Well I did it.
Today is the last day of the month and that means my journaling challenge is over: I have journaled everyday through the month of August.
Since my high school days I have kept one kind of journal or another. But I have never been habitual about it. And I certainly don't do it regularly. I'd journal one day and then leave it for a day. Or I'd journal for five days straight and then miss it for five days.
This has always dismayed me.
I've tried everything> I've bought fancy pens and notebooks; I've bought cheap pens and notebooks. I've timed myself. I even maintained an audio journal for a few days when I was in the Army. In fact, one of the reasons I got into blogging was that I imagined it would be a good proxy for journaling.
So starting August 1st I decided that I would sit at my desk and force myself to write something every morning. Period. No excuses. It didn't matter if I was writing about the color of the rug, I was writing. Since I already practice a quiet time (5:00AM everyday), finding the time to journal was actually easy.
I began well and then by day three of four felt like I was getting into the groove and then after a week I had it nailed. I have an entry for everyday in August. What a wonderful feeling it is to flip through all of those pages and see that I have accomplished my goal.
Now I have a routine. I have a process. Now it's a habit.
What was different this time around? Commitment. Rising from bed, drinking my coffee and writing.
If you're like me and have obsessed over the perfect journaling tools, may I recommend the Zebra F-301 Fine tip--blue ink--pen and the Blueline Series A9 notebook. These certainly helped.
I know this isn't going to be very practical advice if you're trying to journal and looking for a tip. All I can tell you is that committing worked for me.
What about you? Do you journal? Why or why not? What are some of the challenges you've faced and what techniques have you learned that have helped you commit to it?