“I don’t know what I think until I write it down.”

― Joan Didion

Journalling is an important part of many people’s lives, with some consistently taking to their journals every week or every day. The benefits come in as many forms as journalling itself can take.

Dedicating just a few minutes a day to yourself in this way can have a significant impact on your emotional health, daily clarity and positive energy. Journalling is also a huge part of people’s creativity, becoming a vital piece in the creative process. If you’re looking for some inspiration for your journalling habits or perhaps searching for a place to start, read on to see if one of the following styles of journalling could be the right one for you!

List Journalling

Making lists can be one of the most satisfying, not to mention beneficial, ways of organising your thoughts. List journalling channels this method of structuring ideas by dividing them into into their own categories and groups. Lists don’t have to be as mundane as a grocery list but can act as a catalyst for things you want to improve in your life or things you want to put increased focus on. Examples of list journalling prompts could be, “Achieving my goals today will be easier if…” or “My favourite me-time routines are…” Arranging your thoughts and goals in this way can help you move toward achieving them while also providing a reference for you to easily refer back to.

One Line a Day Journalling

Often considered the easiest method, with the requirement of only one line each day, here the challenge therefore lies in what to write. Taking up almost no time at all, the charm is the art of reflection with journals allowing for five years at a time. Here at Paperblanks, we created our own version of this type of journal and decided five years is the perfect snapshot to record and reflect on milestones that you may encounter in this time frame. Check out our 5-Year Snapshot Journals here. If you’re stuck for some inspiration, we also created handy downloadable templates to help you get the most out of the concept.

Vision Journalling

Start by writing down some aspirations for the future like bucket list goals, places to visit or journal entries as your future self, which can really help in visualising your ideal future. Begin with what you want your life to look like in a year or five. It’s also useful to incorporate drawings to help with the full picture – for example, your dream home or your perfect vacation destination. Looking back through this journal from time to time can reignite your motivation, inspiring you with all the things you have to look forward to and are working toward.

Dream Journalling

Dream journalling is another popular and fun choice, allowing you to track themes and patterns over time and gain insight into your inner psyche. You can start by recording especially memorable dreams from the past and then moving into your current dreams going forward. Include in each entry the date and the time of going to sleep and waking, and it might also be interesting to include how well you slept. In no time you’ll find it has become a valued personal treasure.

 

About Paperblanks: When creating our Paperblanks line, we were driven by a desire to keep the beauty of books alive. By drawing inspiration from great artists and craftspeople, our aim is to help you feel inspired and creative every day and to help you create your own personal pieces of art. For more about Paperblanks and our journals, visit our website at paperblanks.com.

3 COMMENTS

  1. I’d like to add another method: the dumpster method. I basically dump all my thoughts unfiltered (!) in the journal. It becomes a total mess, I’ll admit that, but it allows me to empty my mind without having to worry about anything! 🙂

    • Agree Hugo! The dumpster method helps to unwire thoughts and put them at some point to create a process/system or to see a pattern where you (and your unconscious) would like to bring you to (in the future)

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