How to Keep a Diary & Why You Should // 8 Tips from Me

If you're like some people I know, you struggle with keeping a diary/journal.
Usually, I have been good at writing regularly though I did have a gap where I hardly wrote anything at all.
I thought I would write a post about it to help out any of you who might have made it a goal this year to keep a diary.

Willpower WhyPower?

Why do you want to start writing a diary? Ask yourself this and write it down. Come up with 3 reasons why you want to keep a diary.

Tips

1. Find the perfect notebook. Don't get one that is too big as the pages will be huge and hard to fill. At least to start, keep it small. I have learnt this from experience. I now use a smaller notebook and it is way easier to just write what is important to me and in the least amount of time.

2. Keep it near to your bed/in your room. This depends on when you normally write in it. I fill in a page before bed if I have something to update on.

3. If it is not already pretty, make it so. Collage the cover, fabric cover, paint it or leave it plain and simple.

What?

What do you want to write about? Your feelings, document your day/life, your walk with God, travel, exciting things, little details, photos, your moods etc.

It will be helpful to your mental health to get your thoughts down on paper. Especially for us ladies right? We always have so many things buzzing around in our heads!

If you are not so much into writing, document your life with pictures or tell a friend or family member you trust what happened today and how you are feeling.
You could also download a journal/diary app but personally, I recommend physical paper.

Tips

4. Don't write things you would be ashamed of others reading. Yes, you will keep your diary private but some things are better not written on paper. When you're gone someone might read it!

5. Get a good pen. This will encourage you to write more in general. A pen that writes well where the ink flows smoothly out of it will motivate you.

When?

Schedule time to write. Choose a time each day when you will take 5 mins to scribble down what's going on in your head. For me, this is before bed.

Another thing. Any writing is good practice. Why not add more practice into your day?

It's also fun to look back at old/previous diaries. I often do this and sometimes read entries(selected ones only) out loud to my siblings and laugh at them or remember things we did

Tips

6. Always date your entries. Otherwise, how will you know a what in your life you did 'this' or felt like 'that'.

7. Act like you're talking to someone or writing to a trusted friend. You can even give it a name!

8. Write about your successes. Look at what you have achieved!


Mini Diary >>>>

Sometimes you might have small things that come to mind during the day.

A poetic line, a scripture, or a thought. Write these in a tiny journal if you prefer. You can do either the main diary or this mini one or both. 

In the small book, you could also add tickets, leaves, flowers,  a note from someone, photos and small mementoes. This is something I only just thought of now!

One last idea would be to write in a different language if you know any or if you are learning one.
I think this would be really cool and I would love to try it in German (the language I 'm learning) once I have learnt a little more.

So tell me, will you start a diary now? Or do you have new motivation and ideas?