How To Start Journaling Daily Even When It Feels Hard (And How to Make It Easier)

Want to know how to start journaling daily even though it feels hard? I know it can feel hard to commit to a daily journal practice which is why I am sharing my best tips and tricks for meeting your journaling goals.

We all know the endless reasons why we should journal. And even know a person’s journaling practice is unique to each individual, i’m sure we all want very similar things. Which is to truly be and feel like the best versions of our selves.

As someone who used to struggle massively with avoidance and perfectionism, starting my daily journaling practice was so, so difficult. And, oxymoronically, journaling was the very thing that helped me combat my avoidance and perfectionism issues in my personal life.

Journaling gave me a clear framework where I could work through my goals, thoughts and feelings in a way that made sense to me. I could find patterns in my behaviours and after writing about them they suddenly didn’t feel as big anymore.

The problem so many of us face isn’t a lack of time, but a lack of motivation. Journaling doesn’t have to be this long and complicated ordeal, it can be simply 5 minutes before bed.

Most of us fail at our journaling goals as we fail to realise where the loss of motivation comes from.

In this post you will learn about why avoidance and perfectionism issues interfere with your journaling practice, and practical ways to fix it from someone who has experienced the exact same thing. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

This post is all about how to start journaling daily even when it feels hard (and how to make It easier).

[Other post you may like- Journal Prompts For Self Love: 30 day Challenge]

Why journaling feels hard

1. The pressure to write something meaningful

Many of us struggle to find something ‘worthy’ to put on a page, after all these are your immortalised thoughts and feelings, the risk of them being dug up in a time capsule 1,000 years from now is simply too great to write about something average.

The thing is, this ultimately stems from perfectionism. The first page is too important to ruin, nothing exciting has happened, life feels boring and there’s only so many pages. These thought’s are actually only true until you start writing.

It’s important to remember that the only person meant to see your journal is YOU. You are writing for you, not to compete with an overly aesthetic journal you saw on pinterest.

Journaling isn’t inherently aesthetic and any one who yells you otherwise is selling you a lie. Journaling is a process, NOT a performance.

2. You don’t know what you’re feeling yet

Emotional overload is a real thing, and being unable to explain how you’re feeling can feel rubbish. Emotional vocabulary and understanding how you feel comes with journaling practice. The very practice helps create this clarity and emotional understanding.

Its a bit of a catch-22, you really need to trust your gut and start. It will get easier with practice. With consistency you can become a guru of emotional intelligence… if guru means knowing the difference between hunger and anger.

The trick is to not expect clarity too soon, it’s not going to happen over night. Give your self some time and grace.

3. You feel journaling needs to be labour of aesthetics

Oh, honey. No. No. No.

My journaling style is constantly evolving: sometimes it’s messy; sometimes i’m trying a brand new pen and it doesn’t look cute; sometimes i’m just scribbling.

We are exposed to so many different types of journals and aesthetics online, and they can be very inspiring. But not every entry has to look like that.

You don’t need loads of 5 page entries, or beautiful handwriting.

Rigid rules make journaling unsustainable, and we’re here for consistency, not perfection.

4. You associate journaling with “Fixing Yourself”

I used to be a big time sucker for this. I used to only journal when I was at rock-bottom, until I clambered my way out. Then, I would stop.

This meant my journals were only filled with sadness, which meant I only knew how to focus on, commemorate and talk about sadness. Seethe problem?

Although it’s helpful to write about difficult thoughts and feelings, it’s actually equally as important to write about the good ones too. Learn to remember and write about being happy, and more happiness will come your way.

On the other foot, many people find it hard to talk about difficult thoughts and therefore avoid that emotional intensity.

the self improvement measure can that journaling is associated can be simply too much pressure for some, which is why its better to start with small consistent steps.

5. Girl, You’re exhausted, not unmotivated

When journaling isn’t an option in the morning, and you have a busy life, sometimes the absolute last thing you want is to sit down with a pen and paper, and write about it all. The end of the day is just so exhausting.

At the end of the day come’s decision fatigue, exhaustion, and not to mention the crippling, undeniable urge to scream into a pillow instead of doing anything else.

At the end of the day journaling just competes with rest, and you don’t have time to do everything.

How to make journaling so easy it’s practically impossible to fail

When we set a goal we want to stick with it, and with these easy steps it will be almost impossible to fail. Let’s become the best version of ourselves and start slow and steady. Consistency really is key to building any new habit.

1. Lower that bar until its almost impossible to fail

Set a timer for 5 minutes, that’s all.

Save the long entries for when you have the time and energy. Not every day has to be a page long. If it feels hard just write something, whether it’s a sentence, a bullet point, or a focus point of the day.

It doesn’t have to be super detailed just make sure you have something.

2. Understand how you feel as you write

You are writing to discover, not report. Start by talking about if you were proud of yourself today, and what caused that. Find triggers in your life that brought up emotions that confused you.

You don’t need to have the answers. Simply writing ‘I don’t know’ is enough. You can revisit at a later date.

3. Remove rigid rules that are getting in the way

You don’t need a required length, and you definitely don’t need to reread you entries (unless, of course, you want to).

Don’t focus so much on perfection, just doing is enough for now.

4. Journal at the Right Time

Another reason journaling feels difficult is timing. Many people try to journal when they are already mentally exhausted.

Rather than aiming for the “perfect” moment, experiment with journaling when your energy is naturally higher.

Morning Brain Dump

Writing first thing in the morning can help clear mental clutter before the day begins. This doesn’t need to be reflective or neat — it’s simply a place to unload thoughts.

Mid-Day Reset

A short journaling session during a break can help you process stress as it happens, rather than carrying it into the evening.

Evening reflection.

Reflect on the day after it has happened as a way to relax and reflect.

Journal When You have the time

For some people, journaling works better in the afternoon, early evening, or after movement. There is no rule that says journaling must happen at night.

5. It’s not cheating to use journal prompts

Personally, I love to use journal prompts. They really help me get inspired to write, and takes away the decision fatigue in deciding what to write about. Journal prompts can help you consider things you may have never even considered before.

I have a bunch of free journal prompts and challenges on the journal section of my blog you are free to check out.

Journal Prompts

Journaling for better romantic relationships, and 15 prompts to get you started.

16 Organisational Journaling Prompts For January To Start Your Year Right

11 Co sy Winter Journal Prompts That Will Better your Mental Health In The C older Months

It’s Scorpio Season Baby: 8 Journal Prompts For Introspection Every Scorpio Needs Now

This post was all about how to start journaling daily even when it feels hard (and how to make It easier).

Journaling gets easier when you stop forcing it. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Let your words be what they want to be, and shake of the idea that it has to be ‘perfect’.

It just has to be.