lonely mountain

My journey with journaling

Until 2023 - or maybe until 2026 - I did not understand why do people keep and write a journal. I've always heard and read about keeping a journal has many benefits, but somehow I did not believed it. My journey with journaling began at the end of 2021, after almost a two year long fight with bad health. Like almost with any new things, I haven't got a clue, what should I write, how often, how long or with what should I write. I grabbed pen and paper first back at the end of 2021, in the evening of 31st December to write some sort of a recap and jotted down exactly 35 words regarding the negative things about my health, self-development and the positive things about work that happened. (I know, I know. Those were not the best to focus on, but this is what came out.) In the new year I did the same what I want to work on and change in 2022. But I did not write daily. I only wrote a recap and some plan at the end of each month until April, then I did not open my journal for almost a year. My first longer and cohesive entry was back in 2023-03-20. I reached a point in my life where I had to write my thoughts out, because life was a little bit rough. After 1.5 pages of freestyle writing, I decided I want to write daily for one week. Like a small plan. Let's just go with that simple goal. I managed to keep myself to reach that. I installed Loop Habit Tracker on my phone to keep track the days when I wrote a journal entry. It helps me keep focused on my goals. But life happened again, and I've kept missing days.

However, I tried to keep writing, but it felt like a chore, what I have to do and not something like I want to do. So it was a strange feeling. As the days went by, I began to find my style; how I begin every entry, how I structure it and how I close it. I mostly wrote about what happened that day (just the facts), and how did I feel my self physically and mentally. I also wrote down some plans, what I want to change. Yet, still missing some days. The main turning point was in 2023-05-01. From this day onward I could write daily, because I began to feel the benefits it brings me. It was still early to fully believe, still I wrote sometimes multiple pages; in the morning and/or in the evening; throughout the day on the weekends. It felt like a faucet was fully open and everything just flow onto the paper. First of all, I felt lighter in my head, I could keep my anxiety really low and second, it helped me focus on things that were in me, and not on the things that are on the outside. But this was a lie, although it worked somehow. I thought, I write about the things happening inside me, but after reading back those pages, I realized, I am still focusing mostly on the outside things, what I cannot control. People, work, situations. I decided I look up how could I restructure my entries, so it does not feel like a must, I'll have fun doing it, and it sets the focus on me. A journal should contain personal things, and not things about others. I have read about the daily and weekly check-ins, where I can answer some guiding questions. At first I collected 40 of them in three topics (daily self-care, questions regarding the future, deep questions about myself and my life) and I picked two or three from each, every day. I still wrote my answers in free-form and it took away almost 60 minutes from my day, and it felt again like a chore, but I just kept writing day after day. I really forced myself to face the hardest questions and answer them as openly and fully as I could.

Life is a strange thing and because it happened again, my streak came to an end after 447 days on the 2024-06-20. Yes, this was more than a year-long writing session, but still it felt a little like a chore. I could not decide if I felt some relief that I do not have to write / I cannot write, or it felt strange, because I did not write. After a blink of an eye 1.5 years went by, where I only wrote 26 entries altogether. On the second day of 2026 I picked up my journal again and I wrote a really long essay about the last missing 1.5 years. This was my longest writing in one sitting I ever did, and I still writing strong to this day. I really cannot remember when it changed, but nowadays I always look forward to pick up the pen and write something. Maybe it was when I decided to simplify the questions I work with? Or when I previously answered some of the hardest questions of my life? Now I can write about really personal things and it does not feel strange to me. (Do not ask me why did it felt strange in the first place.)

So journaling helps me to stay focused, manage my mental health (stress and anxiety), work towards my weekly or yearly goals. I leaned fully into it. Still, I don't understand, why is this happened this late? It is because I wrote long enough and tried enough, or I just found that exact structure and flow where my brain goes, "Oh, I like that!"? I do the same journaling at work, at the end of each day, but the questions are more work focused. It really skyrocketed my productivity, time management, planing.

Currently, I have more than 200 days in this streak, and it does not feel like a chore anymore. I am sure these will change again some time in the future, but I hope now I have a solid base to build upon and refine my journaling habits where it might need.

Resources

One can found an endless amount of questions, check-ins and guiding points for journaling, but here is I came up with after reading at least 1000 questions.

Daily check-ins

I answer these with maximum one or two sentences. It should never take more than 15 minutes to write, except the last point, if I have other thoughts to write about.

  1. Type of the day: normal / sporty and active / hectic / deep work / chores / social / tired and low energy / stressed / peaceful / mixed
  2. Summary and Lessons Learned
    1. The most significant moment of the day (even if small).
    2. What changed my mood (even if small).
    3. Biggest achievement or success.
    4. My mood today (depressed, calm, energetic, etc.).
    5. What emotions arose, and what triggered them.
    6. What drained me today, and what helped.
  3. Changing Course
    1. My goal for tomorrow, or 1-3 tasks.
    2. How I want to be present tomorrow.
  4. Wrap-up
    1. One thing I'm grateful for today.
    2. Other thoughts (free-form writing).

Weekly summary

I answer these in free form, but I try to limit to maximum of 1 hour. In the meantime I can enjoy a cup of tea.

  1. What went well this week? (Think back on the positive experiences or successes.)
  2. What was challenging for me? (Reflect on the obstacles and difficulties, and how they were handled.)
  3. What did I learn? (Identify the lessons from these challenging experiences.)
  4. How did I feel this week? (Describe the emotions or any significant fluctuations.)
  5. What am I grateful for this week? (Highlight specific moments that brought joy.)
  6. How did I take care of myself? (Reflect on the time and activities.)
  7. What are my goals for the coming week? (Set realistic and actionable goals.)
  8. Did I connect with others? (Reflect on the interactions and relationships nurtured or neglected.)
  9. How do I envision my ideal week ahead? (Imagine the successes of the coming week.)
  10. Do I have any other comments or thoughts? (Write down any other thoughts that cannot be answered with the questions above.)