How to Create a Simple Journaling Routine

As you continue on your journey to simplify your life, you will likely come across the 
recommendation of journaling. Just using a journal really helps to simply your life 
because you end up prioritizing certain things, and understanding what you need to let 
go of. 

You can go one step further by having a journaling routine that further simplifies your life 
and routine at the same time. Here are some tips for creating a super simple and 
beneficial journaling routine.


Choose Your Preferred Style of Journaling

Before you can figure out your journaling routine, you first need to know what style of 
journaling you want to do. Why does this matter? Because the type of journal might 
determine not only what time of day to include the routine, but also where in your home 
it will be located.

For example, if you are going to keep a dream journal, then naturally you would want it 
to be as part of your morning routine, moments after waking up. On the other hand, if 
you are going to have a diary-style of journal or even a goal tracking journal, these tend 
to be done later in the day or during an evening routine.


Know When You Have the Least Amount of Distractions

While journaling can be done with people around, it can be really hard to get into the 
zone and focus on your own thoughts. If there is a time of day when you tend to be 
alone, or at least don’t have a lot of distractions around you, this is the ideal time for 
your journaling routine. 

Do you have more free time in the afternoon, when kids are still at school, or possibly 
during your lunch break? Or maybe your evening routine is when you have time to 
yourself and a few extra minutes to journal quietly without distractions.


Consider a Habit You Can Stack Journaling With

Habit stacking is a great way to introduce new habits into your routine without feeling 
overwhelmed. Once you know around what time of day you want to do your journaling, 
consider other habits you have around the same time that you can “stack” journaling 
onto. 

When you choose the time of day for journaling, you can think about other habits you 
have around that same time to stack onto. For example, if you choose early afternoon 
journaling, then during this time of day you might also be reading a few chapters from 
your book. This is a really easy habit to stack along with journaling.


Keep it Short, Simple, and Straightforward

Now it’s time to simplify the journaling process, which includes making sure your routine 
is simple and the journaling method is very straightforward. Far too many people skip 
journaling because they feel intimidated and feel like writing about their feelings is too 
complex. But this is something anyone can do! 

Just focus on writing down your thoughts, or how you feel right now. Use journal 
prompts if that helps get you started. A really simple way to start is just to write whatever 
is on your mind for 5 minutes. Anyone can do that.


Start With a Sentence or a Page

If you are brand new to journaling, just start by filling up one page, or even one 
sentence a day. This allows you to slowly get into the practice of journaling, without 
feeling overwhelmed and like you need to reach a moment of momentous clarity on day 
one. 

This is another opportunity to use journal prompts, since many of them are simple 
questions that you can have answered in just one journaling page or less.

