You love writing, and you know journaling is beneficial to your mental and physical health, but sometimes… well, you just don’t feel like doing it. Maybe you are exhausted after a long day at work and you just want to veg out in front of the TV, or maybe you have a to-do list of a thousand other priorities before you collapse into bed.
Staying focused and motivated enough to incorporate journal writing into your everyday life can be a challenge. Here are a few tricks that will help you outsmart yourself and make time for your personal journal.
How to Stay Excited About Personal Journaling
1. Plan your prompts ahead of time
Don’t leave it up to chance that you will have a lightning bolt of inspiration strike you; come up with a list of thought-provoking, intriguing journaling prompts that you can draw from each time you sit down to write. Organize an overarching theme for each week or month to keep you on track and eager to keep journal writing. (Need help getting started? Download our Free ebook: Mari's 143 Juicy Journal Prompts!)
2. Synchronize with recurring events
There are certain routines that you go through on a regular basis, from reading the daily newspaper to going for an evening jog. Find a way to match up your journaling time with these regular occurrences. Write for 10 minutes each morning about news items that caught your attention, or give yourself a post-run reward of curling up with your journal before dinner.
3. Challenge yourself
Sometimes you need an external push to get re-energized. Set a specific journal writing goal for a specific period of time and make a plan to hold yourself accountable. The new Pay Yourself First: 7 Days Money Mastery Journaling Challenge e-book is a great place to start!
4. Keep the surprises coming
Make yourself a “journaling jar” containing strips of paper with different writing ideas and prompts written on them. Add a paper to the jar whenever you have a bright idea, and take one out to spark your creativity when you are short on journal writing motivation.
You can also pick up some ideas from reading personal journaling stories from other journalers.
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