Keeping a diary is an incredibly powerful way to think about your life and document it every day. It's surprisingly simple, yet many people don't take advantage of this habit. Writing a diary can help you plan your day, keep track of your projects or hobbies, and even capture cherished memories while they are fresh. It can also be used to relieve stress, record the historical times you are living in, and take advantage of the time found.
Incorporating journaling into your daily life is easy. Start with what's in front of you: your laptop or diary, your balcony or desk with your morning coffee. If your diary is too big and sleek to travel, then grab a pocket notebook just to get used to scribbling your thoughts while you're on the road. When you're in an intensely emotional mood, keeping a journal can help you better experience and understand those emotions.
Let off steam by writing an angry unsent letter or outline ideas for your next quilting project - a journal is your space for whatever you need. If you're not sure where to start, author Julia Cameron suggests a method in her book “The Artist's Way”. Make journaling something different from your phone or laptop, and you might find that you really crave an occasional break from screen time. Have a list of journaling prompts ready to go in your notebook or in a Word document for days when you don't have words. You never know when the need to keep a diary will come, so it's safer to keep the diary with you wherever you go.
Turn off your internal editor and go to town - try writing freely, which essentially means writing down your flow of consciousness until you feel like stopping. If it helps you set a timer or start with a common phrase, like This is what happened today, that's fine. As part of your morning creative explosion, use your diary to review and refine your daily to-do list. Review and refine your vision of life and your overall goals. Make these little indulgences part of keeping a diary and they will make your writing time a real pleasure.
