Supercharge Your Journaling Practice With These Simple Tricks

I reclaimed my life by journaling. It helped me accept myself and fix the habits that were holding me back. But, as much as people talk about journaling and the benefits of it, they seldom explain in detail how to really make the most of it.

For me, journaling felt very natural and immediately useful. But that's not the case for everyone. Some people have even felt like it set them back on their personal journey.

Many people claim that journaling feeds their negativity. So they stop, feel better temporarily, and go on living a mediocre life.

But journaling is a tool. And its effectiveness, just like that of any other tool, depends on how it's used.

I've gotten a lot out of my practice because I have a clear focus going into each session. I'm reflecting on the thoughts and habits that made up my day so that I can see what I'm doing right and where I can improve. I'm celebrating my victories, and I'm accepting and encouraging myself in the areas where I've faltered. I'm looking for insights and clues as to things that I can change (or do better) to be the very best version of me.

Starting your practice with a positive focus precludes the potential to dwell on negative thoughts and feelings.

This is so important that it bears repeating—don't dwell on negativity. If you have an effusion of negative thoughts that wrecked your day, you don't have to relive every single thought and bring yourself back to that dark cloud.

People focus on negativity when they aren't solution-oriented. So start thinking (and journaling) in terms of solutions.

Sometimes I have crappy days. My journaling habit and positive attitude make those days rare. But they happen. And whenever they do, there is always a culprit. My job as a journaler is to find the culprit and come up with the solution.

Nine times out of ten, my bad days are caused by a lack of accomplishment. I know that I could've done better, but for some reason I got hung up on little things. So, I identify those little things and plan against them.

Gratitude and negativity can't coexist. You're either in one, or you're in the other.

It's hard to be grateful sometimes—especially when you're feeling down. But the option to be grateful is always there and always important.

So journal with an attitude of gratitude. Search out the things and people and events and efforts that made you feel really grateful.

I find a ton of gratitude in those little moments when I made good decisions even when it was hard. Like waking up with the world on my shoulders and falling back on my affirmations and success rituals instead of crawling back under my sheets. I'm grateful for that decision because it made me feel good about myself, and it helped me to do my very best throughout the day.

I express gratitude when I do something that makes me feel mature, like pay my bills on time, or volunteer my time, or pray for someone I'm having issues with instead of holding a grudge, or exercise when I'm feeling crappy, or encourage myself when I fall down, or practice gratitude when things go wrong, or any number of tiny but important decisions that influence my life.

If you focus on those small decisions with an attitude of gratitude, you'll make even better decisions, which will make you even more grateful. It's the beginning of an amazing positive feedback loop, and it will change your life. But all starts with the decision to be grateful.

The last step goes hand in hand with the first: Find your focus. I write down the date, then I immediately write a couple of lines about what I am.

"I am useful, valuable, resilient, courageous, positive, uplifting, intelligent, creative, patient, hopeful, generous, grateful, decisive, confident, gentle, loving, and adventurous."

I always start with these affirmations because they supercharge my focus and eliminate the chance of lingering on negativity. I change the affirmations every day, and I usually focus on strengthening my weaknesses for that day. For instance, if I felt scattered, I'll affirm my presence. If I felt scared, I'll affirm my courage. You get the idea.

Then, when you end your journaling session, focus on applauding yourself for the incredible job you did—focus on hope for an even better day tomorrow. It's awesome because no matter how insanely good or incredibly bad, you can always have a better day tomorrow. If you focus on improving your journaling practice, those better days can and will be every day.

I naturally started journaling with really good habits and was blessed that my practice came so intuitively. But just because you haven't doesn't mean you can't get just as much out of journaling as I have. Practice these five steps, and I guarantee that you will find your journaling groove and reap some inspiring growth in just the next month.