Journaling 101: A Comprehensive Guide to the Practice

Welcome to journaling 101. You’ve probably heard people espousing the benefits of keeping a journal. Maybe you’ve tried journaling in the past but gave up. Maybe you don’t know where to start. I hope this primer will give your some ideas.

I have been journaling off and on since childhood. My first journals were the kind that had locks on them. I thought the locks were important to keep out the prying eyes of my brother. As I got older and my brother stopped caring about my journals, I discovered that the person I had to worry about was my mother. All of this to say that I feel like I know something about how it feels to live with someone who wants to invade my privacy. 

Still, I’ve found that when journaling works, it can be magical. Journaling has helped me process negative emotions and better understand myself and the world around me.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

Journaling 101: an introduction

Journaling matters because it can provide a place for self reflection and growth.

Despite knowing all of this, journaling isn’t something I do as regularly as I would like – and this is something I want to change. 

You might see some of the beautiful journal spreads that people post on places like Instagram or Pinterest. You might feel inspired, which is great! 

However, you might, like me, feel overwhelmed and intimidated by those gorgeous spreads. After all, if you don’t see yourself as a visual artist, it’s easy to think that journaling isn’t for you. 

The good news is that journaling can be whatever you need it to be; it can be down in whatever way works for you. If you’re someone who needs to express themself through visual art and gorgeous spreads, great! Do it. But if your handwriting is messy and you can’t draw for shit, there is still a place for you in journaling. That place is probably over here by me. 

What is journaling?

This might sound like a very basic question, but let’s define journaling so that we’re on the same page.

I personally define journaling as a record of events or ideas, along with how they impact you. To me, the second part is key to journaling. Where a diary is simply a straightforward record of events, a journal is a record of events plus how those events make you feel. Does that make sense? 

Journals can be used to keep a record, to help solve problems, or to do any number of things. 

Of course, this is my personal opinion and you are always welcome to disagree. 

Journaling styles / Types of journals

There are so many different ways to journal that the options are almost limitless. You’ve probably heard of the following:

Morning pages

This is a technique put forth by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way. The basic concept of morning pages is that you write three stream of conscious pages long hand when you first wake up in the morning. 

Multi-year journals

These journals are designed to be updated over a period of multiple years. These can be used in multiple ways, and I have some suggestions.

Bullet journaling

Bullet journaling is kind of a journaling / planner hybrid created by Ryder Carrol. For more information about the method, check out the official website or Carroll’s book.

Gratitude journaling

This technique is about finding ways to be grateful for the things you have. You’ve undoubtedly heard people espouse the benefits of gratitude journaling. I’m sure the practice can be beneficial for many people. However, I did come across some studies that suggest that might not benefit everyone. Or at least, there’s some nuance to it. So please don’t feel like you’ve failed at journaling as a whole if you don’t benefit from gratitude journaling.

Travel journaling

Like to travel? (Who doesn’t). You could use a journal to help you plan your next adventure and reflect on your experiences while you’re out there.

There are lots of other journaling styles and techniques you could try, but I hope the above examples provide some inspiration.

The mental health benefits of journaling

Journaling can have benefits for both your mental. 

For example, studies have shown that journaling for as little as 15 minutes a day can help people with anxiety disorders.

Journaling can also benefit your physical health.

For example, a study out of New Zealand looked at whether journaling could help adults heal after a medically necessary biopsy. Participants in this study who journaled for 20 minutes per day for three days in a row before their biopsy. Eleven days after the procedure, 76% of the group who journaled had fully healed compared to 42% who didn’t. 

Practical considerations

Getting started

My biggest tips for beginner journalers is to:

Start small

You don’t need to buy the most expensive tools to start out. Got an empty dollar store notebook you never used and a Bic pen laying around? Use those. You can always invest more money later if you find you enjoy journaling and have the money to spare.

Additionally, don’t feel like you have to write for hours on end each day. Set a timer for a short, manageable period of time – like 5 or 10 minutes. You can always adjust as time goes on.

Experiment

Play around with different types of journaling styles. If one doesn’t work for you, try another. 

Remember, there’s only one rule of journaling: there are no rules.

Format: digital or physical?

You might be wondering whether you should use a physical journal or journal digitally. Personally, I prefer writing by hand in a physical notebook. Yes, it’s slower. However, I find that if I have to slow down, it helps me process things better. 

That said, I recognize that there are benefits to going digital as well. As I said above, you just have to experiment and find what works for you. 

In addition to physical journals and journaling apps, you could also consider:

Recording audio notes on your phone (or some other recording device) if you prefer speaking. 

Using your phone, webcam, or other recording device to record video journals. 

How to deal with writer’s block

If you sit down to journal and don’t know what to write, I have two suggestions:

Describe something you can see / hear / smell / touch. If you’re near a window, what can you see out the window? Can you overhear your neighbor’s conversation? What are they saying? You get the idea. Once you’ve described it, write about what it makes you feel.

Use a journaling prompt. You can find lots of them online. 

Other places to find inspiration

Read a published journal

Here are some famous people who’ve kept journals:

• Anne Frank
• Sylvia Plath
• Frida Kahlo
• Virginia Woolf
• Anaïs Nin

Check out some books about journaling

There are plenty of journaling 101 books out there if that’s your speed. Here are a few ideas:

• Journalution: Journal Writing to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life, and Manifest Your Dreams by Sandy Grason
• Wreck this Journal by Keri Smith
• Q&A a Day: 5-Year Journal 

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

Was this journaling 101 post helpful? What other advice would you give to a new journaler? Let me know in the comments below.

Updated: Mar 16, 2025 @ 6:20 pm