5 Tips for when your journaling slips

The type of journaling we deal with at Story of My Life Journal requires discipline and focus, as we build the practice into a habit and routine.

However, like any habit and routine, it can slip, and we can find ourselves missing a morning/evening check-in, or even missing entire days altogether.

Firstly, we want you to rest assured that this isn’t a problem – it’s normal. But you do, of course, want to ensure the slip doesn’t become your new routine.

So, here’s some tips to help you get back on track.

1. Relax

It happens. Because life happens.

And, yes, it happens for us, too.

Which parent isn’t familiar with a long day at work, returning home to the whirlwind of the evening, getting kids fed and to bed, and having absolutely no energy left to even consider an evening journal check-in?!

So, if it happens for us – and I created the frickin journal – you’re all good.

The key is finding a way that works for you.

In the scenario we mentioned above, maybe a strategy would be to take 5-10min before leaving work to complete the evening check-in.

2. Remember the purpose of journaling

You likely started journaling as some form of support tool, be that for your mental health and wellbeing, or goalsetting.

So, it’s a support tool. It’s not an obligation.

And the second it becomes a chore instead of something you use for support, you’ll find it harder and harder to resume your habit.

So, if you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up, and definitely don’t place the expectation on yourself that you have to retrospectively complete the check-ins.

That will very quickly lead you to the place of “Argh, I can’t be bothered – I don’t have time”.

3. Use the journal

Why not use the journal to help you get back on track?

One of the features of the daily pages of your Story of My Life Journal is the three Most Important Tasks (MITs).

Put ‘journal’ as one of those tasks and, that way, instead of journaling becoming a task on top of your other tasks, it eases the pressure on you by simply being one of those tasks.

That also means you get to pat yourself on the back just for journaling.

Once the habit takes hold and you’re back in the routine, you can resume using your MITs for other tasks.

4. Work with (not against) yourself

Sometimes, you’re in the zone, but sometimes you’re simply not.

In those moments, don’t pressure yourself to write more than you want to.

That might mean that in some of your check-ins, you simply write one-word answers.

That’s totally fine – at least you wrote something.

The key is for you to be ok with what you’re ok with, instead of holding set expectations over your own head.

Remember, your journal is there to support you – not to add to your pressures.

5. Build it into your existing routines

We’re wired to resist change – it’s literally in our DNA.

So, if you’ve never journaled before and you’re attempting to introduce an entirely new routine, you’ll find it very difficult – but not impossible – to implement that change.

A far easier method is to build your journaling into your existing routines, so you’re effectively assimilating it into your life.

You’re making it work for you, as opposed to trying to work for it.

As an example: if you have a morning routine of any kind – let’s say, you wake and go for a run, make a coffee, and read the news – make journaling a part of that. Make your coffee and go and sit down to do your morning check-in, then move onto the news.