Journaling not sticking? Part 3: New Journal, New Purpose
You bought a new journal, now where do you start?
I’ve said this before and I will say it again: the secret they don't tell you about habits like bullet journaling is that you have to make it work for you. You have to take what you see others doing and adjust it to meet your needs. Often times we try to fit our needs into someone else’s way of journaling. We see all these beautiful spreads on Instagram and Pinterest and get inspired. Then a day or week or month later we realize that journaling is unsustainable. It’s because you set yourself up for failure. Again, you to make journaling work for you and that means journaling in a way that meets your needs.
Maybe you want journaling to be your to do list for the week. Maybe you want journaling to be the act of releasing your feelings, emotions, and experiences of the day. Maybe you want journaling to be a place where you organize and plan your life for the week. Maybe you want journaling to be where you track your fitness goals. Maybe, like me, you want your journal to be a combination of all of the above. Whatever your goal is, start with your needs first. Sit down and reflect on these 2 questions: what is my goal/the outcome or result I want to achieve? and why do I want to journal?
My goal: to backwards plan my life and track my progress toward my annual, monthly, and daily goals and purpose
My purpose: to hold myself accountable to living a balanced life with purpose
Here are my steps for starting a new journal:
Because my goal is to backwards plan and track my progress towards leading a balanced life, the first few pages of my journal are trackers and reminders of what this means to me.
Step 1: Identify my goal and purpose for journaling. Again, this is meant to set you up for success with the habit of journaling - you need journaling to meet your needs not the other way around.
Step 2: Decide how much time you will devote to journaling on a weekly or daily basis. Do you have time to go all in or do you want to be a minimalist like me? This will guide step 3.
Step 3: Do some research - google it or look at Pinterest or Instagram for styles of journaling that meet your needs.
Step 4: Setup your journal to align with your goals and purpose and begin. Watch the video to the right to see how I setup my journal.
After years of trial and error, I have been journaling for over 1 year straight. I have allowed bullet journaling to be what I need it to be in the moment. Sometimes it's a list. Sometimes it’s a blank page. Sometimes it's a bunch of post-its. It is what it needs to be for me.
So take time to celebrate your successes, accept your failures, and fully embrace the messiness that comes with starting something new.
