Welcome back to our “Year of Journaling” Series, Every Monday you will find a new post that relates to journaling and how it can help you.
Last week we talked about How to Journal Just Once a Week. And this week we are on the topic of The Different Phases of Journaling.
In the year ahead we shall be covering things such as:
- Why it Can Be Hard to Stick to a Journaling Routine
- How to Use Your Journal to Create a Bucket List
- What People Get Wrong About Journaling
- And so much more…
So be sure to pop back every Monday for your next installment, or check out all the Year of Journaling posts so far!
Do you prefer the mountains, desert, or ocean?
This weeks journal prompt
The Different Phases of Journaling
When you first start committing to writing in a journal, there are a few different phases you will likely go through. While not everyone’s experience is exactly the same, this trend of phases is fairly common.
Understanding them will help you to prepare and hopefully be able to work through them and find your motivation to keep going.
Beginning Stage – Getting Ready and Excited
The first stage of journaling is typically the planning stage and when you are getting really excited about the prospect.
You can start shopping around for journals, think about what you will write about, dream and imagine how your life will change. This is a really fun and exciting stage of journaling.
Have fun with it, enjoy the experience of finding the perfect journal, and start looking for some topics you want to write about.
Your First Few Journal Entries
Next, you will start writing in your journal, which often encompasses some of your biggest ideas.
Many people start slow with what their goals are or what they’re thinking about, while others like to start journaling by talking about their day and just whatever is on their mind. These first few entries tend to be easy to do since you’re just getting started.
You often begin writing with the thoughts in the front of your mind, what has been weighing on you the most or what you spend the most time thinking about.
Slowly Running Out of Topics and Motivation
You may get to a phase in your journaling when you are a little burnt out, are running out of ideas, and might even skip a day or two.
This can happen gradually, where you slowly start using your journal less, or maybe it takes a little longer to figure out what you want to write about.
Skipping More Days and Reaching Burnout
Inevitably, you reach burnout. You skip more days, and you start losing interest in journaling.
Not everyone goes through this, but often when you don’t know why you are journaling, aren’t sure it is benefiting you, or your mind keeps changing with how you want to journal, burnout happens.
But don’t worry – there are many ways to get back on track.
Finding New Inspiration
Hopefully, you can find new inspiration, and get back to journaling.
This may come in many forms. Maybe you decide to go in a different direction and take a different approach, or you think about why you started journaling in the first place and that sparks some ideas.
Inspiration can be found in so many ways, just through the act of not giving up and continuing to write.
Full Year of Journaling Free Printable
Enjoy journaling this year by printing out this free printable journal full of prompts. This will help you get started with your journaling in an organized way and will provide you with many thoughtful reflection topics.
This is the journal for the whole year, with 53 weeks of journaling pages, one for every week of the year, plus a variety of other lined and doodle pages as well.
Journal Pages Include:
Cover Page
“This Journal Belongs To” Page
Journal Prompts Pages (1 for every week)
Lined Pages
Lined Pages with Image Spaces
Doodle Pages
Stream of Consciousness Pages
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Please let me know what you think of The Different Phases of Journaling in the comments below.
And please remember to come back next Monday for more or check out all of our Year of Journaling posts!