Journaling has long since ceased to be the domain of teenagers. It is proven that people who keep a journal are more balanced and better able to achieve their goals. Why? We have a lot of experiences, impressions and thoughts during the day. Writing them out helps us sort out the contents of our minds, jot down important ideas, and at the same time, close out the day and prepare for the new one.

Regular journaling also helps our self-development. You can focus on the qualities or situations in which you are trying to improve and track our progress. Over time, you may also notice certain patterns that will help you move forward.

Why do we sometimes fail to keep journaling?

While few people keep a daily journal, we’ve probably all tried to do it at least once in our lives. But why do the vast majority of us fail to keep it? Perfectionism is most often to blame. We set a goal to write an entry every day and when we fail once, we feel like we’ve failed and there’s no point in continuing to write. Try to be kinder to yourself. You can set a goal (e.g. write for 10 minutes before bed), but if you fail sometimes, simply continue the next time you can. Irregular journaling is better than no journaling at all.

What to write in your journal?

Here is some inspiration for your journaling:

• How are you feeling today?
• Did anything happen today that surprised you?
• What was a big challenge in your life and how did you overcome it?
• If you are trying to work on something, how did you do today?
• How would you describe someone around you? What about them intrigues you, what do you like and dislike?
• What would you like to achieve and what can you do to achieve it?
• What are you grateful for?
• Where would you like to be in 1, 3, 5 or 10 years?
• Is there anything you can’t stop thinking about?
• How can you solve a problem you have encountered?
• What are you enjoying in your life?
• What message would you have given to yourself 10 years ago?
• What place would you like to visit and what do you imagine it will be like?

Don’t forget – writing a few sentences that just occur to you is better than having too much ambition and not writing anything at all!