9 Creative Ways to Use Your Journal

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Are you looking for a new way to keep track of your day-to-day life? Do you want something that is more creative than a simple notebook or journal? Let’s go over 9 super creative ways to use your journal!

Whether it’s making a timeline, using the pages as scrapbook paper, or even turning them into artwork, there are plenty of creative ways to make your journal work for you!

Journals are a popular form of expressing creativity but they also are used by many people in meditation and self-care. Keeping a journal allows you to connect to yourself and look back on your memories, and to create new ones along the way. A journal can be used as so much more than a traditional diary as well.

Your journal is unique to you and can even be a big mix of things that bring you joy, help you get to know yourself, and allow you to see how far you have come. 

Keep Track of Your Progress Towards a Goal

When it comes to reaching new goals nothing helps quite as much as seeing progress happen right in front of your eyes. Your journal is a great place to track the progress of your goals over time. From fitness goals to learning a new language or writing that novel you have always dreamed of, tracking your progress can be very motivating in all aspects of life.

Have Fun with Bullet Journaling

Making the most of your journal can be as simple as using it for planning or tracking the goals that enrich your life. There are plenty of creative ways to use it, from being prepped each night before bed by creating a schedule or checking how many hours you’ve spent working on specific projects.

Stickers, coloring, and writing in your journals will make them into personalized works of art! I may be slightly addicted to fine tip pens and colorful markers because of my love for journaling!

Start Keeping Lists

Lists are an amazing thing that can help you think, plan, and appreciate your life in new and amazing ways. One helpful way to use your journal is to keep a bunch of lists. From your bucket list to a list of your favorite books, you can use this idea to really get to know yourself on a deeper level than you ever imagined before. 

Here are a few simple list ideas:

• Places I want to go
• My favorite books
• Songs that speak to me
• People that have left a mark on my life
• Things I am proud of myself for

Create a Dream Journal

Dream journals are an immensely helpful tool for achieving greater clarity and creativity. A dream journal allows you to preserve important storytelling details that often escape, while the story is still fresh from our subconscious minds.

Record your dreams right after waking up, as these vivid memories will escape quickly at any time during the day when we’re immersed in busyness; writing down things like emotions can be very telling about your state of mind. 

Stressed and anxious? Check out these Easy Ways to Lower Your Stress Level

Write Letters To Loved Ones

When we are long gone, our journals will be left behind. A heartfelt way to make use of your journal is to write letters to your loved ones that will be found when you are no longer here with them. This can be one big journal for everyone to pass around or you could work on smaller journals for each person to hold close to them one day. This is the perfect place to write your hopes, your dreams, and the things they have done that make you proud of them.

Write Affirmations

Affirmations are an amazing technique for self-love and self-growth. Filling a journal full of affirmations that remind you that you are valuable, you are loved, and you are worthy can go a long way to helping give yourself a mental boost. One technique is to write about a situation that is bothering you and then writing an affirmation to go with it to help yourself over the hurdle. 

Save Your Favorite Recipes 

What better place than your journal to look back on your favorite recipes and the memories connected to them? The best place to store your favorite recipes is in a journal. You’ll want to keep some of them new, but if you have notes taken on memorable cooking experiences, pull out the old favorites and make new memories by whipping up the recipe again with the family!

Work On Your Own Gratitude Journal. 

Writing down what you are thankful for is a wonderful way to change your mindset on a rough day. When you are having a hard time finding joy on a particular day, look back at your gratitude journal to see all the things you have to be thankful for. Make this a daily habit to truly change your life. If you aren’t sure what to write about, try these gratitude journaling prompts.

Doodles

Did you doodle on your homework as a kid? I still doodle on everything! This can be a creative way to relax and calm stress. Use your journal as a place to mindlessly doodle to help you relax on a rough day. If you are more serious about art you can still put this trick into play by using your journal as a safe place to create things that hold personal meaning to you. 

You can turn your doodles into a whole art book if you want! The possibilities with journaling truly are endless and I love seeing what everyone comes up with when they tap into their creativity. Even if you don’t feel like you’re the best at drawing, a journal is a perfect spot to practice all of your skills. You could even practice lettering, calligraphy, etc. So fun!

How Will You Use Your Journal? 

Record an interesting quote, keep track of books you’ve read, or just make a scrapbook. You’ll find that keeping a journal is great fun and it has lots of benefits. I’d love to hear more ideas! Leave a comment below letting us know the most creative ways you use your journals. Who knows, you may inspire someone! 🙂