Journaling every day for the last two years has completely changed my life.

But most people struggle to build a consistent journaling habit and never see any of the benefits it has to offer.

Today I'm sharing the exact strategies and tactics I use to make journaling an automatic part of my day so you can build a habit that sticks.

This is a longer than usual newsletter but, it's packed full of tactical tools you can implement immediately.

Recently, I relistened to Atomic Habits by James Clear and couldn't help but think, "This guy absolutely nailed it" with this book. Everything he talks about in the book are the same strategies I've used to build all of my healthy habits, including journaling.

The central concept of the book is what James Clear calls the Habit Loop.

The Habit Loop

All behavior can be boiled down to 4 steps:
​1: cue; we encounter a cue.
​2: craving; the cue triggers a craving.
​3: response; the craving motivates a response.
​4: reward; the response earns a reward.

The next time we encounter the same cue, our brains remember the reward and restarts the cycle.

This loop reinforces the behavior until it becomes an automatic habit.

Example:

Cue: You smell bacon on your morning walk.

Craving: You begin to salivate and want bacon.

Response: You stop in at a local diner to eat eggs with bacon.

Reward: Your craving is satisfied and your belly full. Life is good.

Next time you smell bacon or go on a walk, you will remember how good you felt after eating at that diner and will feel compelled to go back again. If you go back to that diner, you are reinforcing The Habit Loop making morning walks to the local diner an automatic habit.

The Habit Loop is what Clear uses as his basis for his next big concept:

The 4 Laws of Behavior Change

Each law of behavior change is geared to manipulate one of the steps in the habit loop. It's here that we can finally get tactical about how to build a lasting journaling habit.

Law 1: Make it obvious (the cue phase)

Tactic #1 Habit stacking: use an existing habit as a cue for a new one.

Pair journaling with other habits you’re already doing. My favorite habit to pair with journaling is a morning cup of coffee. I also pair it with my reading habit, my writing sessions as a warm-up exercise, and my lunch breaks. Whenever any of these habits get cued, I'm reminded to grab my notebook.

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​Tactic #2 Implementation-Intentions: an intention and action plan for habit formation.

Studies have show you're much more likely to do something if you write down your intention and an action plan for when and where you will do it.

It looks like this:

"I will do (habit) at (time/day) in (place).
If (obstacle) happens, then I will do (alternative habit)."

Or more specifically, "I will journal at 7:30am in the kitchen while I brew my morning cup of coffee. If I’m unable to, then I will journal on my lunch break or before bedtime."

Tactic #3 Plan your environment: make cues for good habits highly visible.

I leave my orange Leuchtturm out on the table, various notebooks stacked on my desk, and small ones by my books. I have notebooks everywhere, including my gym so I can log workouts. I bring them with me to work, on vacations, and in my camera bag. Wherever I go, there is a notebook. This means I'm constantly being cued to journal and it becomes the obvious choice.

Law 2: Make it Attractive (the craving phase)

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​Tactic #1 Temptation Bundling: combine what you want to do with what you must.

Here the must do is journaling, even though I, and you, may want to do it. This is simply about making it more tempting to journal which is why I always pair journaling with coffee. Some people enjoy listening to music while writing and others like journaling to be a more artistic experience. Find ways to make it more tempting to choose journaling by bundling it with things you already enjoy.

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​Tactic #2 Join a group: Find a community where the behavior is normal.

I don’t have a group that I journal with but I do have this newsletter, you the reader, and my YouTube channel where I get to nerd out over thinking on paper. This normalizes the behavior for me and creates a space for you to nerd out with me.

{If an actual community is something you're interested in, please let me know and I'll take it into consideration. I've always wondered about the possibility of having a common place to connect over such things.}

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​Tactic #3 Focus on positive aspect: Dwell on the positive emotional benefits.

It’s no secret that journaling has a plethora of mental health benefits. Study after study shows writing things out is one of the best ways to learn new things, remember information, process emotions, reach goals, and track behavior. All of my ideas, memories, and habits go into my notebooks.

Journaling in a lot of ways is like exercise for the mind. It's not always easy to start but, I'm always happy I did it. Nothing but good things have come from the practice.

Law 3: Make it Easy (the Response phase)

Tactic #1 The 2-minute rule: begin with the smallest version of the habit.

