Types of Journal Practice

There are over 50 types of journal practice. The key is to begin with one that appeals to you the most and try different combinations to suit your needs.

Morning pages

Derived from Julia Cameron’s Book- ‘The artist way’, morning pages are streams of consciousness writing done first thing in the morning, in three pages. When writing a morning page, you are not doing actual writing; you are just jotting down the first thoughts that come into your mind in the morning, no matter how senseless they sound.

The reason it has to be three pages is that it would be easier if it was shorter. The first page has you seamlessly throwing out all the words that fly into your mind and all the feelings you woke up with, so you do not have to try. Now, when those are gone, you have to consciously think and clear out the residue feelings and thoughts from your mind, so you attend to your day with a clear mind.

Gratitude Journal

Using a gratitude journal for Gratitude journaling is a simple but powerful activity you can do to help stop focusing on yourself and start counting your blessings.

At the beginning or end of each day, write down 3 things you’re grateful for in your gratitude journal. It doesn’t matter what they are; be clear about exactly what made you feel grateful. This can range from things like finding money in your pocket after flipping over a parking meter to having a conversation with someone who understands what’s going on in your life right now.

It can do wonders if done with consistency.

Fitness journal

Whether CrossFit, Peloton, yoga, running, walking, tennis, gym classes, boot camps, or at-home workouts, a fitness journal can help you keep track of your workouts and progress. It can be a place where you set personal goals for yourself and map out the steps to achieve them.

Meditation journal

There are so many evidence-based benefits to meditation. Whether it’s a purely physical and mindfulness exercise or if it includes a spiritual component, a journal can enhance your practice.

This type of journal may be a place where you jot down things you want to meditate on. It may be a place where you log where, when, and how you meditated if you want to keep track of all your sessions.

Spiritual journal

For people on spiritual journeys, a bible journal or other types of religious guides can be something you journal through. Regardless of your beliefs, many people enjoy writing as a way to articulate their beliefs and hopes for themselves.

Food journal

Whether it’s for weight loss purposes or to log your favorite foods at different restaurants over time, food journaling can help with this. Plus, it’s a great way to keep track of new ingredients you may want to cook with and try at home.

Dream Journal

Another type of journaling you may not have considered is a dream journal. If you’re someone that has vivid dreams and an active thought life in your sleep, recording these on the blank pages of your journal may be interesting. Not only that, keeping a dream journal may spark ideas for creative writing.

Whatever your motivation, a dream journal is another fun way to cultivate a creative journaling practice. Sometimes just putting our thoughts on paper can be incredibly useful tool to help us identify patterns, behaviors and opportunities for personal growth.

Travel Journal

Another journal method that you could try is travel journaling. Obviously, the amount you travel is a key component to this. But if you’re someone that likes to track your experiences, food intake on trips, sight-seeing, cultural observations, etc., travel journaling is a perfect way to do this.

Plus, travel journals can incorporate mixed materials. On your next trip, pack a glue stick. Every ticket stub or brochure you acquire, glue it onto a blank page. Leave room for pictures you print when you get home. In this way, a travel journal becomes an on-the-go scrapbook, plus it enhances the experience of re-reading about your travels.