One Year of Journal Writing

Establishing a New, Creative Habit

The Great Excuse

I’ve always been envious of people who had journals full of thoughts that dated back several years. It seemed like a wonderful way to reconnect with a past self.

My own journals had been on-and-off. I would get a new, fancy notebook and write a long entry to announce my ‘return’ to the journaling world, only to become distracted the next day, and then the next. I would put it off so much that the project was completely forgotten. Usually, I started over three months later.

It was a cycle, and I became frustrated. The only way for me to one day have old journals was writing them in the first place. The reasons I gave myself were many.

Most frequently, I used this excuse: “My life isn’t very interesting. I couldn’t possibly have something to write about every day.”

It’s true, actually: I don’t have a life where something exciting happens all the time. Not many people have such a life. If they did, would they even be happy? We need peace, as much as we need those valuable life lessons.

I might not have an action-novel sort of life, but last year I decided to set aside that excuse. Though my days are quiet, I still have things to write about. With reflection, we can all find something of value in each day.

This is a skill that many seem to have lost: Finding beauty in small events.

No one has epic adventures every day, but there are details we will one day be glad to remember—epiphanies, conversations, pretty flowers we found while out on a walk.

The Resolution

It was May in the year 2024. Realizing I had been putting it off long enough, I tossed out the excuses. I found a notebook that wasn’t too pricey or ornamental, and I sat to write a bit every night.

Even if I only jotted a paragraph—or a sentence—it would count. One sentence might not seem like much at the time when it’s written. Combined with other sentences in a journal, that sentence helps tell a story.

It’s color in an image of my long-term adventure. Every sentence counts.

I started this resolution with the expectation that it would fizzle out. After all, I had lost interest every other time.

Amazingly, I entered May of 2025 victorious.

For the past year, I have spent time with my journal every night before bed. The amount of time varies; sometimes it’s a few seconds, sometimes half an hour. Not all of my entries are epic. Most talk about what I ate, where I went, what I happened to be reading.

As I sift through the pages, it’s delightful to find one sentence that’ll remind me of a peaceful day. We live in an instant-gratification world; it’s easy to forget that uneventful days can be pleasant.

We need to appreciate moments spent in stillness. Sometimes, there’s value in writing a sentence, staring at the page, and reflecting on peace that softened the hours.

There’s not always something to write about; there is always something to be thankful for.

The Lessons Learned

Here are some other reasons why I decided to write in my journal every day:

• I already have so many journals. I’ve got a shelf of notebooks acquired during back-to-school sales. I have leather journals which I only wrote in once. So much paper cannot go ignored forever, and while it’s unlikely that I will fill all of these—one day I might gift some—it is much better to have good habits. Daily journaling helps me put some of them to good use.

• I miss handwriting. It’s been a long time since I’ve done long writing on paper. As a kid, I filled pages and counted the words on each page. I filled several notebooks this way, and they’re in a box in the garage. With the rise of technology and touch-screen everything, I realized that pen and paper offer enjoyment I can’t find elsewhere. I miss the sound of a pencil, the smell of drying ink. Writing personal thoughts in a journal preserves some of that feeling.

• I long for that perspective. One day, when I’m very old and these projects are past me, I will find some solace in exploring even the mundane entries. I’ll probably cringe at some thoughts and laugh at others, but they will all be tangible proof of a good life lived. I’m not sure that I’d want them published, but they will be put to good use.

Journaling is a resolution that requires discipline. Touch-screen and voice messages make it tempting to do things the quick way. ‘Minimalism’ is a trend that I also suspect contributed to the decline of journaling.

I Dare You

You should keep a journal too.

It won’t always be easy, finding time to write. I believe that you should try, anyway. We could all benefit from being more introspective. We should take time to reflect on our thoughts and choices. It’s healthy in the long run, and worth setting an alarm for, if you must.

Not all writers have the same habits or lifestyles. Still, I would hope that we could all jot a sentence or two on paper. This is the age of social media! If you’re able to write clever Instagram captions, you can also write words for yourself. In your journal, the words can be raw and imperfect. You don’t even need to edit them!

Are you already in the habit of keeping a journal? What have you learned about yourself while filling those pages? If not, would you like to take up this habit?

I would love to hear your thoughts!