Journaling methods: six ways to keep a journal.
There is no single right way to keep a journal. Here are six common methods, what each asks of you, and who it tends to suit.
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If you have two minutes a day, write a line a day. If you have ten, answer one prompt or do timed free writing. If you want to organise your days as well as record them, try rapid logging. If you have half an hour every morning, try morning pages. You can mix methods, and many people end up doing so.
The six at a glance
| Method | Time a day | What you write | Tends to suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning pages | 30+ min | Three handwritten pages, without stopping | Clearing your head; creative work |
| A line a day | 1–2 min | One sentence | Busy people; remembering the year |
| Gratitude list | 3–5 min | A few specific good things | Ending the day; short entries |
| Prompt journaling | 5–15 min | An answer to one question | Beginners; anyone who freezes at a blank page |
| Rapid logging | 5–10 min | Short bullets with symbols | Planners; people who like lists |
| Timed free writing | 10 min | Anything, until the timer ends | Writing fluency; language learners |
Times are rough guides from this page, not rules of any method.
1. Morning pages
What it is: three pages of handwriting, done first thing in the morning and written without stopping. The method comes from the writer Julia Cameron, who set it out in her book The Artist’s Way (1992). On her own description, the pages can be about anything that crosses your mind, are not meant to be good writing, and are for your eyes only.
How to try it: keep the notebook by your bed or the kettle. Write until three pages are full, even if a whole line says I don’t know what to write. There is no need to read the pages back.
Good to know: three handwritten pages take a while, so this is the longest of the six. If that doesn’t fit your mornings, timed free writing (below) is a shorter cousin.
2. A line a day
What it is: one sentence a day, every day. Some people use a notebook that puts the same date from several years on one page, so they can see what they wrote on this day last year.
How to try it: before bed, write the date and the one thing from today you would want to remember. If you have more to say, you can — but you never have to.
Good to know: it is the easiest method to keep going, and the hardest in which to think anything through. Many people pair it with a longer entry once a week.
3. A gratitude list
What it is: a short list of things that went well or that you are glad of, usually at the end of the day.
How to try it: write three things, and make each one specific. The bus driver waited for me is a better line than people are kind. The 60 gratitude prompts help on days nothing comes to mind.
Good to know: lists done fast become the same three things every night. Specific details keep them honest.
4. Prompt journaling
What it is: answering one question — a prompt — instead of starting from a blank page.
How to try it: choose a prompt, write for five to fifteen minutes, and stop. There are 370 prompts in six themes on the Writing Desk, including 60 for English learners tagged by level.
Good to know: it is the gentlest way to start, because the hardest part — deciding what to write about — is done for you.
5. Rapid logging
What it is: a journal written in short, symbol-marked bullets instead of sentences, so it works as a to-do list, a calendar and a diary in one notebook. Dot-grid paper suits it well, because the faint dots make it easy to draw columns and boxes.
× send the report
○ Ana’s birthday dinner, 8 pm
– the new café on the corner opens at 7
How to try it: write the date, then log the day as it happens. Use one mark for a task, another for an event, another for a note, and cross a task out or mark it done when it is finished.
Good to know: rapid logging is the core of the Bullet Journal® method created by Ryder Carroll, which uses a dot for tasks, an open circle for events and a dash for notes. You don’t need that system, or any special notebook, to log this way.
6. Timed free writing
What it is: set a timer, usually for ten minutes, and keep writing until it rings. No stopping, no crossing out, no rereading until the end.
How to try it: if you get stuck, write the last word again, or write I’m stuck, until something else comes. When the timer rings, underline one sentence worth keeping.
Good to know: for English learners it can be especially useful, because it is practice in keeping going without stopping to translate. Journaling to learn English builds a daily routine around it.
Mixing methods
Many journals end up as a mixture: rapid logging on weekdays, a longer prompt on Sunday, a line a day when life is busy. Start with one method for two weeks, then keep what you use and drop what you don’t.
If something you write about feels too heavy to carry alone, you don’t have to. Talk to someone you trust, a doctor, or a support service where you live.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between a journal and a diary? In everyday English the two overlap: dictionaries define both as a written record of what you do or experience each day. In British English a diary is also the book or app where you note future appointments. And “journal” is also the word for a specialist magazine, such as a scientific journal.
Which journaling method is best for beginners? Prompt journaling or a line a day. Both are short, and neither leaves you facing an empty page with no idea where to begin.
Do I need a dot-grid notebook for rapid logging? No. Dot-grid paper suits it, but a lined notebook, a plain one or a phone note works too.