Ideas for journaling
“What got you to actually keep a journal?”
17 answers from 17 people · Updated Sep 25, 2026
This day last year, what did I care about? Two years ago today, what funny thing did my toddler say? How to actually make time for a daily journal? The answer is a five-year journal. One page per calendar day (September 4) and each page has entries for five years (2024,2025,2026,2027,2028).I look forward to picking it up each day to see what I was up to, and I’ll actually write in it bc each entry is short - just a few lines. It’s powerful to see patterns YOY and perspective shift - one year later, can’t remember what “lots of work stress” was even about!
I've never actually managed to keep a real journal despite my best intentions, but this line a day one (that spans 5 years) is excellent. I keep it on my nightstand and try to write one thing about my day, whether it's a note of gratitude or what I did. It's fun to see prior years at the same time and an easier habit to keep up with little time.
4
I’ve been doing this for eight years now, and it’s become an integral part of my daily life, as well as a yearly practice. Every day I simply jot down what happened and how it made me feel—just a few sentences or phrases, and it takes only a few minutes. As I write, I can glance at previous years above (since each page will hold 5 years of the same date) and notice what has stayed the same and what has changed. A tiny reflection. At the end of the whole year, I read through the entire journal (the lines for that year) cover to cover. As I’m reading, I take notes on what I like and what I don’t like. What I want to see change, what I would like to do more of. The people and events that brought me joy. And those that didn’t. It can be so easy to forget the small things. The mundane smiles of a Tuesday in February. I then use those notes to help cohere my thoughts around any changes I’d like to make in my life for the next year and anything I’d like to double down on. These journals to me are such a great example of “little big change”: some small adjustment that, when done every day, makes a big difference!
31
I’ve never in my life filled a journal and I’ve been in the same one since 2017 (🫣) I’d never able to sustain momentum until I saw this Austin Kleon post about date stamps. I got one, and now I at least stamp the date daily, and sometimes that leads to more. It’s not pressuring myself to journal, it’s just an easy first step and then I can see if I feel like taking another. Now, with a little luck, I might manage to put this journal to bed before hitting its 10 year birthday.
27
Rifle Paper Co. Stitched Notebooks
The three-pack stitched notebook sets from Rifle Paper Co. are beautiful and blissfully short, which means I get to experience the joy of filling up a diary to the last page more frequently! The three-packs also typically last me about a year, which feels vaguely poetic.
1
introducing you to my one and only true love: the a6 midori grid notebook. small but mighty—it lays flat, is not intimidating to write in as you can fill up a page quite easily, and little to no bleed in the pages.
the perfect planner, and the only one i've liked enough to use for more than like 3 weeks. as a self-employed therapist, i have a lot of appointments, paperwork, and random things to keep track of on my own, and this planner is all i need! the a6 size is small and so cute, which makes it perfect to throw in a purse. i bring mine everywhere!! will be ordering every year for the rest of my life, most likely.
13
Maybe I’m just maturing or maybe it’s the planner, but this is the only one I’ve ever been able to stay consistent with. I got the CP Petite starter bundle which is a discbound system that comes with a bunch of different planner formats to try out and see which works best for you, then you can order your desired inserts separately. They have dated and undated inserts. I know there are some other similar ones out there but this one is very aesthetically pleasing to me and I love all the customizable options.
3
literally so simple but prompts you to write 750 words per day and then shows you stats… in my ideal world i would hand journal stream of consciousness every day, but i find this so much more approachable since im already sitting at my computer all the time
2
I’m a fair weather journal-er. Not much makes me cringe but reading my unedited, inner thoughts? No thank you. Plus a blank page is too intimidating. I ordered this because I am not a fan of summer and figured maybe this would help me work through my feelings of this season and perhaps remind me of the very few parts I do like. If I lived way up north I think I could romanticize summer but Atlanta is not her best in the heat!
14
Dream interpreter here. The best dream journal is the one within reach the moment you wake up. Get one that has good vibes but isn’t too pretty to scribble illegibly in; unlined so you can write in it with the lights off, with your eyes mostly closed, etc.; and has a pen attached, so you don’t have to go looking for one. Skip the prompts — that part of your brain isn’t online yet (and that’s a good thing). Do analysis journaling somewhere completely separate.🌙
32
Buying a fresh bullet journal each year
Perfect page weight to barf all your mediums all over it or just scribble your thoughts,plan your week, write your to do list down in yet another place … glue all your paper ephemera and turn it into a junk journal … this notebook does it all
1
It’s little, lo-fi, easy, and cheap. I love printing funny memes or images and collaging them into my journal to match the mood. I’m too indecisive for color, so black and white everything is perfect.
123
I've got a 'one line a day' journal. I'm not allowed to be mad at myself if i miss a day.
One sentence a day? I can do that most days. A colleague is on her seventh year of doing this. I'm on month nine
5
I have an aversion to “journaling” apparently. I’ve always thought of it as a more serious ordeal than it needs to be (thank you bullet journal craze of the late 2010s) at the start of this year I started a “diary” instead. I write in it every day, even if it’s just a sentence or two, but the “dear diary” really lowered the stakes for me. So I guess if journaling doesn’t work for you, try a diary.
62
Morning pages has changed my life. You can learn more in Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way. But the assignment is simple - every day (ideally in the morning) write 3 stream-of-consciousness pages about whatever the eff is in your head. No pressure, just start writing. You will be amazed at what comes out. And it will open up brain space for creativity and inspiration. It takes me about 20 minutes, and I usually don't manage to do it every day. But when I do, I thank myself!
7
For the longest time, I thought typing wouldn’t count, but I’d avoid the pressure of writing in my journal or just plain not have it on me when inspiration struck. Then one day I realized I’d rather have my thoughts and memories typed on my little phone screen than not have them documented at all?? Also, being able to add pics from my camera roll changed the game for me. I still get journal intimidation, but I’m also writing more than I ever have before? 🤷♀️
3
