What is helping me journal daily
I failed at journaling 5-6 times before it finally stuck. Here are a few things that help me journal consistently:
I take journaling seriously. It's not a side thing; it's the main thing. If I won't give journaling the respect it deserves, I won't journal at all.
Expressing emotions is hard; my subconscious mind wants me to skip it because skipping it saves cognitive energy. To suppress my mind's whispers, I've put journaling in the sacrosanct section. Arguing against journaling is heresy.
I journal in the evening when most of what is supposed to happen has happened. But I can't wait for the day to completely finish. Who knows when it will end? I might not have any energy or time left when my day ends. So, there is a fixed time window set aside for journaling.
I journal the Derek Sivers way which means writing two types of journals. First, a daily journal for documenting and understanding daily life. Second, 'thoughts on' journals where I've made files on important topics in my life like friendship, love, technology, money, city, etc. and I update my thoughts on the topics regularly. I write in simple text files. This method keeps journaling minimal and effective.
This is how I imagine myself writing daily journals Along with what's mentioned above, I've also started adding two headings to my everyday journal: health and personal finance. Under each heading, I write whatever I feel like writing. Did I do something good for my health today? Did I do something bad today? If I did good, I pat my back. I did bad, I write the reason why. Did I make a good financial decision? Did I make a bad financial decision? If it's good, I pat my back. If it's bad, why? The purpose of this is to observe my behaviour patterns around two of the most important topics of my life: health and personal finance.
I want to journal daily, but I understand that it's okay to miss them. One day missed is OK, and ten days missed is OK. I don't self-flagellate if I miss. I simply start again. I am training my monkey brain to connect journaling with catharsis, not guilt and suffering. (I mentioned earlier that journaling is sacrosanct. This means that arguing against journaling is not allowed, missing it for any reason is allowed.)
I don't write yesterday's journal if I've missed it, as that doubles the cognitive load. First, I write today's journal. Then, if I feel like it, I write yesterday's journal.
I journal in the evening, but I create DDMMYYYY.txt file earlier in the day whenever I get time. This makes it easier to add the content later. I keep the text editing app open in the background since no one touches my laptop. In the evening, all I have to do is start typing.
Every day, I start the journal entry with 'Today I woke up at XX AM.' Writing the first sentence answers the BIG question of what should I start with. The first sentence is done, then I write the second sentence.
Using a text editor app that I like helps. I tend to journal less when I use a text editor that I don't like. When I like the text editor, I journal more. These days, I am using Nota.md as my main text editing app.
On average, I've been journaling five days a week for the past few months. To make the habit even stickier, I will try to implement some of Atomic Habits' learnings and update what works for me here.