How to Write a Journal in 8 Steps

We all know that students have to write a great variety of academic assignments. They are compulsory and reflect the current knowledge and skills of students. Of course, they teach students many useful things and develop their skills and knowledge. However, students may likewise write for themselves. We mean journaling, which is very popular and helpful. It has benefits that are oftentimes compared with music or art therapy. Journaling helps to unwind, put off some pressure, and reduce stress. Besides, it helps to sharpen your writing skills. Therefore, we’ll explain how to write journals. In addition to traditional academic assignments, students can also benefit from utilizing  pro writing services like AdvancedWriters for assistance in crafting compelling journal entries.

8 Journal Writing Tips

Decide What Will Contain Your Writings

Your first objective is pretty simple and creative. You’re supposed to find something, which will contain your entries. Commonly, these are small and nice paper notebooks. Chose an appealing cover, papers of high quality, and record your thoughts using a pen or pencil. It’s the simplest method.

Thanks to technological progress, you may likewise choose some digital forms. They have more benefits, compared to paper analogs. You can record your thoughts on a digital carrier and they will be saved. The paper will never end because you can write as much as you want and save it in a digital format.

For example, Google Docs is a very popular cloud-based application. It fully reflects the features of Microsoft Office Word. Thus, you can shape and edit your texts originally using the familiar interface. It’s quite simple to use it and it provides 15GB in a free version. You can likewise add photos to make your journals more vivid. The application works online and offline. Thus, you can write even if there is no connection to the Internet. The only drawback of digital journals is the dependency on laptops, personal computers, tablets, etc. In the meanwhile, you can use paper notebooks at any time.

Make It Your Routine

If you want to receive certain benefits from your journaling, make sure you write it regularly. The best method is to write a journal every day and spend about 15-20 minutes. You are not obliged to highlight some difficult philosophic topics. You may simply record the events of the day or your current thoughts. If you intend to improve your writing skills, pay attention to your tone, style, word choice, etc. Play with them and try to change every next time. Thus, you’ll steadily sharpen your writing skills and will expand your active vocabulary.

Choose Your Topics

You should decide what topics to cover. In comparison with academic writing, journaling is always the choice of a writer. You are the only person who decides what topic to cover. It may be the flow of your thoughts or discussion of some interesting events you’ve been through. You may write a letter to your friend, an outstanding personality, or even to yourself. You’re welcome to reveal everything that lies in your heart.

At any rate, nobody else will read that and your choice is unrestricted. It oftentimes serves as therapy because you can pour out all the negative emotions. It helps to put off some steam because most people don’t tell their opponents everything directly. Journaling is a perfect medium to express the deepest thoughts at least on paper. It really helps to reduce stress.

Reread Your Previous Entries

It may be helpful to re-read your previous entries sometimes. Your revision acts as a flashback and helps to get some insights. Reread after some durable period. It helps to identify the changes in your life and character. You would hardly notice a change in a week. Revise your entries in at least half a year and see whether something has changed in you. Besides, students can track the change in writing styles, which is important for their academic writing.

Consider Using Bullet Lists

It’s very useful to add bullet lists to your journal at least sometimes. Bulleting is a swift, convenient, and flexible system that helps to track short- and long-term objectives. They can be implemented whenever you want. For example, you woke up and realized that something must be done. Set objectives and deadlines. These can be durable and short objectives. Your bullet list will plainly underline them and you’ll always have the chance to check what is already done and what else must be completed. It’s likewise another way to express yourself. You can briefly highlight all the events that happened to you during the day and what attitude you have. It may look like this:

• Page 3 – write an essay;
• Page 5 – go on a trip;
• Page 12 – my long-term objectives;
• Page 20 – partying with friends, etc.

Find the Right Place

Journaling is a private art, which is commonly appointed for the writer. You would hardly want to write in the class when everyone interrupts you and can peep. Find a silent place where you may create being in solitude. A remote and pleasant place will create the necessary atmosphere for private journaling. Your thoughts will be clear and you’ll be fully devoted to the process of writing.

Always Keep Your Journal Close at Hand

We recommend taking your journal wherever you go, especially on trips. Remember one good rule – as soon as you think it, write it down! One never knows when something crucial occurs to the mind. Many people mistakenly believe that they’ll remember it. In reality, people forget about some important ideas and they may be gone forever. If your journal is always with you, it’s possible to record your ideas instantly and review them later. If you journey, you’ll be full of new impressions that must be obligatorily recorded.

Customize Your Journal

Finally, you should add some personal style to your journal. If it’s a paper notebook, you may draw something on the pages, add clippings from newspapers or small photos. If you’ve preferred a digital carrier, your possibilities broaden. You can arrange every page differently thanks to different themes, photos, animations, and so on. Reveal the power of your creativity to make journaling more enjoyable.