If you deny the merit of forming a developed personal writing habit or maintain that it just isn’t worth your time, this article is for you.

My purpose here is threefold: to ask that you reconsider these assertions and question the bases of your own beliefs, to challenge you to get more informed on the subject, and to offer you introductory journaling advice in the hope that you will give the practice another chance.

Getting unbiased.

If you think journaling is a waste of time, it’s probably because you have a narrow view of what the term means.

You may find the concept of writing down your actions, thoughts, memories, and feelings to be silly or unnecessary, preferring instead to work things out in your head. Or maybe you just don’t think of yourself as a writer or an expressive person, but as more of a logical or analytical type. This may be true, but it doesn’t mean that your personality is incompatible with the practice of journaling, or that you can’t still gain something meaningful from the experience.

Let’s debunk some perceived restrictions that could be limiting your view of what journaling is and what it can be used for.

It doesn’t have to mean writing down the details of your personal life or creating a record of daily events. You don’t even have to establish a proper journal to get started or make any commitments about the task at hand. You can jot down a passage on looseleaf and shred it later that same day if that’s what you feel comfortable with.

There are no rules concerning topics, approaches, or formats when it comes to journaling. You don’t have to write down any secrets that are weighing on you or vent about people and experiences you encounter. You can write about anything that you feel comfortable with.

This can be anything from brainstorming ideas for a project, to making a list of what is contributing to stress in your life to creating a personal organizer by writing and organizing your actions and tasks on a given day.

A great way to get started if you feel uncomfortable writing about more personal topics is to start a bullet journal. This site is a great place to help you get started.

Finally, the most important step you must take is to stop letting other people set your definition of what personal writing means. Don’t let anyone else mandate how you express yourself and stop allowing fear to keep you from trying things out.

Getting informed.

It’s seriously time to stop taking one popular portrayal of what a term means and applying that meaning to any context it’s mentioned in.

Ultimately this is done out of insecurity, to gain a sense of superiority over people or to dismiss anyone who claims to benefit from something you don’t understand. Such behavior only serves to make you less knowledgeable and more prejudiced.

So, why should you care about this? What important benefits can you really expect to gain from a simple writing habit?

To name a few, frequent journaling has been found in many cases to be instantly therapeutic, stress-relieving, and thought-clarifying. It can also be a useful tool for gaining self-awareness, effectively solving problems, resolving arguments, achieving goals, boosting memory, and improving comprehension and communication skills. In addition to mental health benefits, it may also be linked to improvements in physical health and ability.

Instead of dismissing the many testimonials of intelligent, successful people, as well as studies indicating a slew of potential benefits journaling may offer, evaluate the validity of your own stance. Take stock of your existing knowledge and experience, and then question your own authority on the subject as critically as you would another’s.

To learn more about what personal writing has to offer, read about individual experiences and conflicting views on the topic. Take time to acquire a range of information instead calling it a day after reading one argument that reaffirms your preconceptions and one that opposes them.

Getting started.

First, forget the concept of sounding stupid and stop worrying about how your writing may come across to an outside perspective. Realize that there are no defining characteristics or guidelines of journaling you are required to follow. You shouldn’t even worry about being entirely coherent when you’re starting out.

Start by spending some time thinking about what it means to write something for yourself. Remember that no one ever needs to see this and that you can even destroy the hard copy or digital file as soon as you finish it if you’re worried about it.

Try not to get too caught up in your thoughts. There’s no need to over-analyze your phrasing or worry about the technical or grammatical details. Do what feels natural and allows you to best express your thoughts in writing.

You’ll figure the rest out as you go along. For now, focus on the act of writing and forget everything else.