How to Start a Journal: The Helpful Beginner’s Guide

Learning how to journal has been one of the best things for helping me get a grip on my mindset.

It’s taken me from just writing about my feelings to figuring out who I need to be and what actions I need to take in order to see certain results.

And if you’re a beginner and want to learn more about how to start a journal, then this article will guide you in the steps, techniques, and strategies you can take.

You’ll be able to understand how journaling can help you with the right method, and even some of my favorite supplies (nothing sponsored)!

It really is a powerful tool, and even if you’re new to the world of journaling, this guide will help you navigate journal writing and your own personal growth, self-discovery, and self-reflection.

So whether you want to get more creative, document your daily life, or practice self-care, these tips will help inspire you to get your started on the practice of journaling.

Oh, and one last thing. If you’ve struggle to be consistent with journaling and you have countless notebooks and journals lying around that have never been used, I’ll help you out with that too! You’ll finally be able to start your journaling journey and see things in your life starting to get better.

Ok, now let’s gets on with helping you learn how to write a journal!

---

In This Article:

• What is Journaling?
• Why Start a Journal?
• How to Start A Journal: 6 Steps
• Journaling Supplies to Try
• Journal Recommendation
• A Simple Guided Journal You Can Try

---

What is Journaling?

At its core, journaling is the act of recording your ideas, thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a dedicated space to write.

And it can look different for many people! It can include writing in a traditional journal, creating art, or even giving digital platforms a try.

Also, journaling serves multiple purposes such as self-expression, stress relief, goal setting, and personal development. Or even guiding you into a deeper understanding of yourself and your experiences.

So however you choose to start your journaling process, just know that there isn’t a wrong way, it’s whatever you need right now.

---

Why Start a Journal?

There are so many benefits to starting your own journal!

So whether you’re feeling overwhelmed and want to find a way to unwind and get your thoughts onto paper, or you wanna get to know yourself better, there are so many reasons to start.

And here are a few benefits of journaling that’ll help inspire you to get started:

• Improves your mental health
• Helps you reach goals and dreams
• Boosts your motivation
• Makes you more productive
• Inspires your creativity
• Calms your mind
• Helps you solve problems
• Encourages growth
• Boosts confidence and self-belief
• Increases focus
• Helps you to be more self-aware
• Encourages mindfulness
• Grows your communication skills

---

How to Start a Journal: 6 Steps

Starting a journal is pretty easy. You just need a notebook, a good pen, and an understanding as to why you want to start. Everything else is optional.

1. Set Clear Intentions

Before you figure out how to start a journal entry, you need to set clear intentions and understand your why.

So why do you want to start a journal?

To make the most of your journaling, it’s important that you’re understanding the reason behind it.

Think about what you hope to accomplish when starting a journal from sratch:

• Are you wanting to grow in self-reflection?
• Do you want to explore your creativity?
• Do you wanna work towards personal development?
• Do you want to become a more grateful pereson?
• Do you want to solve certain problems in your life?
• Do you want to be more mindful?
• Do you just want to reduce stress?

Defining the exact reason why you want to start a journal will help you start things out on the right foot and keep you going. You’ll have a clear path of where you should go, and a better understanding if you should change direction in the future.

2. Choose the Right Journal

The first step in starting is selecting the right journal for you.

Think about the types of journals that appeal to you—lined, blank, or digital—and focus on their advantages and drawbacks. Some prefer pen and paper because it helps them get out of their head. And others find digital platforms more convenient.

Also, there are many other journal styles out there. Here are a few to think about:

• Bullet journal
• Art Journal
• Daily Journal
• Morning Pages
• Gratitude Journal
• Guided Journal
• Travel Journal
• Dream Journal
• Reading Journal
• Scrapbook
• Reflective Journal
• Junk Journal
• Stream of Consciousness Journaling
• Food journal

Just know that there’s no wrong answer here; it’s whatever you feel will help you best or works for your life right now.

3. Establish a Routine

Consistency is beyond important when it comes to journaling. So make sure you’re setting aside dedicated time in your daily or weekly schedule for journaling.

