Suleika Jaouad’s Journaling Techniques and Advice
Now that you’ve started journaling, it’s just as essential to keep going. “It’s like going to the gym: You don’t really reap the rewards of it unless you keep doing it,” Jaouad said.
For help with accountability, Jaouad looks outside herself to build the most important journaling muscle: consistency. That might mean journaling alongside someone or in a small group, as Jaouad sometimes does. If you can’t meet in person, you could even journal over a video call.
If you don’t feel comfortable writing with other people, setting a personal goal can help with accountability. The Book of Alchemy, for example, proposes 100 days of journaling sparked by its 100 short essays. But 100 might seem daunting when you’re just starting out, and if so, you could start with 10, perhaps, and then stretch that number to 30. Taking on a project in smaller bites can make it seem like less of a life-changing overhaul and more like a small exercise to keep yourself grounded, one day at a time.
