Don’t worry about organizing it- just get it all out. Anything from responding to an email, dropping off a package, getting new batteries for the remote ALL OF IT. After the 10 minutes is up- set another timer for 10 minutes and start organizing the list in order of importance and calendaring everything out. This allows your brain to let go of it so every 5 minutes you’re not thinking “Ugh, I still need to get batteries for that” and instead know that you’re going to get batteries next Tuesday at 4p etc.
For Gratitude
If it’s good enough for Oprah, it’s good enough for me, and Oprah is a gratitude journaler. Gratitude journaling is simply taking time each day to write down a couple things you’re thankful for. I prefer to do this at night for two reasons. One, I’m already doing my stream of consciousness in the morning. Two, doing it at night allows me to reflect on my day to see what blessings I may have overlooked in the moment- plus it makes my last thoughts before falling asleep about everything I have to be grateful for. You can do this in any journal, I have a separate one for this than my morning practice. I also really enjoy this Five Minute Journal – which has prompts and encourages you to do both morning and night entires.
Feeling Lost?
Still unsure? There are also tons of journals that come with built in prompts to help you get your juices flowing. Journaling is also really helpful for refining your goals, there are career journals, dream journals and more. Do whatever you’re drawn to, these are just what work for my life and schedule at the moment.
