Want to Try Daily Journaling? Here’s how to get started even if you’re busy

Even with a busy lifestyle, making daily journaling a habit is achievable with the right strategies.

Do you want to make journaling a daily habit, but struggle because you’re so busy, and you just can’t figure out how to fit it in or how to get started? Do you have no idea what to do or feel overwhelmed by all the things? I’m going to give you some practical tips on how you can make journaling a daily habit, even if you feel like you don’t have the time.

I love journaling, and I have been journaling for a long time. Right now, I’m in a season where I’m struggling to pick up my pen and my journal and write every single day. No matter what I try, it just isn’t working. I wondered what was going on. 

Sometimes you are just in a season where what you are used to doing and what has worked before, it’s just not going to work right now. That’s exactly where I find myself—super busy with school starting. I’ve got my graduated kid looking for a job and my second son starting dual enrollment at college. 

That’s a big adjustment: driving, organizing his time, and helping him get situated. Then I’ve got my little ones to attend to as well. There’s just a lot going on. In that busyness, my journaling has kind of fallen by the wayside. But I am hoping that, as things settle down a little bit, I’ll be able to get back into a routine.

I know for sure that there are some of you in this community who are having the same struggle. You want to journal but can’t seem to make it happen every single day. So I’m going to give you five tips to help you either get started or get back into journaling every day.

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Daily Journaling Tip#1: Start Small

My first tip is to start really small. If you cannot seem to get that block of time that you’re used to, that hour or half an hour, start smaller. Start with just five minutes a day. I used to do what I call my “minimum viable bible study plan” — the same thing applies to journaling. 

Have a minimum viable plan for your journaling. When you have something small that’s manageable, you’re not going to feel overwhelmed. Also, it’s going to build momentum so that you can be more consistent with it. Eventually, you’ll get to the point where you can stretch that time out longer and longer. 

It’s better to do five minutes than no minutes. Learning how to start with just five minutes a day will make it easier to fit journaling into your busy schedule because we can all find five minutes to do something. I promise you can. Then you’re going to have a good foundation for being more consistent.

Daily Journaling Tip#2: Habit Stacking

The second tip is something called “habit stacking.” I can’t remember where I heard that term, but habit stacking is where you tie something that you want to do with something that you’re already doing. 

Incorporate journaling into whatever existing routine you have. If you’re tying it to a daily activity that you already do—something like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, or exercising—it will be easier to remember to journal. 

You’ve got something that’s already established that you do all the time, and it’s easier to then just tack on your journaling to that, especially if you’re following the first step by starting small. 

For example, I can brush my teeth in the morning and then find five minutes to sit down and journal. As you incorporate journaling into your daily routine, it’s going to become a regular part of your day. You’re going to have that consistency, and eventually you’ll be able to extend that time out longer and longer.

Daily Journaling Tip#3: Set Reminders

My third tip is to set reminders. I don’t know about you, but I constantly forget things, not because they’re not important or I haven’t prioritized them, but because I get consumed with doing something else. It’s probably part ADHD, part mommyhood, and all the other things. 

The time kind of gets away from me and setting reminders, alarms, notifications, whatever it is, can be really helpful. If you know that you have a specific time of day when you want to journal, then set some kind of reminder. 

Put an alert on your phone, set an alarm clock, but find some way to cue your brain, “Hey, this is my journaling time.” Along with setting the reminders, if you have visual cues as well, those are great. 

Have a place where you journal with all of your stuff so that all you have to do is sit down and start writing. And then, when life gets hectic, you always have those reminders to draw you back.

Here’s a bonus tip, especially if you’re like me and have ADHD: these reminders and notifications—you’ll have to change them often because you can go deaf to them. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve set alarms on my phone and then after about 2 weeks, I start missing things because I start ignoring notifications. Find ways to keep it new and fresh if you need to, but take advantage of those reminders.

Daily Journaling Tip#4: Keep it Simple and Flexible

My next tip is to keep it super simple and super flexible. Don’t set these high, lofty goals for your journaling sessions. You don’t have to write eight pages every time you sit down to journal. Take that pressure off of yourself. A few sentences, or maybe a bullet-pointed list, is sufficient; it’s enough. 

If you keep it simple and say, “You know what, I just want to write for five minutes,” then whatever you get done in five minutes, that’s what you did, and you have journaled. You can check that off your list. 

Be flexible as well. I would love to have set times every day—like 7:30 a.m. or every evening at 7:15 p.m. but my life does not allow for that. I’ve had to learn to be flexible. You don’t have to journal at the same time every day to get the benefits of journaling or to be consistent with it. 

You do want to journal pretty much daily, but if it’s not at the same time every single day, that’s okay. Keep it simple, be flexible, and you might find that as you try different times, you might finally find a time that you can be consistent with. 

Also remember, life is going to happen, and the ability to bob and weave with life as it comes will be great because it’s not going to completely pull the rug out from under you or take all the steam out of your efforts when you’re journaling.

Daily Journaling Tip#5: Go Digital

The last tip is a little different for me: use journaling apps or voice notes. Now, this is not something that I do personally because I am a pen-and-paper girl to my core. I just cannot use an app, I cannot use a voice recorder, I cannot type my journaling—I have to put pen to paper. 

Some people love using apps and love using their tech, so utilize these different apps and technology to get your journaling done. Especially if you’re journaling on the go. You might not have your journal with you at all times. Having an app on a tablet or an iPad or whatever you use is great. 

The notes app on your phone will work great, too. Being able to capture your thoughts, your feelings, or whatever it is you want to write about, on the go is great. Also, being able to record your voice using an app like Voxer or just recording on your phone to speak out your thoughts even when you’re busy. 

You can do voice notes and voice journaling while you’re driving, while you’re walking, or while you’re out and about doing all the things you do all day. You can get that done, so just be creative and think about what you can do to help yourself be successful.

If using digital tools works for you, great. If not, find something else that will. Because even if you have a super busy lifestyle, you can make journaling a daily habit. You just need the right strategies and the right plan in place. 

I’m telling you, simply starting small, incorporating it into your routine, using whatever tools you need, and keeping it simple and flexible—you’re going to make great strides toward making journaling a sustainable, enriching, and encouraging part of your everyday life.

Other Helpful Resources:

• 5 Tips for Establishing a Consistent Journaling Routine
• 8 Signs that You Might be Experiencing Burnout
• 8 Mindset Shifts That Will Help You Manage Your Emotions Better

These 5 tips will help you start daily journaling when you feel like you have no spare minutes in your day.