Journaling is a very personal process. There are so many styles of journals and so many ways to journal. The options are truly endless and you can come up with your own unique version of what journaling looks like for you.
*This post includes affiliate links.
You may be the creative type and want to design your own version of a journal. Or maybe you want a journal that provides some type of prompt for you every day. You may want to combine your planner with a daily writing exercise. There is no right or wrong way to go about journaling.
Journaling is really just a way to keep an active dialogue with self. Journals provide a personal space to express yourself, track goals, share feelings, self reflect and so much more. If journaling is something you want to make a consistent part of your selfcare practice you have to find a style of journaling that you enjoy. So here are some journal styles you should give a try.
Standard Journal
This is your basic lined journal that you can use for the typical “dear diary” approach to journaling but also for any form of free writing you choose. Write a thought a day, record your dreams, make list or just do a brain dump. You can grab a cheap notebook or invest in a beautiful leather bound personalized journal.
JoyNote A5 Classic Notebook with Pen Holder, College Ruled Harcdcover, 5.75 x 8.25 inches, $12.88
CASE ELEGANCE Monogrammed Full Grain Premium Leather Refillable Journal, $54.77
Bullet Journal
A notebook used to create your own journal whether it be for planning, goal tracking, todo lists or any other form of journaling. Think of it as a self created organizational system. Usually done in a dot grid notebook. You customize it to your needs. You an use your own drawing, stickers. These are definitely for the creatives and minimalist and for those that like to make a journal their own. And if you aren’t very artistic but still want to design your own, they even have stencil sets for your bullet journaling.
Paperage Dotted Journal Bullet Notebook, Hard Cover, $9.95
Star Right Bullet Notebook Journal Set – Dotted Grid Journal, 10 Notebook Pens, 12 Stencils and 3 Bookmarks, $15.99
Blank Journal
This journal is a blank canvas for you to use as you please. No prompts, no lists, no dots, no lines…Just a clean blank page. These are great for art journaling, doodling or if you like to design your own journal from scratch. The options are limitless.
Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, 5″ x 8.25″ Plain/Blank, $19.95
Guided /Prompted Journal
Journals with questions or writing prompts can be used for anything from selfcare to self reflection to a devotional practice. They can offer up anything from a writing prompt, a question of the day, a scripture or quote to contemplate… The point is the journal provides something to guide you in your journaling process.
Digital Journal
In this day and age, most of our activities have gone digital. And yes, journaling has followed suit. You can keep it simple and create a Word doc or Google doc for your daily journaling or you can use an app. Some of the popular journaling apps include Penzu, Dayone, Journey and Diaro.
Planner
Yes planners are types of journals too. And there is a planner for just about anything you can think of. You can use a planner for your day-to-day life, a planner to track your goals, keep to-do lists organized, plan your weight training, plan your selfcare… There are tons of options for the what you want to plan and the layout you want. You can check out The Mom Selfcare Planner or another personal favorite is Plum Paper because they have a ton of customizable options.
The Mom Selfcare Planner, Hardcopy $19.99, Digital Copy $12.99
There is no right way to journal. The goal is to find what works for you and do it on a regular basis. Pick the style of journal you prefer and then you can choose what you want to journal about. Which style of journal do you prefer?
Elisha Beach is a stay-at-home mom to four kids and four step-kids…Yes, you read that right—eight kids. She is a wife, home cook, taxi driver, herder of children, terrible housekeeper, selfcare advocate and founder of The Mom Forum.
If you enjoyed this blog, be sure to subscribe to our email list to get more blogs like this straight to your inbox.
