Developing a Journaling Habit

• 1). Set an overall journaling goal for yourself. Whether you want to chronicle the course of your own life, record your thoughts and feelings about your own life and the world around you or reflect on the day's events, a journal will help you do all of these things and more.
  
  
• 2). Start small. Set a goal of one journal entry per week and stick with it. Eventually, you'll find yourself wanting to write in your journal more often, and, soon, you'll be making daily entries.
  
  
• 3). Throw away the rulebook. This is not a letter of introduction, a manuscript for a book or a project bid. It's a journal, and you can keep it however you like. Getting into a regular journaling habit is hard enough without setting rules for yourself about what to write and how to write it.
  
  
• 4). Make journaling portable. Get a small spiral notebook or journal--something you can easily carry in a backpack, purse or briefcase. This way you will always have it with you and can write in it at any time. You never know when an important thought or impression will occur to you. Inspiration can strike at any time.
  
  
• 5). Set some time out of the day when you're going to write in your journal. It doesn't have to be a big block of time (though you can if you want to); just a few minutes will suffice. Pick a time of day when you're relaxed and can set aside other distractions. Don't check your email, pay bills or clean house; this is journaling time, and it is precious.