Free Inquiry Blog Post #2: Choosing a Journal Style
Once I actually started the journaling process, I quickly was reminded of one of the obstacles or reasons that I had given up in my previous attempts at consistent journaling. That is, assuming that journaling had to look a specific way. Personally, I thought I needed to be writing long paragraphs each and every day or have insightful entries every time I picked up the pencil and opened the book. This often led me to not pick up the notebook at all. This expectation that I placed on myself was, in fact, wrong and made journaling feel unnecessarily intimidating.
The reality is, there are countless types of journal styles out there, and during the first week of the assignment, I experimented with several of the various journal styles available to find out which style felt the most natural. Some of the journal styles that I experimented with:
- The gratitude journal, which is where I listed things that happened to me during the day that I was thankful for.
- The mood journal, which is where I track my emotions over time to help spot triggers, improve emotional regulation, and take charge of my mental health.
- The worry journal, which is where I listed my worries during the day to release my anxieties onto the page.
- The self-reflection journal, which is where I reflected on certain events that took place throughout the day to try and gain more clarity into them.
- The bullet style journal, which is a more free-style approach.
For the purpose of this assignment and the mental health component to it, I will likely go with the free-style bullet-point journal as it will allow me to just talk about my daily events and feelings throughout the next nine weeks, and leave room for anything else I might want to write about (mood, gratitude, etc.).
This choosing a style process taught me an early and valuable lesson. That is, the best journaling style is the one you’re actually going to use. Journaling doesn’t have to be impressive like I originally thought, it just has to be sustainable and something you do routinely. Choose the style that you think will best allow you to keep journaling, and not one that will lead you to stop in a couple of weeks.
A solid YouTube video to check out that dives deeper into some of the various journal styles would be this one below. It does a great job at explaining, while also providing a layout of what each on could look like within your journal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O05VbF1Klc-
If you’re having trouble selecting a journal style
If you’re having trouble choosing a specific journal style, I encourage you to check out Growthalista’s “40 Types of Journals to Keep (and How to Choose the Best One for You).” They give 3 different strategies to narrow down your options. These strategies include:
1. Identify Your Goals
Ask yourself, what do you want to achieve? Are you looking to declutter your mind, gain clarity in your daily life, or process complex emotions?
2. Experiment
Test different journaling styles to discover what works best for you. Approach your journaling practice with self-empathy and curiosity. Focus on exploring what works for you.
3. Stack Your Habits
Habit stacking is a powerful technique to seamlessly integrate journaling into your daily routine. Pair it with something you already do, like drinking your morning coffee, winding down at night, or during your post-workout cool-down. Linking journaling to an existing habit makes it easier to stick with. The goal isn’t perfection. A few sentences or a short list can be just as effective as a full page.
Finding a journal to write-in
Opposite to the difficult journal style selection process, finding an actual journal to write-in was actually easy as it can be literally anything. I chose to write my journal in a little note pad I was given for Christmas a few years back as a stocking stuffer that I had never written in before. However, you can choose a notebook, loose pieces of paper, or even an actual specific journal style notebook that is dedicated to journaling. There are really no requirements.
Sources:
Growthalista. (2025 October 15). 40 Types of Journals to Keep (and How to Choose the Best One for You). https://www.growthalista.com/blog/types-of-journals
[I Love Journaling]. (2020 December 26). 25 Types of Journaling . YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O05VbF1Klc