Journaling is a great way to express yourself, document your life, and get organized. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), writing down everything you're grateful for can make someone happier in their life. There are many different types of journals, from diaries to bullet journals, that can help you achieve your goals. Let's take a look at 12 types of journals and how they can help you. The most basic type of journal is a diary.
This involves writing down what happened to you, like your childhood diaries. It can be a long and detailed account of every hour, or a short list like the logbook of writer Austin Kleon. It can be a space to process, including your thoughts and feelings about what happened that day, or be a more objective story. A popular version is the exercise “morning pages” in The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron.
The idea is to freely write three pages each morning, challenging yourself not to stop writing until it's done (even if that means writing “I don't know what to write again and again).If you simply want to document your day or a special holiday, a vignette journal may be a better option. As the name suggests, this is the most basic diary, just write down how you feel. This can help in several ways: it can be therapeutic and release tension and anxiety, or it can provide an outlet for processing difficult emotions. A bulleted journal is a flexible (very popular) style of journaling that lets you organize everything from to-do lists, milestones and goals to personal reflections and things you don't want to forget. Some people use an existing planner and turn it into a bullet journal, but you can also start with a blank page, creating boxes and sections to fit into anything you want to write about. Keeping a gratitude journal is easy and can really encourage your brain to focus on good things, which can lead to positive changes in all areas of life.
Even if you are going through difficult times, you should be able to think 3 to 5 things that you are grateful for. Try to be as specific as possible. Open it every morning or night and write a list of all the things you're thankful for. Some free writing journals have prompts to help you think about what to write. While some people like this, since I don't write every day, I usually have something specific in mind when I pick up my pen.
If you need some journal prompts, then I have a publication with 94 thought-provoking journal prompts for self-discovery. If you need to get organized, then there are magazines out there that focus more on planning and organizing than keeping a diary. The simple elephant planner is my choice for the daily planner I found on Amazon. It's a good bridge between a planner and a diary. Focuses on lenses without cutting or drying out, comes in different colors and includes stickers.
There are also places for reflection, gratitude and mindfulness, mind maps and the vision board. This is the thank you diary that I presented in my raffle. It has simple prompts that allow you to focus on something good every day, such as “people I am grateful for today”. The entries are brief, so it doesn't take much time, and at the same time shift your focus to the things you're grateful for. As I said earlier, the only person you have to please with a diary is yourself. Many people who use bulleted journals enjoy color-coding them and say that using sophisticated pens helps them get the motivation to write on them on a regular basis, as well as helping them with their organization. Even if you haven't started journaling yet, there are many different types of journals available that can help you express yourself and get organized.
Choose the one that works best for you and start writing!.
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