𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡'𝙨 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚

📔 𝙅𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 📔

Written by -SarcasticMalfoy-

-Step One-

Find something to contain your journal entries. Traditionally, people who kept journals used literal, physical journals - small paper notebooks. You may want to use a cheap spiral or composition notebook or opt for a nicer hardcover journal. Today, however, a variety of additional digital options are also available. Any sort of computer program that allows you to input and saves text is a potential journal - conventional word processors work well, as do free cloud-based writing programs like Google Docs.

-Step Two-'

Start your first entry by setting the scene. To begin writing in your journal, label your first entry with the date, time, and, optionally, location. For instance, you might start with "Monday, January 1, 1.00 p.m., Bedroom". Next, if you'd like to, write a salutation. Many journal-writers like to use "Dear Journal" or a similar greeting to start each entry. However, this is completely optional. 

-Step Three-

Write! Let your emotions flow!There's no right way to write in your journal - however you feel in the moment is how you should write. In terms of subject matter, don't hold back - no topic is off limits. Your feelings, dreams, crush, family life, and much more are topics you might consider exploring. Or, if you're feeling pretty average, you might just describe your day! Let your heart flow through your pen or keyboard. Get your true feelings down on the page - don't settle for anything less.

-Step Four-
Develop a routine.Journals are best if they're added to frequently. Writing often allows you to keep constant, ongoing record of your thoughts and feelings. So, keep writing! It's easy to lose steam after the first few enthusiastic entries, but the benefits of keeping a journal are greatest if you can manage to make a routine of it. Many journal-writers like to add an entry every night before bed. This is a healthy routine because it allows the writer to relax and unwind at the end of the day by "letting out" any lingering emotions. Be sure to write honestly, don't overthink it, and stay focused.

-Step Five-
Re-read your past entries for insights. Why write your thoughts down if you never intend to read them? It's always good to take a few minutes every once in a while to look at your finished work. You may be surprised by how you felt in the past! Being able to assess your past thoughts and emotions objectively with the benefit of being separated from them by time can give you insights into how to proceed with your life in the future. Use your past entries to reflect on your life. As you read, ask yourself questions like, "Am I the same person who wrote this entry?", "Is my life going the way I want it to?", and "How can I work to solve any problems that may have been troubling me when I wrote this entry?"

-Step Six-
Give your journal some personal style. Each entry in your journal should be uniquely "you". Unless you're keeping a journal solely to record the empirical facts of each day (miles walked, tasks completed, etc.), you should try to have fun with your journal entries! Add doodles in the margins, lyrics, movies reviews, and anything else you want - it's all up to you!

-Step Seven-
Take your journal with you as you travel. If you don't have your journal, you can't write in it! Travel is one of the best opportunities for journal writing - long days spent in planes, trains, and automobiles offer plenty of chances to write at length, and the unique experiences you often find yourself in while traveling practically beg for comment. Write frequently as you travel and be a constant observer - keep your eyes and ears open for new sensations and experiences so that you can write about them. The experiences you have while travelling can be some of the most influential ones in your life. Discovering the beauty of nature, making a friend in a far-off place, and even simply leaving your home can shape you, so document these things!