A Walk-Through for First-Time Journalers

You want to start a journaling habit, but you haven’t.

Let me walk you through the process. I’ll do this with you in italics. Have your tools handy. I leave my journal and pen on the kitchen table, where I write each morning. Let’s start there for now.

Put the coffee on to brew. Sit in front of your journal. You’ll be finished by the time the coffee is ready.

Take a breath. Look around.

Did you have a good night’s sleep? Write at least one complete sentence about it. (Complete sentences mean you're not writing the question.) I woke up before my alarm and didn’t want to go back to sleep.

Look around. Do you see something that sparks joy? Write at least one sentence. My girls are visiting their other grandparents this week. I hope they have a great time.

One more sentence. Write the first thing that pops into your head. I think I’ll hang the picture Pearl drew of Arlo in here. It would look good above the strawberry plate.

You just journaled your first entry. The coffee is ready!

There are hundreds of prompts you can use. Or you can free journal, which is similar to what we did above. The prompts I gave you reflect my flow of thought.

Writing my answers above (in italics) took less than five minutes.

When I began journaling, I stuck to three sentences of gratitude for 18 months. That worked for me. You are not me. Do what works for you.

Don’t forget this last step:

Plan to do it again tomorrow. The same routine will work.