5 top tips for journaling for success

Now is the perfect time to start a journal or tweak your current one to give you support for your well-being. A journal can not only provide an outlet for our emotions but can also give us an opportunity to explore, plan, and organise our lives, setting us up for success. In this article, we'll explore five different types of journaling practices and their benefits.

1. Gratitude journaling

Start by writing down three things you are grateful for. Give a little time to each one and really tap into why you appreciate these things no matter how small. 

Benefits of gratitude journaling

Gratitude sets us up with an optimistic mindset – crucial for success. Programming ourselves to appreciate the good we have in our lives will help to keep things in perspective and buffer us against smaller niggling issues we have to deal with.

2. Clear your head from clutter

Julia Cameron author of The Artists Way, recommends writing a few pages of stream-of-consciousness or free-flow writing upon wakening to offload and free our minds from whatever is in our heads – you could start with writing about a dream you had or a worry or concern you have upon waking - or even writing nonsense until something comes up. 

Benefits of stream-of-consciousness writing

This method empties your mind and gives you a fresh canvas to begin your day. I have completed the morning pages for six weeks and I have found it an extremely useful tool for releasing all the things that are on my mind. I am also finding that once I run out of things to write I often come up with solutions to an ongoing issue or get great ideas for projects I’m working on!

3. Daily affirmation

Affirmations are “I am” statements we say to ourselves to give us encouragement when we need it most and to help us boost confidence and self-belief. Think about what you hope to achieve that day and write yourself a supportive affirmation. For example, “I am capable” or “I am enough”.

Benefits of daily affirmations

We are our own worst critics and often feed ourselves with negative statements and harsh judgements. Writing an affirmation that we have created for ourselves and stating it aloud is a powerfully effective way to guide us into taking successful action. A very simple technique yet empowering!

4. Goal setting

Write down three things you want to get done that day. Choose three things that will really make a difference if you tick them off. 

Benefits of goal setting

Limiting your goals to three things for the day actually leads to higher productivity. Once you complete them you will feel a sense of achievement without feeling overwhelmed. You will then have more energy and motivation to complete other things on your to-do list. Goal setting also gives us a sense of purpose which helps us feel successful on a day-to-day basis as we know what we are striving towards.

5. Evening reflection

Start a success section in your journal by writing three things that went well that day.

Benefits of evening reflection

Allowing time to acknowledge even small wins on a daily basis greatly increases our confidence and sense of well-being as we start to feel more successful. Do this every day and you will build up a lot of successes over time and you will always have something to refer to if you are feeling down. 

Choose just one of these methods and try it for seven days and notice how you feel. Happy journaling!

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