7 Tips for Keeping a Journal

Written by Paul Piotrowski - Sunday, November 4th, 2007

If there is one personal development tool that has had an impact on my success even greater than the +500 books I’ve read, it would definitely be journaling. Journaling is something that I have found very few people embracing as a personal development tool.

Most people look at it like something teenage girls might keep (a Diary), but few grown men that I know will admit to keeping a journal. I really don’t understand why. Einstein kept many journals, and so did Leonardo Da Vinci.

As far as I’m concerned, keeping a personal journal is an absolute necessity.

Here are 7 tips for maximizing the benefits of journaling in your life:

Purchase the nicest journal you can afford. Find a good quality journal that will last for a LONG time. You might also want to use acid-free pens when writing in your journals. Your thoughts ARE important, and it’s important to treat them that way. Don’t cheap out and buy a crappy journal and then wonder why you can’t seem to discipline yourself to write in it.
Use whatever handwriting style you can write the fastest in while still being able to read it. Don’t worry about making it pretty. Speed is important so that you can capture as much of your thoughts as possible.
Start every entry with the date and time. Develop this habit from the very first entry. Don’t write a single word until you first put the date and time.
Make sure your journal stays private. To get full benefits from journaling, you need to be able to be totally honest and just write what’s on your mind. This means you need to be sure that nobody is reading your journals. If you’d like to share something from your journal with someone else, I suggest you read it to them instead of allowing them to read it themselves. Make sure you make it clear to your spouse, and anyone else who might encounter your journals that they are private.
Don’t set any rules as far as entry length is concerned. Some of my entries ended up being just the date. I wrote the date, had absolutely nothing to write or was way too tired to write, so I just closed the journal and went to bed. Other entries are dozens of pages long. Just write whatever you want, for however long you want. Don’t try to write a certain amount. This should be a fun activity for you, not a chore.
Don’t’ set any rules as to how often you write either. I currently write almost every day. Some days multiple times per day. However, when I first started I only wrote several times a week. It takes a bit of time to work your way up to writing regularly. Don’t worry about it too much. Just write when you have the desire to do so. If you find yourself writing less than once a week, however, you might want to see if there’s some excuse blocking you from journaling. If you’re finding that you do not have any time to write in your journal, it’s a clear indicator that you are not scheduling any “alone” time for yourself. Make sure you do this. Everyone needs alone time.
Once you finish a journal, find a safe place to keep it. After keeping journals for a few years you’ll be amazed at the value they provide to you. You’ll be able to measure progress in your life by reading old entries, have some good laughs at what used to bother you, and realize that a lot of the dreams you once had are now a reality. Old journals can be very empowering tools. Keep them safe and private.

If you haven’t started journaling yet, I really encourage your to get started today.

I got started after watching a video where some older man (I don’t know who it was) made this statement about journaling: “If your life is worth living, it’s worth recording.”

Ever since then, I’ve been keeping a journal. I figure that if I live a 24 hour day or a week and I have absolutely NOTHING new to write in my journal, then there’s definitely something wrong. There’s either NOTHING happening in my life, or I need to open my eyes more. Journaling has helped me to pay attention more to my life, my thoughts, my feelings, my progress, my goals, my dreams and all of the things I have learned in life.

I would really encourage everyone to keep a journal.