15 Different ways to journal!

By: Nicole A. Edited on May 30, 2020

I definitely do not stay consistent when it comes to journaling, but I have found that there really aren’t any rules to it and you can start anywhere you want. If you need some ideas to kickstart your writing I might have some solutions.

1. Document your day

I personally love writing down what I did on a specific day or how I felt so I could look back and see growth from my past or just appreciate moments that I might not have thought about if I didn’t write them down.

2. Answer questions

If you’re into creative writing and you want a new topic everyday, think of some questions that interest you or look some up. I also have a “journal entries ideas” post on my page too!

3. Write letters

Whether you want to dedicate your journal to someone and give it to them, or write letters to yourself it’s nice to have a way of expressing yourself without anything holding you back.

4. Quotes

You can use your journal to take down quotes from different books, movies, people, or songs. That way if you ever need any inspiration you can always look back on them.

5. Drafts

If you love writing articles or any creative writing, use your journal to write down your rough, rough drafts. I personally like writing down my first drafts as opposed to typing them.

6. Album

If you’re more into photography than writing, paste in some pictures and write down what was happening, when it was, or who is in the picture.

7. Goal setting

Every day or week you can write down a few goals so that you have something to hold you accountable and keep track of.

8. Travel Journal

If you travel a lot, or even just like to adventure to new places, use a journal to write about it and/or add pictures.

9. Planner

If you want to get more creative than a store-bought planner, use a journal to design and organize it how you want. For me, this would take quite a while but if you have extra free time its a nice way to personalize something that would otherwise be plain and simple.

10. Sketch Book

Lines or not, you can always use journals as to-go sketch books and keep it on you wherever you go.

11. Recipe Book

I find myself trying new recipes off the top of my head and end up sharing it with friends or making it again in the future. If you write the recipes down as you go, you have your own cookbook and you can share it with as many people as you want!

12. Book / Movie Reviews

When you read a new book or watch a new movie, you can document what it was about or talk about you opinion on it. That way if you want to recommend it to someone or explain what happened you remember what it was about.

13. Mood Board

When you’re in the mood to put together a collage of ideas, or jot them down, create different mood boards in your journal. It’s not only aesthetically pleasing but it is also a creative way to envision your goals or put together things that you like.

14. Poetry/ Song Writing

I’ve always loved poetry but have never really been good at it. At least with a journal I can write down my good and bad poems and choose if I want them for myself or to share them.

15. Freestyle

Basically you can always mix any of the options above and have your whole life in one journal. Writing is different for everyone, and like I said in the beginning, there are really no rules.