What Should Your First Journal Entries Be?

Once you are in the habit of journaling, it continues to get easier, where you are just 
writing on autopilot and don’t even have to think about it. The hardest part is getting 
started and writing that first entry. What should you first few journal entries be? You can 
write about anything, but the following topics are easy to use on the first few pages of 
your journal.


Your Top Reasons for Starting a Journal

For the very first page of your journal, write down a list of why you want to use a journal, 
especially if this is your very first time using one. It can be as short or as long as you 
want it. Just make a list of why you chose to start this journal, from the fact that you 
read an article online about journaling, to feeling like something is missing in your life 
and you want to explore it by using the journal.


About You and Your Life

Another early journal entry that helps get you started with this practice is just to write 
about who you are, what you want to do with your life, what your life is like now, really 
just anything that comes to mind. Write your name, where you were born, where you 
live now, your age and relationship status, what your job is, what your dream job is, if 
you are in school or college, what you do in your spare time, if you have kids or pets. 
What your interests are. This is a great way to just start exploring who you are and 
where you might want to focus your time when you begin writing more in your journal.


Your Favorites

If you get stuck early on in your journaling journey, try just writing a list of your favorite 
things. Here are some different lists of favorites that can be fun to do:

Your favorite local hotspots
Your favorite songs or artists
Your favorite movies or TV shows
Your favorite memories from high school
Your favorite way to spend the holidays


Lists

You can also use a variety of other lists in your early journal pages, such as places you 
want to visit, items on your bucket list, books you intend to read this year, some of your 
top goals, and so many more. Lists can also be combined into favorites, but there are 
many more lists that are easy to start in the first few pages of your journal.


Brain Dump

Lastly, try a brain dump early on. You will be able to get all your thoughts out on paper 
and can really get to a place where you feel like you’re starting fresh. Just start writing 
the first thing on your mind, then continue writing until you feel like you have exhausted 
the main things you have been focusing on lately. It might be your worries, errands you 
need to run, something stressing you out, things you have been trying to remember or 
forget, ideas you have, just whatever comes to mind – write it all out.




