Dear Diary,
When I was younger, try as I might, I could not keep a diary or journal. In the movies they portrayed writing as an emotional heartfelt entry with every word more powerful than the next. It made my writing seem small and insignificant.
But as I've gotten older, I came to realize I didn't need to write these dramatic letters when my life wasn't dramatic in the slightest.
Instead, I would write only when I felt it was needed even if it was about something fun or comical I experienced in my everyday life or even something as a simple as a list to remind myself for later.
Am I the best speller? No.
Could I work on my wordplay more? Yes.
But those things didn't matter when I was writing for myself as long as I got my story or idea out. So now I've gone from not having a journal or hardly pulling one out to having 7 on my bedside table.
Isn't 7 journals 6 to many? No.
In fact, it's the perfect amount for me as each represents their own category and in the long run as made me write more than I ever did when I had one journal.
Why You Should Have A Journal By Your Bedside
Even if you aren't a writer or write heartfelt entries having a journal next to your bed can be helpful in so many ways. Here are five reasons why you need to get a journal or notebook ASAP!
Express Your Feelings
It seems as a society we do most of our deep thinking while in the shower or laying in bed. When this happens it could bring up feelings and emotions you may not know how to deal with or who to tell. Getting out your journal and jotting down a few sentences or even pages can help you process these feelings making your day so much easier.
Remembering the Important Things
Do you ever sit up in the middle of the night remembering something you need to do the next day? The best thing to do is to get out a pen and write it down in your journal or notebook so you won't forget come morning.
I don't know how many times I thought to myself "oh, I'll remember that in the morning." Then sadly the morning comes around and I can't remember for the life of me what I needed to do for the day.
Making Lists
Making to do lists will help relieve your mind of all the clutter and give it space to do or think of more important things. Do this before you go to sleep so you don't stay up tossing and turning worried about accomplishing your list.
Lists can include groceries, things needed to be cleaned, meetings, Christmas gifts, tv shows to watch, music to listen to, etc. I love to write lists of blog post ideas. This way I can always pull from it later.
For Your Creative Thoughts
If you are creative like me, the best thing to do is to write all your ideas down in a notebook or journal especially before bed. I don't know how many times I thought of a fun exciting idea then tossed and turned all night thinking of the endless possibilities. Writing them down will make it easier to go right to sleep.
It's also nice to have all your ideas down in one place which you can go back and reference anytime.
Goals and Bucket Lists
If you're a goal setter and have a massive bucket list like I do it's best to write them all out and create an action plan for one or two of them at a time. Having a place where your aspirations are all keep makes it easy to go back and check often to keep you motivated and inspired to complete them.
Tips For How to Start
The first and most important thing... your journal doesn't have to be perfect! It can be messy with pages skipped or torn out. Your hand writing doesn't even have to be legible! As long as you are enjoying the process that is all that matters.
Break Your Journal Into Sections
If you are like me, and have a million ideas that don't mesh well together, the best thing to do is to break your journal up into several sections. This way you can flip to the exact pages you need.
Have Multiple Journals
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Multiple journals! Isn't one enough?
Not for me! If breaking your one journal isn't cutting it then I suggest having multiple journals to write in to organize your thoughts without fear of running out of room. My 7 journals, in my bedside table, include 2 dream journals, a goals/bucket list journal, my planner, my book idea journal, a random journal, and my manifesting notebook...phew!
I like having multiple so I can grab the exact one I need in the moment.
Make It Fun!
Like I said before, writing shouldn't be this tidiest dramatic chore. It should be relaxed, fun, and something you enjoy doing! To keep it fun get notebooks or journals with fun colors or designs. Write or doodle with gel pens, crayons, or markers if a regular ball point pen isn't cutting it. And don't forget about the stickers! You can never go wring with those. Mine are full of them.
Final Thoughts
If you have a journal or notebook sitting next to your bed you will find it easier to be inspired to use it. Even though my notebooks aren't designated specifically for writing I know they have made me more creative and organized in the long run.
Who knows, maybe eventually I'll start writing sappy entries if I keep going at this pace.
If you have a journal next to your bed what do you use it for? Have you used the techniques above?
Let me know in the comments below along with some other tips to keeping a beside journal!
