Journaling wasn’t a new habit for me. I started journaling in 2020 and did it religiously till the end of 2021. In 2022 I left journaling behind. Probably, it wasn't so crucial in this part of my life.
But sometimes I thought, "It'd be good to journal again"; thoughts have never turned into actions, though.
In February, I determined to restart journaling.
From previous years I knew:
It's not a morning routine for me. I like doing it in the evening, on the sofa in the living room with dimmed lights.
It could take time. So it's better to limit it.
Decided. Journaling will be at 20:30 on the sofa for 15-30 min.
Before journaling, I have dinner and after - my bedtime routine. It seemed like a perfect fit.
However, later I understood that sometimes at this time, I still needed to post a few last Instagram stories for the day, which affected my entire evening and caused frustration.
So what's next?
To shut off Instagram roughly at 19:00!
I tried it.
Suddenly all actions paired with each other perfectly, forming the desired wind-down routine:
19:00 shut off work & Instagram
19:15 dinner & family time
20:30 journaling
21:00 bedtime routine
21:30 be in bed with a book
22.00 light off
Then once, somehow, I ended up journaling in bed after my bedtime routine and before reading a book.
It also worked. But it wasn't the same cosy feeling as being on the sofa nestled in pillows and a blanket, sipping tea and journaling.
So currently, I'm back to the initial idea of journaling at 20:30 on the sofa for 15-30 min.
Note. I didn't stress out about making journaling every day. When I started in February, it was 1-2 times a week; then, I slowly progressed to 4-5 times a week, which seems sufficient for me.
The main takeaway.
It requires patience and experimenting to find out what works for you. And keep asking yourself how it feels when you do the chosen action. A habit will stick sooner if it feels good.
But sometimes I thought, "It'd be good to journal again"; thoughts have never turned into actions, though.
In February, I determined to restart journaling.
From previous years I knew:
It's not a morning routine for me. I like doing it in the evening, on the sofa in the living room with dimmed lights.
It could take time. So it's better to limit it.
Decided. Journaling will be at 20:30 on the sofa for 15-30 min.
Before journaling, I have dinner and after - my bedtime routine. It seemed like a perfect fit.
However, later I understood that sometimes at this time, I still needed to post a few last Instagram stories for the day, which affected my entire evening and caused frustration.
So what's next?
To shut off Instagram roughly at 19:00!
I tried it.
Suddenly all actions paired with each other perfectly, forming the desired wind-down routine:
19:00 shut off work & Instagram
19:15 dinner & family time
20:30 journaling
21:00 bedtime routine
21:30 be in bed with a book
22.00 light off
Then once, somehow, I ended up journaling in bed after my bedtime routine and before reading a book.
It also worked. But it wasn't the same cosy feeling as being on the sofa nestled in pillows and a blanket, sipping tea and journaling.
So currently, I'm back to the initial idea of journaling at 20:30 on the sofa for 15-30 min.
Note. I didn't stress out about making journaling every day. When I started in February, it was 1-2 times a week; then, I slowly progressed to 4-5 times a week, which seems sufficient for me.
The main takeaway.
It requires patience and experimenting to find out what works for you. And keep asking yourself how it feels when you do the chosen action. A habit will stick sooner if it feels good.