5 Easy Tips for Establishing a Journaling Routine

Establishing a consistent journaling routine can be a transformative practice, especially during challenging times.

Journaling has so many benefits. It’s great for your mental well-being, your physical well-being, your emotional well-being, and your spiritual well-being. But it can be really hard to maintain a regular and consistent practice. Today, I want to give you five tips that will help you establish your consistent journaling routine.

It’s no surprise that I am a huge fan of journaling. I talk about it all the time. It is one of the top tools that I use and that I teach my clients to use when it comes to maintaining their emotional and spiritual wellness.

I know that it can be really hard to make journaling something you do consistently. I wanted to share with you some ways that can help you figure out what your routine is going to look like.

I’m going to give you five tips, and they apply generally to anybody and everybody. But hear my heart: I am not telling you that this is the only way to create a routine. I’m not going to tell you if your routine is right or wrong. If your routine works for you, then it’s right.

That’s the only thing that you need to worry about. Does it work for you? Is it helping you in your current season? Is it helping you meet whatever goals you’ve set for yourself when it comes to journaling?

At the end, I will share a little bit of my journaling routine with you. I’m waiting until the end because I don’t want you to hear mine and think, “Oh my goodness, I can never do that.” Because remember, it’s about what works for you.

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Consistent Journaling Routine Tip #1: Set Aside a Specific Time Daily

Tip number one: set aside a specific time every single day. If you are brand new to journaling, set aside a specific time most days. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If you have to miss a day here or there, it’s okay, I promise.

You want to pick a time of day that’s going to work best for you, something that you can stick with. It doesn’t matter when this time is. It can be first thing in the morning, the last thing you do before you go to bed, or during your lunch—whatever works for you.

Now, I’m going to encourage you, especially when you’re just getting started, to pick a time that’s going to be the same every single day, because when you have that time every single day, it’s going to make it easier to make it a part of your everyday life, your daily routines, which will help you be consistent.

There are times when you have to be flexible and you have to adjust and adapt, that’s okay. But when you’re getting started, when you’re trying to establish the habit, it’s so much easier if you can pick a time and stick with it for at least a month.

See if it’s working or if you need to make any changes. But also when life starts to happen, don’t be afraid to be flexible.

Consistent Journaling Routine Tip #2: Create a Sacred Space

Tip number two: create a sacred space. If you can have a dedicated space for your journaling, you want it to be quiet and comfortable. Add things that help you feel peaceful and that help you relax, so that you can be in the right mindset to reflect, whatever that looks like for you.

Also, keep all your stuff there if you can. Make it as simple as walking to your designated spot, having a seat, and starting to write. This will help you be more consistent because you’re removing a lot of the decisions and obstacles from your way.

Sometimes, by the time you sit down to journal, you’ve had to do so many things to get there that you’re out of energy. If you have that dedicated space that’s protected, already set up, and always ready for you to start writing, it’s going to make it that much easier because you won’t be using up all of your mental energy just getting to the point where you can write.

Consistent Journaling Routine Tip #3: Start with a Prompt

Number three: Start with a prompt. There’s nothing more frightening than the blank page or the white screen with the blinking cursor. It can be overwhelming because you might think, “I have to fill this whole thing up. I don’t know where to start. I don’t know what I want to talk about. I don’t know what I should write about.”

Prompts can give you a way to kickstart your mind and your thoughts, and you can start writing. You can use anything for prompts. Hop on Pinterest and search for journaling prompts—there are plenty there.

You can use scripture, quotes (like from books, movies, or music), or ask yourself a question to get started: “What am I grateful for today?” “How did I see God show up in my life today or yesterday?”

Having prompts will give you something to get started on, which will make journaling less intimidating, especially when you’re struggling to get started. And when you’re less intimidated, you’re going to be more likely to write.

Usually, what happens is you take the prompt and get started, and then the words just begin to flow after that. This is a big reason why I give prompts inside the Peace-Filled Mind course because I know that when you’re learning something new and trying something new, it can be really overwhelming to stare at a blank page and not know what to say. So each module includes prompts to help you get started.

