Journaling is the exercise of writing whatever comes to mind in either a notebook or your iPhone notes.

Scratch that. Journaling is whatever you make it. To make things simple, in this post I am going to talk about ten ways to effectively journal.

Find a journal

I typically buy journals everywhere. From Walmart, Target, Burlington Coat Factory (I love their notebooks), Five Below, and even Dollar Tree just to name a few.

You don’t need a whole bunch of money, a $1.25 can you get a journal or at least something to write in.

I typically buy journals that have cute designs or make me good to write inside.

Set out time to write

Take a few moments out of your day, or week that are designated for journaling.

I typically journal at coffee shops or late night .

Understand the “why” you are journaling

Knowing your why will make everything easier. Are you journaling because you feel you have no one that understands you? Or are you journaling because you want to clear your mind?

Either or, make sure you know why and your words will flow naturally on the piece of paper.

What to journal

Be as vulnerable as you can when journaling because it’s just you who is going to read and analyze what is written.

Journal your thoughts, ideas, and things that made you feel something.

Find journal prompts

You can find journal prompts on Instagram , Twitter, even Pinterest. You can even analyze your surroundings and journal about wha you see, hear.

It doesn’t have to be a self reflection journal prompt neither , you can find story starters, and one word prompts online.

Journal when you feel something

This means if you happy- journal.

If you are sad – journal.

Every chance you get is a journaling opportunity.

We don’t always have to journal our sad and unhappy moments. It’s okay to journal when everything is going fine too. Talk about your accomplishments, remember that it’s okay to reflect on the good too.