College is such a short but important chapter in our lives, with lots of ups and downs along the way. The days can fly by fast, but a great way to remember and process everything is by keeping a journal. Putting your thoughts and feelings down on paper helps make sense of the chaos we call college and will later act as a memento from this moment in our lives. It is difficult to begin, so here are a few tips to help you start your journaling journey.
- Buy a Cute Notebook
The first step is creating a commitment, and what better way to do this than buying a new notebook? I found my journal for this semester on a local stationary store’s website. I had two criteria for my journal: pretty and pricey. A pretty journal motivates me to leave it out and take it with me, so I will remember to write in it no matter where I am. Plus, I spent more money on my journal than an average notebook to guilt myself into using it: there is no backing out once you buy it, making it feel like an investment.
- Use Colorful Pens
Creativity is what keeps journaling interesting. I like to use different colored pens for each entry. Once you are a few pages in, it is fun to flip through and see all the colors marking your progress. Although, using colorful pens is not just for the aesthetic. It is interesting to match the color pen you write with to your mood: I find it helps to write in red pen after a stressful day and express my happiness with a bright shade of bubblegum pink.
- Make No Excuses
It will be easy and sometimes tempting to skip an entry, especially when you first start to fill up your journal. The simplest way to avoid this is to have a “no excuses” mindset. Work journaling into your everyday routine by setting aside a half hour for each entry. When you are feeling sad or just too exhausted, remind yourself that while these moments are not your favorite, they are part of your college experience and deserve to be acknowledged. You don’t need to write a whole novel; short entries are perfectly okay and tell a story themselves.
- Set Realistic Goals
Transitioning from never journaling to writing everyday all the time is not going to last long: the journal will become stressful, which is its exact opposite purpose. Start by setting goals of how often you would like to journal, whether that be weekly or daily. Then, set a reminder on your phone or mark in your planner when you want to journal. I like to write at night to wind down from my day, so I set aside a half hour for me to just let my thoughts out. You can always write more than you planned or push off an entry to the next day, but it is comforting to have a routine to fall into. This way, journaling will naturally become part of your life.
- Be Open and Honest
This journal is completely private and personal, so there is no need to put pressure on yourself to make it perfect. Ignore grammar and spelling errors, as it is more important to just get your thoughts out. To make the most of journaling, it is important to be honest with yourself and be unafraid to voice your feelings. I do this by not planning or thinking about what I am writing. I naturally go through my day and describe what I felt in those moments, sometimes going off on tangents.