I was recently cleaning my room when I found a notebook full of pages that I wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic. As I read through it, I found myself lost between the pages upon pages of my own thoughts that I managed to effortlessly fill when I was stuck at home. I stopped when the pandemic was over, and ended up falling out of the routine. Ever since then, I would sometimes get a random spark of motivation, pick up a journal for a couple of days, then toss it aside and never touch it again.

When talking to some of my friends, I learned that this was a common problem. Many of them had gotten inspired to get into journaling, but never had the discipline to keep going with it. In some cases, they never ended up having the motivation to even start.

It had me wondering how I managed to stay motivated back when I had been consistently journaling. Of course, the boredom of isolation factored into it, but there was still discipline involved to some extent. This disconnect between my past and present self had me intrigued, and I looked further into it. When looking back at my entries, I realized that there were some things I was unintentionally doing that actually helped me stay motivated.

1. Find the Technique That Works for you

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During the pandemic, I found myself handwriting all of my entries in a notebook, and I was always using different writing utensils and fun colors. It was something that helped me keep things interesting, and weirdly, it helped me not get bored with my own writing.

However, when I tried to get back into journaling, I started digitally, and almost instantly forgot about it. I didn't want to sit down and open my laptop every single time that I wanted to journal. Eventually, I returned to handwriting my entries, but I had an obsession with keeping the pages and the style neat. This was something I didn't focus on when I was journaling earlier, and it was honestly kind of exhausting.

Finding the right journaling style for you is incredibly important because it may be part of what keeps this hobby from feeling like a chore. If you prefer to type and handwriting feels tedious, let yourself journal digitally. Maybe you prefer to write on paper and decide to use a notebook.

Or maybe you want to write, but on an iPad. Whatever you choose, make sure that you are happy with your decision.

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2. The Journal Itself is Important

There are also different kinds of journals that you can find, both digitally and physically. There are guided journals, which may have a couple of pages designated to a prompt or a day, but there are also just simple blank journals that you can use however you please. If you like the structure of a guided journal, you should look for one that lines up with your goals and what you hope to achieve with journaling. If you would rather use a blank journal, let your mind guide itself.

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There are also different online apps and programs that can help you journal. This could include simply opening a Google or Word document, or maybe finding a specific program that can guide you. Whatever it is, it is important that it is something that you will not lose track of, and you will be able to keep up with it. Don't let the journal itself be the reason that you can't stick with writing in it.

3. Find the Right Writing Utensil

Not only is the type of journal important, but the way you write is too. Personally, I find something so satisfying in a good writing utensil. If this is something that you care about as well, it is important to find what works for you. But always remember to let yourself have fun with it.

Let your journal be a reflection of your brain. If you're someone who's naturally neater and likes simpler things, maybe stick to one type of pen that you're comfortable with. If you're more jumble-brained, don't force yourself to be "aesthetic" with your journal. Whatever you choose, let yourself have fun with it and don't forget that this is for you, not to conform to whatever aesthetic narrative you may have seen surrounding journaling.

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4. Don't Force Yourself to Stick to One Format

A lot of times, when journaling, people find themselves battling writer's block. Oftentimes, journaling is seen as something that means reflecting thoughtfully on yourself or your day. But after looking back at my old journal, I realized that one thing that kept me motivated was that I kept it fun for me.

There were some days when I would vent and reflect on my day, but there were other days when I would just blab about random stuff or write a creative story. Even if some days weren't productive, it kept me in the habit of writing something—anything—even if it was completely useless. Instead of skipping a day and tossing the notebook aside, I was regularly picking it up, allowing me to not forget about it.

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The most important thing to remember is that your journal doesn't always have to be some crazy reflection where you dive deep into your character and fall into some existential crisis. It can be a fun place to brain dump and write down whatever you may be thinking.

While some days you might have deeper things to talk about, other days, feel free to write about the time you went to get a taco, or maybe when you saw a cute cat on the street. Remember that the journal is yours, and it can be whatever you want it to be. If you make it something that you are able to enjoy, it will be a lot easier to keep up with it.

Good luck!