Starting a journal can improve your mental health, your planning and organizational abilities, and your concentration! But chances are, you already knew that. In fact, chances are you’ve tried, again and again, to keep a steady journal, and failed.

But that’s the thing! Journaling shouldn’t have to be a chore. You should enjoy it. It’s the one time all day where you can say whatever you want, do whatever you want! So, how do you find a way to enjoy it? Well, you have to figure out what works for you.

The same kind of journal doesn't work for everyone! Everyone uses a different system to get their mind on the page. Some people have one journal that contains diary entries, to-do lists, letters, and wishlists.

I've done this style, and it can be really useful if you like a more cohesive approach, rather than trying to categorize your thoughts. Plus, it's easy to carry your journal around with you everywhere, and just flip it open when you get bored or anxious.

Some people use a system according to their goals and needs. I would advise against starting a million notebooks in the beginning—start with one, and notice what you tend to write down and what you spend a lot of time thinking about. There's no point in having useless journals.

What do you need from your journal? If growing as an artist is important to you, have an art journal. If learning about yourself is important to you, make a notebook full of clues: qualities, likes, dislikes, and goals. If you want to be a better student, have a notebook filled with inspiration, goals, notes, to-do lists, and whatever else you need.

That said, here are some ideas for personal journals.

A Bullet Journal A.K.A. The Beginner's Journal

A lot of people find starting a normal diary too intimidating. This is a quick and easy way to start jotting down your ideas and what's on your mind, especially if it's hard for you to talk about deep stuff, it can help to be methodological: make mind maps and lists of your feelings and thoughts, and balance things out with something fun if things get to be too much.

Take the Quiz: Which Fall Activity Should You Try Next?

Fall is full of exciting activities to match your vibe! This quiz will help you discover the perfect way to enjoy the season.

A Diary

For those people who are good at just talking, letting words flow out. Great for people who have comments on everything that happens all day long.

A Hobby Journal

To keep track of the different activities you try. Great for people searching for things to enjoy or trying to expand their horizons.

A Passion Journal

Dedicated to one or more things you are passionate about, such as an art notebook, a music notebook, or one dedicated to a cause you really care about. For the last one, you could try writing down your opinions or ways to reach out.

A Bucket List Journal.

Are you one of those people afraid of missing out on life? Make lists of things you want to experience, things you want to learn, and places you want to go. Make some lists for each stage of your life—there are plenty of things you can try right in high school.

A Qualities & Traits Journal

These work better if you have two separate, small notebooks. If you want to learn more about yourself, start small. What shows do you like? What books? This can help you expand into bigger things: What matters to you? What do you want from life?

A Grief Journal.

Have you lost someone you love? A grief journal can help you navigate feelings and add memories and events from your life together, like a memorial.

A Study/Goal Journal

Do you want to be a better student? (Or writer, athlete, musician...) A study journal will help you mark down areas you struggle in, specific (S.M.A.R.T) goals, track your progress, and stay motivated!

An Office/School Journal

Having a separate journal for home and school/work can help you feel as though you have separate energy banks, or like you reset when you enter a new environment.

A Who I Want To Be Journal

An alter ego makes this work even better! You can pick a fake name!) This is exactly what it sounds like. What would __ do? What would they say, what would they know? Be careful with this one, don't let it get toxic or obsessive. In order to avoid this, avoid using statements about how they are perceived. Instead of: "everyone liked Susan," or "Susan was known for being smart," try "Susan treated other people kindly!" or "Susan worked hard!"

• A Memory Journal. Make a list of important memories that meant something to you, that mattered to you, like mementos of the past.

A People Journal

Has anybody ever meant a lot to you, but you don't talk anymore? Has anyone ever inspired you? Are there people you want to get closer to? This journal could be like an appreciation of the people in your past, people who were once a part of your life, people you'd like to know better, similar to a memory book.

And here are some for fun journals/hobby journals.

A Reading Journal

Especially good for writers! Write down everything you read, whether you liked or disliked it, what techniques you liked/disliked, your reactions to it, rate books, rank them, review them: basically your own personal Goodreads.

A Travel Journal

Add pictures of your vacations, add lists of countries you visited, etc. If your family doesn’t travel much, then make a binder of places you want to go, vision boards, lists within countries or territories, or occasions. Organize them by country or region.

A Dream Journal

Keep track of your dreams!

A Health Journal

Track your eating habits, exercise, menstrual cycle (if you have one), vitals, and sleep. Mention if anything is wrong or if you want to change anything!

Building on The Health Journal

If you have a mental health condition, or simply a problem you would like to improve on, keeping track of symptoms, using techniques, and thought challenging, and recording progress is a good idea! (You can do this with physical conditions, but you may have to change the format a little.)

A Style Journal

Do you want to change your fashion sense? Make note of outfits you see others wearing that you like, TV characters with a good/similar sense of style, pieces you like, and have aesthetic/mood board pages.

A Junk Journal

Pretty much just paste stuff you like: stickers, scraps, old things, buttons.

A Budget Journal

Learn to manage your money!

A Planner

If you don’t have a calendar, managing school, clubs, and activities can be really tough!!

A Film Journal

Similar to a book journal, you can have to-watch lists, review movies and shows, and comment on what they could have done differently.

Remember, however, not to be super strict or judgy about what you write. Life isn't perfect, and neither is journaling. There IS going to be bad handwriting, going on tangents about unrelated topics, and ugly drawings.

There ARE going to be days where you sound like a b****, or where you seem boring, or you are clearly in the wrong. Try not to tell yourself what to write, or even how often. Journaling should be something you look forward to, not a chore. The most important thing?

Do what you want. It’s your space.