Many people take up journaling with the hope of positively improving every aspect of their lives. This is especially the case with their mental well-being. However, most people are beginners and end up making serious mistakes that hinder their progress and results.
In this article, we will go over 5 journaling mistakes you are making daily.
Overthinking What To Write
You might already know a thing or two about thinking too much. It mostly ends up in you freezing up and not taking action. It is good to think before you write but staying too long in your head will not take you further. Action is what reaps results. If you want to write a book, you don’t do it by just thinking of ideas. You need to bring out those ideas and code them into words. Dwelling on them in your head will not magically lay them out in your journal.
You can cure this problem by thinking and journaling at the same time. Write what comes to mind and keep it up. It will be wise to do a brain dump and then start arranging the ideas you have placed in your journal.
Unclear Intentions
Have you ever headed out straight from the house without any destination in mind? If you have then you can relate. The frustration of roaming and expending your energy needlessly. Likewise, it is utterly unwise to jump into journaling when you have no clear purpose for what you are doing.
You need a goal to help you focus your mind. This is one of the biggest mistakes beginners and even long-time journal writers make.
Always have a clear road map in mind before you write a single word. You will reduce the possibility of getting stuck during your journaling sessions.
Some journals have a clear structure to help you state your purpose before you write. If you have heard of the bullet journal technique, try that. It is a good strategy to ensure success.
Doing Too Much In the Beginning
Coming from the neurological perspective, starting a new skill takes time to build new and strong neural connections. Your brain needs repetition to create a proper foundation for a new behavior you are trying to build.
If you try to do too much the first time, you might pull back and lose interest.
The solution is to start small and concentrate on building a habit. Later, you can add more when it feels comfortable. This idea stems from the book Mini Habits by BJ. Fogg.
As the name suggests, you build an atomic version of the habit which in this case is journaling. Once your brain breaks through the resistance of doing the act, you turn it into a big one.
Procrastinating Daily
Life is full of hindrances and most often we meet resistance when we need to write our thoughts down. You might feel tired. You might even be going through some family issues. However, this is something you can easily overcome.
Procrastination is mainly an internal affair. It is about dealing with your thoughts and their subsequent results in the real world. Whenever you are faced with doing a task, start scanning your thought process. You will find a lot of demotivating thoughts of why you shouldn’t bother doing it. This is where you have to go to work and start changing your thoughts.
If you manage to tighten the gap between the time you think of something to the point of implementation, you can reduce the tendency to procrastinate.
Here are some simple strategies to help you alleviate procrastination.
- Design your environment to make procrastination almost impossible. If you want to write, clean your desk and organize it in such a way that reduces the friction to start.
- Start small with your writing. Maybe a word or a sentence every day can help you develop the habit of journaling daily.
Related Content: 11 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Life
Burdening Yourself With The Right Tools
Never bother with having all there is to start a journaling session. Start with what you have. A plain sheet of paper and a simple pen is better than scrolling through Google for hours looking for the best journal and pen to start.
When you have started journaling and gotten comfortable with writing every day, then you can start looking for such tools. The key here is to bring out your thoughts and not to place them on fancy paper.