The number of people keeping journals is rising by the day. Yet, there are still many people who want to start a journal, but are reluctant, because they don't know what to write in it.
If you find yourself in this boat, you're in luck. This article discusses six ways you can use your journal. These ideas should get the ball rolling, and help you to be more confident about starting a journal.
The truth is that a journal can include literally anything you can think of! A journal can be an outline for a book, research notes, observations, stories, and the list goes on. Below are some popular journal ideas that people use to create journals every day.
If you would like to learn about some things you can write in a journal, keep reading. And keep in mind that one journal is just that. You can always start a new journal and do something completely different in it. Some people even keep several journals at a time, but that's a different topic for another time.
6 Types of Journals to Start Today
Here are the seven types of journals you can start and keep today. You can start one or more journals at a time, depending on your preference.
Goal Setting & Tracking
In today's culture, millions of people are striving to be better beings, break habits and build new ones, become healthier, make more money, etc. And anyone who is serious about setting and achieving a goal typically will start by writing it down.
In addition to writing down a goal, you will want to track your progress along the way. You can keep track of how you're feeling day to day, as you work toward your goal. You can track what you're doing to take steps toward your goal. You can record your thoughts about the things you learn along the way. Goal setting and tracking is a very popular type of journal that millions of people keep daily. If you have goals you'd like to achieve, this is a great journal to start today.
Record Keeping or Documenting
So much happens in the world around us, from day to day, and in 200 years, it would be pretty cool for someone to have written record (besides the news) of happenings. Also, it would be awesome to read about the world from an observers perspective. Remember Anne Frank's account of what was happening in the world around her? Very different from the history books and documentaries, right?
Not that you have to become the next Anne Frank or anything, but the people in your family might like to hear what you have to say. That leads to another great thing about keeping a documentary type of journal. It builds legacy. Your journal could be something that you keep in your family for centuries to come. Your children's children's children, or your nieces and nephews may want to hold on to a piece of their ancestry, and your journal could be just that. How do you feel about a piece of you living on forever? Some of our greatest men and women who have graced this earth, kept journals that we used to build philosophies and beliefs from to run our world.
ALSO READ: THE BENEFITS OF JOURNALING
Diary or Therapeutic
People are likely to imagine a teenage girl, when the word diary is mentioned, but to be honest, millions of people, mostly adults, keep diaries. Some people write diary-style about their day to day experiences. Some keep food diaries. Others use their diary as a therapeutic release.
Diary-style journaling allows you to just write out how you're feeling about any and everything happening in your life, or in your head. Just putting pen to paper helps people to feel better about getting it out. This style of writing is a form of therapy, because it helps to process thoughts, keep you from spewing your unfiltered thoughts to other people, and gives you someplace to release your thoughts and feelings.
Many therapists suggest that a person keeps a journal for the sake of working through thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It causes people to be more aware of what's happening and how they're responding to things as they go throughout their daily lives. If you're a person who needs a place to release or process your thoughts and feelings, diary-style journaling may be right for you.
Personal Growth & Development
People who are interested in becoming more well-rounded beings are likely to start a journal that focuses on personal growth and development. Though this is a broad topic, the development item you choose may be more specific. You may want to start a healthy hair journey, a healthy nutrition journey, and positive thinking journey.
Whatever the area of improvement, you can start a journal for it. And usually, people have found that when you start in one area, you end up in another on a similar journey. Why? Because it's all connected. When you get better in one area, other areas of improvement or development present themselves and the journey is never-ending.
Can you think of an area in your life that could use some development? If you answered yes, you could benefit from starting a personal growth and development journal.
ALSO READ: HOW TO START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
Educational
You remember when you were in school, and you kept a notebook for each class that covered different topics? An educational journal is similar. The only difference is that you get to choose what you learn about now. Whatever you're interested in, you can study it, research it, and build your knowledge around it.
Many authors keep an educational journal that includes their notes, outlines, character development, historical facts, and other pieces of information that make up the details of their books. You don't have to be an author to keep this kind of journal, though. Out of pure curiosity, you can write about things you observe, study, or research, simply to learn more about them.
Learning and exercising our brains keep our minds sharp into old age. So, if for no other reason, you could keep an educational journal just to keep your mind working efficiently over the years. Any topics you've been interested in, but haven't explored so far?
Art
People who are creative at heart, might want to start an art journal. Art journals are books filled with drawings, doodles, or paintings that each tell their own story. If you have a knack for painting a picture rather than writing words, you might want to start an art journal.
People use different mediums to create art journals. Some use pastels, watercolor paints, pencil, pen, marker. It's up to you to choose what you like best. It's your journal, after all.
The point here is to grab a blank book and make it whatever you want it to become. In journaling, you have freedom. You can be creative. You can be organized. You can be sloppy. But most importantly, you can be you.
If you're ready to jump in and start journaling, start here. Welcome to the world of journaling. You're gonna love it here!