Find a peaceful and comfortable space where you feel that you can freely express yourself and not get distracted.

By putting journaling into your routine, you’re making sure it actually happens, and that you’re seeing consistent growth, changes, and specific results.

Important Note About When to Journal : You can journal for as long as you want. There’s no specific amount of time or pages that’s right. You could journal anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes. It all depends on what works for you and your schedule.

4. Use Journaling Prompts for Your Journal Entries

If you go with a specific type of journaling style like morning pages or a gratitude journal, then journaling prompts can be very helpful.

Journal prompts are questions you ask when journaling that help guide your thoughts and make your more mindful.

They help you explore new perspectives, challenge assumptions, or inspire creativity. Also, they’re just a great way to make sure you never feel stuck when journaling.

Oh, and you can even experiment with prompts related to gratitude, self-reflection, personal goals, or fictional scenarios. This is just a great way to challenge yourself, but also have fun with creativity!

Basically, if you’re trying to figure out how to write a journal entry, then prompts will make it much easier for you.

And if you want to try them right now, then check out this post on 74 Journaling Prompts that’ll help you get started!

5. Embrace Authenticity & Honesty With Yourself

If you want to fully understand how to create a journal that actually works, then this step is a must.

When you’re journaling, make sure you’re being authentic.

Be honest with your reflections and emotions. No one is watching, reading, judging, or make you feel guilty for having certain thoughts and beliefs.

It’s just you and no one else. So just remember that this is all for you and what you personally need. Not what you think others would want you to say or feel.

Also, don’t let self-shaming come into play when you’re learning how to write journal entries and delving deeper into self-reflection. Yes, ugly things are gonna come up and that’s ok; it’s all apart of the process and helping you grow.

And when you’re being authentic and vulnerable with yourself, you’re able to have a much deeper self-understanding and find more ways to look at situations.

6. Reflect on Your Entries

Every so often, take the time to reflect on your journal entries.

Look for patterns, recurring themes, or insights that show up over time.

This reflection allows you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, identify areas of personal growth, and celebrate milestones along your journey.

Also, think about using different colored pens or markers to highlight significant moments or thoughts in your entries.

---

Journaling Supplies to Try

Now this one is definitely just an option, but I will make a few recommendations!

Also, having the colorful journaling supplies helps make journaling a lot more fun. 🤷‍♀️

Side Note: If I put a link in for any of these items, I make no money off of it. It’s just a suggestion, nothing sponsored and no affiliate links.

• These pastel highlights are great and can almost give a watercolor feel.
• Gel pens for easy and clear writing.
• White-out for mistakes.
• Rulers for getting precise and creative.
• Stickers, printed images, and anything else that can inspire and help your journaling.
• Stick glue and clear tape for putting those printed images and other items onto your journal.

---

Journal Recommendation

I really do love pretty journals, and they can definitely help make journaling a lot more enjoyable.

And while having the perfect journal isn’t necessary (a simple notebook from a store will do), I thought I’d give my recommendation.

I really like Papier’s journals (not sponsored); they’re super pretty and I remember getting one for Christmas a few years ago and loving the design!

It’s just something to check out if you’re interested, and having a design you like can help make writing in it even more fun. 🙂

---

A Simple Guided Journal You Can Try

If you’d like to get started with a journal today, then the 5-Minute Journal by Tim Ferris is a very easy place to start.

They’re simple morning and evening pages that help you focus on things like what you’re grateful for, what would make today great, and how you could have made today better.

You can check out the free 5-Minute Journal here, and it’s on page 3. Also, you can print it out or just write down the prompts in a journal or notebook. It’s up to you!

Also, I wanted to suggest this journal because sometimes when you’re starting out on something new, everything can feel a bit overwhelming. But this simple guided journal is a great way to get started and will help you become a much more mindful person.

---

Journaling is such an incredible experience, and I really do hope that you’re able to get a lot more clarity and understanding as you start.

I’ve used it so many times to help me get through difficult situations, and get a better handle on things, so I know it’s going to help you out too!

So give journaling a try and let me know what you think!