Many people believe journaling consists of writing down someone’s feelings or venting into a notebook at the end of a rough day. This is a common form of journaling and can be very useful. It helps those who need somewhere to put the thoughts they cannot process in their own minds. However, people also think that journaling this way is useless and too time-consuming. But, there are also multiple other ways to journal that are helpful throughout everyday life.
I think that everyone should keep at least one notebook or journal that they use every day. This can greatly help with organization and remembering things that one might need to reference multiple times. If someone wants to only have one journal, I believe that a planner would be the best option.
Planners are used for writing down everything that a person needs to do in a day. These can be marked off as each task has been completed, and gives a sense of accomplishment with each finished activity. It also helps people visualize everything they may need to do and makes sure they do not forget anything. Keeping a planner has personally made my life exponentially easier, specifically regarding school. I am able to write down everything I need to do that day during or after school, ensuring that I do not forget anything.
Another journal I would recommend is one similar to the Notes app on a phone. Many people use this as a way to store random lists, ideas or information. However, keeping something physical to store those things prevents them from getting lost or deleted on accident. A positive to keeping journals like these is that they can also be used for to-do lists similar to planners. So, someone may only need to keep a “Notes App” type journal instead of both kinds. My favorite thing to use my notes journal for is lists of random things. Some lists I am currently keeping are books I have read this year, things I want for Christmas and ideas I have for artworks.
A third type of journal I think people should keep is a commonplace journal. This one is popular with people who have been into journaling for a long time. These are similar to notes journals, but they are used for other things such as quotes, recipes, photography or personal thoughts. They are used for more useful and informational things than notes journals. People may put quotes from novels they have read, recipes passed down to them, life philosophies they believe in or facts about specific topics they have learned. Commonplace journals are my favorite kind of journal and I think they are very useful for storing information somewhere other than a person’s mind.
Overall, keeping journals is important because they allow people to organize their thoughts and the things they learn in one specific place. Writing helps them to remember this knowledge and use it throughout their life. Journaling can improve many aspects of someone’s life and I think that everyone should try to keep at least one to gain these benefits.