How I’ve Written Every Day for the Past 12 Years
By: Urvashi Banerjea
Tags: Habits, Diary, Self Expression, Daily Journal, Habit Building

1. Eliminate the pomp and circumstance of starting a new habit.

One thing that all my previous strings of habit-forming failures have in common is that I spent more time planning what I wanted to do, instead of actually doing it. We’ve all been there — buying a fancy new spin bike only to have spent hundreds of dollars on a glorified hamper, penciling in time on your calendar you think you’ll have available before life gets in the way, the list can go on and on. I have found that if you want to start a new habit, it has to be as easily incorporated into your existing lifestyle as possible.

If you are creating mental, emotional or financial “space” that didn’t exist before, chances are that you won’t be able to keep it up long term. Once I realized that I’d like my journaling habit to expand into my personal life, I was tempted to go to the nearest stationary store and purchase a fancy journal, but I didn’t. I kept writing on the same yellow steno pad and kept going.

2. Start with a simple list, no strings attached.

The main reason I’ve been able to sustain my daily writing habit is because I kept it simple. Often times the pressure of deciding what to write and how often to write can be too intimidating for people to even begin.

There is a misconception that the act of journaling has to be deeply emotional.

If that were the case I would have quit a long time ago, exhausted by the need to write a daily emotional exposé . I began by writing a “laundry list” of things I did that day. As time went on, I became more in touch with my appetite for journaling and gave myself the freedom to write on deeper topics if I so chose.

Start small, there is no need to have a “dear diary”- moment every day.

3. Add some texture!

Even as an avid fan of journaling , I find that the 2-D world of words on a page can be a bit boring sometimes. I like to add some variety by making my journal of choice multi-faceted. Adding texture doesn’t have to mean bulky raised patterns or bold layered pages, it can be something as simple as pasting a ticket stub or part of a playbill from an evening you’d like to remember. By also making your daily diary multi-purpose, you’re more likely to be incentivized to keep up with it.

4. Make it Okay to Miss a Day.

You must be wondering , if it’s “Ok to Miss a Day” then isn’t my headline deceiving? The answer is no. It’s not meant to be! You can still have a daily journal even if you’re not able to write every day. It’s important to remain true to yourself and your schedule — the beauty of writing is that it is wholly and completely yours. You have the flexibility to use your journal to capture moments as they come or as a retrospective to revisit each day of the week. By honoring the natural cadence within you, you open yourself up to making this habit truly a reflective practice.

5. Don’t suppress your creativity in the name of discipline.

One major mistake a lot of people make when they begin to form habits is to be too rigid. If your goal is to write one entry every day and one day you wake up with the idea of drawing parts of your day instead of writing it in words, go with the flow! Your journal and how you express your feelings are entirely your own.

By allowing yourself to experiment with new mediums of self-expression, you become more resilient in your thoughts and how you want to express them.

Two failed bullet journals later, I have gone back to sticking with words instead of drawings but I had a great time experimenting!