Why Journal? 12+ Types of Journals & Why You Need One

Remember when you were young and someone would gift you a journal and you’d get excited and promise yourself that you were going to write every.single.day? 

You start right away with ‘Dear Diary’ and you’d write 2-3 pages worth, then the next day you’d write about half that, and it would just spiral downhill from there.

Ha! We all did it. It’s like a right of passage for the pre-teen.

Why Journaling Is Important:

We won’t be talking about diaries in this post. Instead we’ll talk about:

1. Why Journal Writing is Important

2. What Are the Benefits of Journaling?

3. How Do You Use a Journal?

4. What Type of Journal Should I Use?

There are many ways that someone can fill a journal and I want you to break away from the ‘old ways’ and try something new that will stick.

We’ll be looking at journals that allow you to be in touch with your emotions, your deepest thoughts, your limiting beliefs, etc.

We’ll talk about journals that help you grow, become a better writer, or finally reach your goals.

They will inspire creativity, take you on a journey, and give you access to moments in your life to reflect on.

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1. Why Journal Writing is Important

Journaling has so many benefits (which I’ll touch on below), but overall the biggest reason why journal writing is important is that it’s a transformative tool that helps you to shift your mindset and your lifestyle.

I’ve read and witnessed over and over how journals have helped people:

• Become more grateful
• Get out of slumps
• Increase their mental health
• Make progress on their desired lifestyle, etc

Let’s take a look at the benefits to see how journals are the straightest path from uncertainty to clarity:

2. What Are the Benefits of Journaling?

1. Journaling is a great reflective tool. When you journal, you get to see your thoughts on paper which helps you to reflect and make changes moving forward.

2. There are lots of styles of journaling that can help with the process of change.

3. Guided journals will help you on make progress on a specific need. (i.e. a vision journal can help you create a vision for the dream future you want to work towards.)

3. A method like the braindump is a great productivity tool that allows you to take all your to-do tasks in your mind and dump them on paper.

You can then organize the tasks to get them done and this will free up your mind for more important things. 

4. When you can see your thoughts on paper, you can see where your negative thoughts are holding you back and how to start to shift them to be positive and productive.

5. Seeing your worries on paper allows you to have a more clear mind when considering solutions. Almost like having an outsiders perspective.

6. Use your journals to look back and see your progress or just for the fun of remembering things that were happening in your life. Share some moments with your family if you like. 

These are just some of the ways journals can really help you!

3. How Do You Use a Journal?

There’s no need to make journaling complicated.

Pinterest can sometimes make the aspiring journal writer a little intimidated, but it’s like anything else…you just start imperfectly and get better at it.

Yes, I do believe there’s a way to get better at journaling.

When you begin, I suggest 1 of 2 options:

1. Get a guided journal so that you don’t have to worry about what to write, it’s ready for you.

2. Start with 2-3 simple prompts that you fill out daily. For example:

a. Sleep tracking: What was the time you slept and how did you sleep? Is there something you can do to make your sleep better?

b. Gratitude: Write 2-3 things that you are grateful for. Increase if you can. If not, then no worries.

c. Challenges: Write 1-2 challenges you faced the day before. How did you handle it? What is a possible solution?

That’s it. Don’t go overboard. Don’t go to Pinterest for the 100+ journal prompts. Stick with this to get started and simply for the habits of writing something everyday.

4. What Type of Journal Should I Use?

If you are wanting to go beyond the 2 suggeseted above and are looking for something that fits a certain theme, your personality style, or for making progress in a specific field, then here is a list of great options:

Writing/Poetry/Song Journal: Straight up write what you feel/think/observe in a lined book. Or use a writing journal to exercise your writing skills to become a better writer. Is poetry your style? Use this journal to write your poetry or song lyrics.

Art Journal: Fill your journal with words/thoughts/quotes/feelings/etc and doodle around them. Or just create art as a way to express yourself. 

Guided Journal: Helping you to on a journey. Crush it! Journal creates many guided journals that help you build a dream life. 

From releasing your fears to pursue your passions courageously to creating a passion-driven vision to carving a clear path for your vision and beyond.

Bullet Journal: This is a great combination of art and organization. If you’ve been journaling for a while, this is a good one to try.

You get to be creative and use lists to get things done. I’ve seen mood trackers, calendars, lists, etc in bullet journals. They make me envious, but I just don’t choose to put my time into this.

Travel Journal: Pictures are great for remembering a trip, but journals are even better. In a journal you get to remember what made you laugh, cry, angry. You can write about the smells, the tastes, the feeling of an experience.

Food Journal: Are you trying to track allergies? Or perhaps weight gain/loss? Maybe you’re a food connoisseur and just want to remember your favourite/least favourite recipes or food experiences.

Write out how you changed up a recipe to make it better. Remember a trick that really helped make the meal perfect.

Mood Journal: Are you struggling with mood changes or mental health problems? A mood journal allows you to track how you are feeling and what happened that day that may have contributed to your feelings.

This is a good way to see triggers and acknowledge what may need to change or be addressed to help you in the future.

Prayer Journal: A prayer journal is deeply special to someone who is spiritual or religious.

It’s a great way to prompt you to pray, to keep track of the burdens you are asking for help with or the thankfulness you have for something in your life. Use this to connect with God and be able to look back at your spiritual journey.

Gratitude Journal: If you want to be successful, then practicing gratitude daily is important. A journal is a great way to keep track of the positive things in your life.

Use this journal to focus on what you have to be thankful for and you’ll see your outlook on life shift to become more positive. You can thank me later (lol!)

Hobby Journal: Keep track of you favourite hobbies. Crafts you’ve enjoyed doing, books you loved reading, workout exercises that you’ve tried and how they’re working for you, even how your garden is growing. 

Pocket Journal: I love pocket journals to store all my random ideas, remembering important things, and simple musings that come to mind.

As you might have guessed, its a pocket-sized journal that you can carry with you and pull out when the next ‘Harry Potter’ novel idea comes to mind.

What Do You Want to Do With a Journal?

Have you ever felt lost in life and struggled to get on track with the dream life you’ve always wanted?

I teach women how to pursue their passion and Crush it! at life using intentional, guided journals that equip them for their unique journey.

We all have our path to take in life. Our own purpose and our own passions. 

That’s why our journals are crafted with your unique journey in mind. We’re not about telling what you should do, but helping you find that wisdom within yourself.

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