The Different Phases of Journaling

When you first start committing to writing in a journal, there are a few different phases 
you will likely go through. While not everyone’s experience is exactly the same, this 
trend of phases is fairly common. Understanding them will help you to prepare and 
hopefully be able to work through them and find your motivation to keep going.


Beginning Stage – Getting Ready and Excited

The first stage of journaling is typically the planning stage and when you are getting 
really excited about the prospect. You can start shopping around for journals, think 
about what you will write about, dream and imagine how your life will change. This is a 
really fun and exciting stage of journaling. Have fun with it, enjoy the experience of 
finding the perfect journal, and start looking for some topics you want to write about.


Your First Few Journal Entries

Next, you will start writing in your journal, which often encompasses some of your 
biggest ideas. Many people start slow with what their goals are or what they’re thinking 
about, while others like to start journaling by talking about their day and just whatever is 
on their mind. These first few entries tend to be easy to do since you’re just getting 
started. You often begin writing with the thoughts in the front of your mind, what has 
been weighing on you the most or what you spend the most time thinking about.


Slowly Running Out of Topics and Motivation

You may get to a phase in your journaling when you are a little burnt out, are running 
out of ideas, and might even skip a day or two. This can happen gradually, where you 
slowly start using your journal less, or maybe it takes a little longer to figure out what 
you want to write about. 


Skipping More Days and Reaching Burnout

Inevitably, you reach burnout. You skip more days, and you start losing interest in 
journaling. Not everyone goes through this, but often when you don’t know why you are 
journaling, aren’t sure it is benefiting you, or your mind keeps changing with how you 
want to journal, burnout happens. But don’t worry – there are many ways to get back on 
track.


Finding New Inspiration

Hopefully, you can find new inspiration, and get back to journaling. This may come in 
many forms. Maybe you decide to go in a different direction and take a different 
approach, or you think about why you started journaling in the first place and that sparks 
some ideas. Inspiration can be found in so many ways, just through the act of not giving 
up and continuing to write.