^{Feeling like your faith isn’t enough to navigate through the storm? It’s tough when emotions feel like a tidal wave, and your faith feels distant amid chaos. But what if there was a way to find peace, deepen your faith, and embrace your emotions as a pathway to growth? The Peace-Filled Mind online course is where faith meets emotional resilience.}

Consistent Journaling Routine Tip #4: Be Kind to Yourself

Tip number four: Be kind to yourself. There is no perfectionism and there is no shame allowed when it comes to your writing and your journaling. Allow yourself to just write whatever is coming up, without judgment. Don’t censor yourself, don’t edit yourself. Tell that inner critic to shh when you’re writing.

Be okay with days when you write less than you normally do. For example, I might get three or four pages in a normal journaling session, and then I might have a day where I only get half a page. That’s okay. You sat down, you showed up, and you wrote something. That is the goal.

So don’t try to be perfect about your length of time or your handwriting or anything else. You’re just writing stuff down, and whatever happens, happens. The goal is not perfection; the goal is getting the words out of your head and heart onto the page. Whether that’s five words or 5,000 words, it doesn’t matter. Self-compassion is what we’re aiming for here.

Consistent Journaling Routine Tip #5: Reflect on Your Growth

The final tip I want to give you is to reflect on your growth. So often you are so focused on what you want to do or what you haven’t done that you miss the growth that has actually occurred. Take time periodically to review your past entries and see your progress and growth.

I don’t mean go dig up all your journals and diaries from 10 years ago. Maybe just look back at the previous month or the previous week. Take some time to flip back and see, like, “Look, my journal is half-filled—this is awesome!”

Or maybe you can look back and say, “I was really struggling with this one situation or this one feeling two months ago, and I was journaling about it all the time, but I haven’t felt the need to journal about it in the last month.” Look at the growth and progress that is there.

This is going to help you really see how much work you’re doing and the progress that you are making. It’s going to give you a chance to see other things that you want to go back and explore. Have you changed your thought process or your perspective on something?

You’ll see all of that when you go back and reflect on your old entries, and this will just reinforce all the benefits of journaling. It’s going to give you more motivation to keep going because you’ll think, “Oh my goodness, look at all the growth I’ve made, look at all the progress I’ve made—I want more of that!”

One of the most important things about journaling is that you’re deepening your self-awareness. You’re going to be more in tune with who you are, what you’re feeling, and why you’re feeling it.

You’re going to know yourself better, which is key when you’re trying to build emotional resilience. It’s also key when you’re trying to deepen your faith and get closer to God. The more that you can be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and who you are, the better you’re going to feel.

Sample Consistent Journaling Routine

As promised, I want to share a bit about my journaling routine with you. My goal is to journal every single day, except for Sundays—I take those off. Ideally, I’d love to have an hour and a half each day to sit in my comfy chair, with my favorite essential oils, a cozy blanket, and fuzzy socks, just writing to my heart’s content. But I live on planet Earth, and that’s not realistic for me right now.

So here’s what I actually do:

During the week, I aim to find 10 minutes each day to freely write about whatever is on my mind or heart. I also practice something called the evening examen or daily examen. This is a spiritual growth exercise where I reflect on where I noticed God’s presence in my life throughout the day. It only takes about five minutes, and I do this at the end of each day.

Once a week, usually on Saturdays, I carve out a longer stretch of time for journaling. I might go to the library, a park, or some other peaceful place where I can sit down and really immerse myself in writing.

Am I perfect at this every week?

No. There are days when I don’t journal at all. As I’m recording this, it’s been about two weeks since I’ve journaled because life has been busy, I’ve been sick, and just dealing with all the things.

But this is my goal: to have small pockets of time during the week for journaling, with a longer session once a week when possible. I also prioritize rest because it’s crucial, especially when you’re writing about your feelings and processing deep emotions.

It’s important to be compassionate with yourself, and sometimes that means putting the pen down and walking away to give yourself time to recover from everything you’re working through and praying about.

Remember, you can establish a consistent journaling routine and experience all the benefits it offers, especially during tough times when you’re sorting through your emotions and thoughts. Pick a time, choose a space, use prompts if you need them, and don’t forget to reflect on your growth.

By doing this, you’ll be nurturing your emotional well-being and deepening your connection with God. Understanding yourself better and wrestling through these things in prayer strengthens the bond between you and your Heavenly Father.