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Keeping a journal is one of those things that I always wanted to do but had a really difficult time starting. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that entries don’t have to start with “Dear Diary…” and don’t have to be lengthy accounts of your day. After I threw the old-fashioned idea of the daily journal out the window, I could finally relax and write whatever I wanted do. If you’d like to take a shot at journaling but, like me, aren’t impressed by the conventional format, here are a few new ones you can try:
The One-Liner
Looking for a low, low maintenance way to keep a journal? The one-liner is for you. The premise is that you write one, and only one, line or sentence per entry. It can sum up your day, be a cool idea you had, or just be your favorite song lyric at the moment. It should take no time at all but makes for something just as meaningful as a notebook filled with long-winded journal entries.
The Collage
Who ever said journals had to be filled strictly with your own writing? You could cut up magazines, put in pictures, or glue things in at random to make a really cool collage of your life. Each page ends up looking like a work of art, plus it’s great for people who’d prefer to express themselves using things other than their own words.
Foster’s Home for Disjointed Thoughts
A journal doesn’t have to be filled with complete, coherent thoughts in order to be a great journal. Writing down random thoughts or observations is a quick and honest way of conveying your thoughts at any given moment. It might even help if you dream of writing a book or making a stellar work of art someday. Legend has it that renowned author Virginia Woolf came up with the idea for The Waves by looking back on an old diary entry that included the observation of a fin poking out of water.
Letters
Letters are great because they have a formal structure that can save you the time typically spent on thinking up what to write next. You can write letters to one person, a bunch of people, or even your future self. No sending required, meaning you don’t have to spend too much time worrying about what you’re actually saying.
Dreams
Dreams wait for no one and can’t be placed on a schedule, so don’t expect consistency with your dream journal. The trick to keeping this kind of journal is to write down your dreams as soon as you wake up. The moments that seem so vivid and significant when you first open your eyes may just slip away within the next ten minutes. Dream journals are super fun because you can let your sleeping brain do all the work, and just jot something down the next morning.
Prompts
Remember in middle school when your teacher had you keep a journal and would give you prompts to write about every day? Try doing that again, but this time put yourself in charge of picking the prompts. This is a great way to start out if the thought of writing about yourself turns you away from journaling. There are literally millions of prompts out there, but this tumblr page is filled with quirky ones and is a great place to start.
Lists
Favorite movies, pet peeves, most exciting classes – a journal is a great place to list all the things that make you you. The fun part is when you run out of traditional lists and have to think up some really obscure ones. Ever thought to list out your favorite cartoon characters from your childhood? The grossest foods you’ve ever eaten? The worst ideas you’ve had thus far? Now’s the time to delve into all the nitty-gritty details of your life.
Reviews
As a human, you’re bound to have opinions, why not jot them down? Pretend you’re a critic and write a review for the latest movie you saw, book you read, or makeup product you bought. You can determine your own rating system and style without having to worry about prying eyes looking to judge your opinion. Plus, you might even find out that you are so good at reviewing things that you can make a career out of it.
Whatever You Feel Like
Why limit yourself to keeping just one type of journal? Go in with the idea that you can write about anything in any style or length you want, as long as you stick to a schedule. When the pressure’s off, you can really let your creativity flow and see journaling as something you have total control over, not a chore you have to do.
E-Journals
The future is here and now you can keep journals right on your phone. Pros are that you can take it wherever you go (and probably will, if it’s on your treasured iPhone) plus you can insert snippets of your day, like pictures and videos, in the time it takes to send a text. Day One is the holy grail of e-journal apps, but you should scour the app store a bit until you find the perfect one for you.
Pick whatever style of journal feels right for you, and go start one! It can’t hurt. My number one tip for journal writing is to do what you can and don’t make it a chore. There’s something inherently peaceful about writing something that can be whatever you want it to be. On that note, grab a pen (or phone) and have fun journaling!