Return to Your Journal
guidance on reclaiming the practice in a new phase of life
When I started The Navel Gazette, I imagined reaching journaling novices. I wanted to share the tools I’ve picked up over 35 years of journaling and bust any myths in a newcomer’s way.
Instead, as savvier Substackers would have expected, most people I’ve met through my posts and courses have journaled before. Many writers who come to my workshops already know how to journal, and they understand why to journal, but what they’re less clear on is where journaling fits in their current world.
For some former journalers, their schedules and energy cycles have shifted. Attention can feel harder to harness. With all that now competes for their time, some writers feel guilty stopping to think about themselves.
The strange thing is that despite plentiful research on the benefits of journaling, I can’t find any studies on what makes the habit sustainable in the real world.
So this topic has become my new obsession. I’m interviewing long-term journalers to learn how they approach the practice. I’m sharing the most helpful tools that have kept me going. And I’m orienting my upcoming summer course to explicitly support those who want a reboot.
We’re digging into questions like:
When is it easiest to pick up your journal?
What keeps the practice fresh and fruitful?
How do you stick with the habit through a shifting life?
So far I see three themes emerging:
#1 Constrain the expectation.
Coming back to the practice, we might imagine we need to fill multiple pages like we did in an earlier era. Good news: You do not need to write at length to get the benefits of journaling. A micro practice may be better suited to this time.
Try summarizing your day in one sentence each evening. Or set a timer for five minutes of free-writing in the morning. These brief moments of self-connection can be enough to keep you grounded and restore the habit of reaching for your journal.
#2 Arrange the invitation.
Make it easy to write by putting your journal within reach. Set it next to your bed to journal first thing in the morning. Rest it by your yoga mat to take notes after savasana. Or keep it by your coffee mug and write while the pot is brewing.
For some journalers, making this invitation optional is key to sustaining the practice. Others thrive on consistency, but if you’ve had trouble restarting, it may help to permit yourself to skip when you’re not feeling it.
#3 Change the invocation.
If you’re like me, your early journals were a toxic waste dump. The journal began as a safe place for pain. This type of writing can be supportive and healing, but over time journalers appear to crave a more well-rounded practice.
Those I know who have stuck with or successfully restarted journaling have at some point brought in explicitly positive writing. This could involve keeping a gratitude list, writing dreams for the future, capturing happy memories, or using the journal to plan something rewarding.
This “positive affect” journaling does not have to be over-the-top or cheesy, and it doesn’t require you to stop writing about tough things. But making some space to intentionally take stock of what’s working well, showing promise, or bringing joy can make the practice substantially more uplifting and easier to engage.
☀️ Summer Journaling Booster - Starts July 12 🖊️
The upcoming two-week summer course hits all three themes with manageable 10-minute writing segments, daily lessons to invite you to your journal, and thoughtfully crafted, energizing prompts. Bonus: Fascinating live discussions with other journalers who share your passion for this practice! Enroll by July 2 for Early Bird Pricing.
Recent discussions with longtime journalers:
I’d love to know: Have you restarted a journaling practice?
What have you noticed about what works for rebooting your momentum? Do these three themes fit your experience? Did you try anything that didn’t work?
Share your thoughts below, and please reach out if you’re open to being interviewed.