I am told it takes between 30 to 60 days to form a habit.  I want to share with you some ways you can help your daily journaling become a habit.

1. Choose your time wisely!  If you are a morning person use your journal to clear your mind.  You can find out about “morning pages” in this article.  Perhaps you find it more useful to offload your day when you get home from work or before you go to bed.  There is no right time but it might help to always pick up your journal at a similar time every day.
2. Location, Location, Location.  In bed in the evening.  At the dining table over your morning coffee.  On the train to work.  Anywhere you feel undisturbed for just a short time whether at home or when you’re out and about.  Having a specific place to go every day helps develop a habit.
3. Turn it into a ritual!  If you make it special you’ll be more inclined to stick with it.  Light a scented candle or sit in your favourite chair with a mug of herbal tea.  Stimulate your senses and think of writing in your journal a treat rather than a chore.
4. Use a beautiful notebook.  For some having a lovely notebook inspires them to use it.  Buy (or make!) something unique.  Your thoughts deserve somewhere lovely to live.
5. Or don’t!  If you are afraid to “spoil” a beautiful notebook then get whatever will make you write.  If that’s a simple spiral bound lined reporters pad then that’s perfect too.  The important thing is to write – what you do it on doesn’t matter in the slightest!
6. And the same goes for pens.  If that gorgeous fountain pen filled with your favourite coloured ink gets you excited about journaling then great!  But that black Biro works just as well.

So how do you turn daily journaling into a habit?

The answer is – however you wish!

Everyone is different and the things that work for me might not work for you.  But once you have the right mix, journaling will simply become a part of your daily life.

If you are reading this then you might have already tried and “failed” at maintaining a daily practice.  Try some of my tips and see how you get on!