Knowing that you should develop a new habit and knowing where to begin are never the same thing. If you haven’t yet, be sure to read the previous post, Journaling: A Mini-Series. Now that you know it is vital to journal, you might sit down with a pencil in your hand and a notebook on your table and….. now what?
Simple venting in the ‘arms’ of the journal will still help you alleviate the stresses of the day, but some guidance and intentional writing will help you to get the most out of your time.
Topics for Journaling
With all of the issues we face, it might not be easy to know what to include in your journal. Use this list as just a few of the options available.
- Things that have left a great impact on you
- Events, especially things such as conferences and workshops, and grab the vital main points
- Quotes that you really enjoyed that struck a note with you
- Goals you want to achieve
- Reviews on movies, books, and music
- The little moments– moments that bring gratitude and joy so you can reflect on them later
- Places you visit
- Mementos, such as a photograph, ticket, postcard or letter (washi tape is amazing, if you didn’t already know)
- Tracking the progress in an area
- Books you want to read
- Movies you want to watch
- Brainstorming, complete with a thought map
- Lessons you’ve learned/revelations you may have had
- Things you want to learn
- Areas for improvement
- New ways to improve at your job
- Qualities that are needed to be successful at your job
- New vocabulary words
- Notes on courses, sermons, podcasts
- Something that you are excited about (especially if you want to stay passionate)
- Someone you find influential
- A step-by-step description of an argument
- The battles you’re facing
- The victories you’ve collected, especially if you’ve written about the problem
