I wrote everyday for 30 days - here's what I learned
I've always been a journal-keeper. I like writing my thoughts out and I loved using bullet journals for years. Since I've started switching over to digital-only, I've left journaling behind. I wanted to challenge myself to "writing" for 30 days. I decided I would allow myself to journal in my Notion account, which would not only let me get my thoughts out quickly but also save myself from carpal tunnel flare-ups. If you don’t use Notion, a great site to check out might be 750 Words, or just use a good ol’ fashion piece of paper.
What to write and why?
Journaling is like therapy for me. I find it incredibly helpful to write when I'm feeling overwhelmed or anxious. I know that I enjoy it, but I often neglect it when I feel like everything is going well. The most common issue I faced when I tried to do morning pages a few years ago, was that my mind goes blank when I sit down to write.
Before I started this challenge, I wanted to prevent that problem. I slowly worked on accumulating a list of general writing prompts over a variety of topics so that I could have a list on the days I feel less inspired.
I have been working on more and more content lately, and I know that journaling my thoughts can help me get my creative juices flowing. It also gives me a source of content to pull from for blog post ideas and video outlines. I don't share 99% of what I write - but the more I write, the more content that's bound to come from it.
The setup
I used my favorite app, Notion, to keep my journal. I set up a template with my already-existing journal entries that would make it easy to write every day. You can grab the template HERE along with all the prompts. My goal was to have a variety of prompts that would inspire me to really think and grow. At the same time, there were many days later into the challenge where I already knew what I wanted to write about.
I also planned time to write each day. I set a 15-minute window on my calendar every single day where I knew I would have some time to sit at my desk or lay on my phone and type for 15 minutes. Surprisingly, having the calendar notification set up made me keep to my schedule pretty darn well.
Lastly, I gave myself room to write when I wanted to. I've seen amazing things come out of morning pages, but first thing in the morning, I have two puppies ready to play and a toddler that needs breakfast. I found, for myself, writing before bed was a great way to let the day go and get my thoughts out instead of mulling the day over while trying to fall asleep.
What I wrote
I found early on, starting with writing my prayers was the easiest and most natural start. I would write out things I was grateful for, things I worried about, and prayers for other people. These thoughts would usually flow into thoughts about my day, to-do items, and eventually bigger goals and plans for the next week, month, and years.
Some days I would feel tired and overwhelmed, so I'd just have a big brain dump of to-do's, rants, and frustrations. Other days I'd start with a prompt, which allowed me to really think about myself and take a deeper dive under the surface of my habits and thoughts.
At the end of the 30 days, I read back through my entries and I was shocked to see how much better I had gotten at forming my thoughts and how much MORE I was writing per day than when I first started. I saw a lot of growth and self-reflection, I saw answered prayers and repetitive worries I needed to let go of, I saw a lot of fun and success and accomplishments.
The habit
One of the most surprising things about these last 30 days for me, is how simple of a habit this was to add. It didn't require much time and there was no pressure since I knew it was only to my benefit. I didn't have to share what I wrote, so I wrote a lot of true and raw feelings that I never could have articulated without this challenge.
After 30 days, I've decided to keep up on this daily habit, with one addition - every month I've set a reminder to read back through my entries. I've also started tagging them with my emotional state. If I was stressed, the entry would have an angry emoji. If I was motivated, it would have a different emoji. This has been helping me track my days and see what events most impact my emotions and mindset.
I hope this habit is one that continues to form over the years, if for nothing else than for cheap therapy.