It’s easy to set the bar at an unrealistic level and over-complicate journaling. Keep it simple by writing at least one thing in your notebook and the habit will form.

The bare minimum for my journaling habit is one line a day. This doesn’t even have to be my own thoughts. Sometimes I will copy a quote into my pocket notebook and that’s it. I would even go as far as to say taking notes and writing out to-do lists counts as journaling. It all counts as thinking on paper and that's what creates the benefits over time.

Like Clear says, "Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement." Make steady deposits and don't blow up your account by setting the bar too high.

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​Tactic # 2 Prepare beforehand: get everything ready to simplify action.

This is an easy one because all you need to start journaling is a pen and a notebook. I carry a pocket notebook at all times. I like to keep a pen in my pocket notebook wallet and a pencil strapped to my A5-sized Leuchtturm in case I want to draw. With at least one notebook on me at all times, I'm always ready to get into action.

Then there are templated journals like the one-line-a-day book that pre-preps the page to easily fill in the blanks. Then there are full-on books like the Daily Stoic journal that provide a prompt to reflect on and the space to write all in one place. This makes the practice easy to jump into.

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​Tactic # 3 Automate: use technology to make good behaviors automatic.

Typically I avoid recommending digital solutions to help build a habit of focus and intentionality but, some tools are helpful for building a journaling habit. Reminders set at a certain time can be the gentle nudge needed to spend a moment writing in your notebook. There are apps like Day One that will notify you to journal when you’re on the go that can be helpful but again, I like to keep this practice as analog as possible. Phones often lead to distractions and are better avoided. You really don’t need an app acting as the middle man between you and your thoughts.

Law 4: Make it Satisfying (the Reward phase)

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​Tactic #1 Immediate reward: reinforce good habits immediately.

This is a weird one because for me, the reward for journaling is the feeling of satisfaction and tension release I get after doing it. But it’s not always so gratifying at first so it's helpful to treat yourself for sticking with the habit for the day.

For this we can go back to Temptation Bundling where maybe you delay watching your favorite tv show until after you've journaled. In the past, I've used video game time as a reward for long writing sessions when I first started the practice. It allowed me to justify my guilty pleasure because I had a sense of accomplishment that comes with sticking to the original plan.

But most of the time I end using another cup of coffee as my reward.(Apparently you can't build a habit without a coffee addiction.)

Tactic #2 Track habits visually: keep track of milestones & progress.

This is the ultimate habit-building hack I know.

There is something instinctually satisfying about seeing visual progress before your eyes. I always keep a habit tracker inside of my journal so I can easily visualize my streak. The best part about physical notebooks is that visual progress is built into the medium itself. You see the words appear before your eyes as you write them. The pages get thick with ink as the days go by. You can flip through the pages and get a tangible sense of how far you’ve come. And filling a notebook, even tiny pocket notebooks, feels so rewarding. I love it.

I've even taken this to the extreme and used a flip-book level up system to gamify my journaling habit. Every day I would fill a page and fill my exp box. After 5 days, I would level up. At certain levels and milestones I would reward myself with books, experiences, and leisure time. I filled 7 pocket notebooks playing my analog journaling game and it completely hacked my brain into craving writing sessions every day.

If that's your type of thing, check out this video where I shared that system.

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​Tactic #3 Don’t break the chain: don’t miss a day. Keep streaks alive.

If you keep the bar low and incorporate some of the tactics I've shared today, keeping the streak alive will be a cake walk. But life happens and odds are you're going to miss a day at some point.

That’s not a big deal. But two days is cause for concern and three days, well that’s a problem.

I have a rule that I cannot miss three days in a row or it becomes too hard for me to get back into the groove of things. But if this does happen it’s not the end of the world. Just implement the same strategies I’ve covered today to reignite the habit.

The first day of the week or month are the best times to start a new habit because they have the fresh start effect. Technically every day is a fresh start but there is something special about the beginning of a week or month that makes things easier to jump into.

Become a Journaler

Journalers are people who write in their notebooks.

Every time you write in your notebook, you are casting a vote for that identity. Over time, you will journal not because you want to, but because it's who you are–it's what you do.

Prompt: Which of these tactics do you think would work best for you? After considering your lifestyle and options, create an Implementation-Intention statement. Try experimenting with some of these tools and let me know how it goes!

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