How to Start a Diary
Writing in a diary can make you happier. Writing about your emotional experience can help you become more focused, more creative, and less emotionally distressed. However, keeping a diary can require some dedication. That’s why 5-Minute Crafts wants to share some tips with you that will help you fill in the empty pages of any journal.
1. Choose the topic.
You can use a diary to record your personal doings and feelings or dedicate it to different topics. The topics you can write about are almost endless and depend on you and your interests.
- Regular diary — to write down things that happened to you and reflect on them, to keep track of your own development.
- Gratitude diary — to write down things that make you feel happy and thankful.
- Healthy habits diary — to track your workouts, diet, and the new habits you adopt to lead a better lifestyle.
- Holiday diary — to write down warm memories from places that you visited.
- Hobby diary — to organize your hobbies and creative things you come up with.
2. Create an entry.
To keep track of your thoughts, memories, and events over time, make sure you write down the date of every entry. Also, add original, yet clear headlines to specify every topic you write about. You can get creative and make this format very special, to suit your personality. For example, you can use different colors or calligraphy to make your diary more beautiful and the process of writing more fun.
3. Set up a schedule.
Decide a special time for yourself that you will dedicate to writing a diary. You can do it daily or several times a week at one specific hour every day. Depending on what type of diary it is, you can adjust your schedule to it. For example, if you track your healthy habits, you can record your results at the end of every day. This way you make it easier for yourself to organize your thoughts and track different events in your life.
4. Be open and honest with yourself.
Your diary is a zone that is free of judgment, from yourself or anyone else. That’s why you should not be afraid to write down your deepest thoughts, feelings, desires, and even fears. Be patient with yourself, don’t blame yourself for any faults, and try to stay open to new opportunities. This will help you understand yourself more clearly, control your emotions better, and improve your mental health.
5. Record how you feel.
Writing your feelings down can help you to clear your mind and get ready to make decisions, help you to get your emotions in order, and allow you to record your personal development. When you write in a diary, ask yourself some questions and try to find answers:
- What did I do today?
- What is the best thing that happened to me today?
- What emotions did I experience today? What emotion was the best?
- What did I learn today?
- What are my hopes for tomorrow?
6. Add more details.
By writing in a diary you make a little book out of your life. That’s why it’s important to add every detail to it, even if it’s small and insignificant. Later on, when you return and reread it, it will help you recreate the whole picture and reflect on that moment in a better way.
7. Decorate it with drawings and doodles.
No matter what type of diary you create, it doesn’t have to be boring. Allow yourself to get creative and add funny doodles, stickers, or photos to it. This can help you to relax your mind, express yourself, and make your diary more original.
8. Choose a diary that is special to you.
To make the process of writing more enjoyable, get yourself a diary or journal that speaks to your heart. You don’t have to feel pressured to record everything in an expensive handmade book. Even if they look good, they might be very impractical.
- Size and weight: Think about what and how much you are going to write and if you are going to carry your diary with you or leave it at home.
- Cover: If you plan on carrying your diary with you, then hardcover is a good option, as it makes the book more durable. Soft-cover journals are more flexible.
- Paper: If you write with liquid, inky pens, they might bleed through thin paper, so it’s better to opt for journals with thicker paper. If you want to add photos, collages, and paintings, then you can choose a book with pages that can withstand the embellishments.
- Refillables: If you love writing in beautiful diaries but don’t want to pay a lot of money for a new one every time you finish your journal, then you can opt for those that offer replaceable refills.