Should I have a structured or a free flow journal? - Journaling Habit

If you have recently started to keep a daily journal, you most certainly have pulled your hair out in trying to decide between following a rigid structure or template vs free flow journaling. With a rigid structure, you would attempt to write articulated thoughts in a similar manner whereas with the free flow journaling you would write anything that comes to your mind – something like the image below. Unfortunately, there is no simple winner between free flow or structured and I would recommend you do both – in a way which I will describe below; Core Goal of Keeping a Daily Journal It is important to remember the core goal of keeping a daily journal – to enhance your mental state. For example, writing your goals down so you can increase the chances of accomplishing them or writing out your fears and worries so your mind is not in an endless loop. With that goal in mind, there is a simple three-step process you can follow to get better at keeping a journal which has the best of both worlds – structured and free flow. I like to call this process write, reflect, and repeat (yes, simplicity is the key). Step 1 […]