Any advice for getting started with journalling? It’s been recommended to me but it’s not something I’ve ever really done before.
It’s excellent advice (that’s coming from a 50+ years old dude, so you know) as a journal can help you a lot in many various ways (memories of events, putting some order in your thoughts, facing personal difficulties,…).
How to do it depends a lot of things like what are your existing habits (do yo write already, or not much? There is no right or wrong answer but a need for shorter than longer wirting sessions for example), what you want to do with your journal (memories, pretty pages, thinking self-reflecting assistant,…) and even who you are as a person but as a general rule:
Keep it as simple as you can,
Be fine with your journal not being perfect, and with you not looking perfect in it either.
Be ok with making breaks. I’ve been journaling for almost 50 years and I’ve been not journaling some times for a few years. That’s OK. A journal is a tool, like a hammer is and would be surprised if I told you and I don’t carry my hammer everywhere I go and don’t use it all day long? ;)
All you need to start is a decent pen (aka something you find pleasant to write with and that will not tire your hand too fast), a cheap but decent notebook or an easy to use app, if you’re more interested in digital (an app you can quickly open and start writing in), some calm spot where you can wit and write and some time (not much). I shared some advice here, but there are other tidbits spread in the other discussions too. The idea is simply to remove as much friction as possible between you and actually writing in your journal. Be it analog or digital. It doesn’t matter how and with what tool you want to journal.
Also, be fine with making mistakes and with writing some real stupid shit. We all do. I constantly do. That’s legit part of a journal… it’s not a novel, or an essay. It’s not a work of art. It’s notes to your (future) self.
Related to making mistakes: not worrying about being judged helps a lot.
It’s ok do do mistakes. In fact, it’s even an essential part of learning anything (that is worth learning, I mean). We all learn through trial and error, by experimenting. So, be happy to experiment freely (aka as stupidly or as daringly as you want) in you journal, because it is yours and no one else. What anyone else may think of it should not matter the slightest.
If you want to discuss more about starting and keeping at it, you’re welcome to join. We’ve gotten quite a few new members those last weeks but we’re still real short on people sharing content which, in my opinion, includes beginner questions and doubts about starting a journal, and how to journal. The invitation is open to anyone else, obviously: !journaling@sh.itjust.works
Any advice for getting started with journalling? It’s been recommended to me but it’s not something I’ve ever really done before.
It’s excellent advice (that’s coming from a 50+ years old dude, so you know) as a journal can help you a lot in many various ways (memories of events, putting some order in your thoughts, facing personal difficulties,…).
How to do it depends a lot of things like what are your existing habits (do yo write already, or not much? There is no right or wrong answer but a need for shorter than longer wirting sessions for example), what you want to do with your journal (memories, pretty pages, thinking self-reflecting assistant,…) and even who you are as a person but as a general rule:
All you need to start is a decent pen (aka something you find pleasant to write with and that will not tire your hand too fast), a cheap but decent notebook or an easy to use app, if you’re more interested in digital (an app you can quickly open and start writing in), some calm spot where you can wit and write and some time (not much). I shared some advice here, but there are other tidbits spread in the other discussions too. The idea is simply to remove as much friction as possible between you and actually writing in your journal. Be it analog or digital. It doesn’t matter how and with what tool you want to journal.
Also, be fine with making mistakes and with writing some real stupid shit. We all do. I constantly do. That’s legit part of a journal… it’s not a novel, or an essay. It’s not a work of art. It’s notes to your (future) self.
Related to making mistakes: not worrying about being judged helps a lot.
It’s ok do do mistakes. In fact, it’s even an essential part of learning anything (that is worth learning, I mean). We all learn through trial and error, by experimenting. So, be happy to experiment freely (aka as stupidly or as daringly as you want) in you journal, because it is yours and no one else. What anyone else may think of it should not matter the slightest.
If you want to discuss more about starting and keeping at it, you’re welcome to join. We’ve gotten quite a few new members those last weeks but we’re still real short on people sharing content which, in my opinion, includes beginner questions and doubts about starting a journal, and how to journal. The invitation is open to anyone else, obviously: !journaling@sh.itjust.works