Author S.J. Scott Writes on Building a Daily Personal Journaling Habit

One of my favorite nonfiction/self-help authors S.J. Scott (also known as Steve Scott) has posted a cool article on his website Develop Good Habits.com. S.J. Scott wrote and co-wrote various books about building positive habits such as setting goals, increasing productivity and staying organized. In my top favorites now is CONFIDENT YOU: An Introvert's Guide to Success in Life and Business, which Steve co-wrote with fellow author Rebecca Livermore.

And guess why I'm sharing this (I gave you a clue :D )? The article Steve posted is about journal writing! I've been writing in journals for a long time but this article was so fun to read! :) I nodded in agreement quite a few times.

Some topics discussed are: The benefits of journaling; setting aside the time to write; what to write about; how to write in the journal; appropriate environments to journal (though it should be whatever works best for YOU). That's not all, though... there's still more! If you want to check this out now, click here.

As a quick tutorial, it's a great getting-started guide for building a daily journaling habit. However, it will depend on how you want your journal to help you. For example, some days I write paragraphs or pages in a big college-ruled notebook. Other days, the only journaling I've done is write a few lines in my pocket notebook. And that's okay; it's small but it's till also a journal of my thoughts, ideas and reminders. But sometimes those few lines... or even a few words... might mean the difference between a good idea and a great idea!

I go into more detail about personal journaling in my eBook Easy Journal Writing. For now, to get a strong introduction on personal journaling today, grab a few minutes to read Steve Scott's post on the daily personal journaling habit. You can find his article here.

If you also want to learn more about his habit books, check out this page on Develop Good Habits.com.

My Quiet, Private Way

I've been doing a lot of journaling and intense "brain dumping" in the last three weeks. And let me tell you, it's done a heck of a lot of good for me.

I realize I can't help everyone. I can't help every single person. It is impossible to please everyone, and I tend to be a people-pleaser. But here's what's going on.

Recently I've been reading more about my personality type. For around a year I've known I was an INFJ - Introvert, INtuition, Feeling, Judgment. (Judgment would be more about self-judgment in this case.) And it's true I have trouble adjusting to major changes or suddenly stressful situations.

So I've decided to reduce my stress by easing up on things.

I am learning new skills so I can create my products and work more independently and not need to depend on anyone else. I am learning how to use certain software and utilize techniques to facilitate independent creative work. I am not going to depend on someone else's schedule or agenda because I can do with less conflict.

Already I have mentioned I'm gearing up to be an authorpreneur. My workaholic tendencies can sometimes get the better of me, but I'd rather have that than a boss. I'm not accepting any client work now, not for at least another long while. When I know better what I can do, I can consider working for others, but I otherwise have only done excellent audio transcription as a freelancer and I'd now charge more for it than before, because my time is very valuable.

I am happier when I do entrepreneurial tasks that are congruent to who I am, what I like and what energizes me. So if I want to make journal books too, then I'll do that. I can still help more people without feeling like I'm worthless just because I don't do "real" work or have a "conventional" job. I will be helping others but in my more private, quiet way.

I apologize if this blog post feels somewhat of a mess. But I felt I had to update you and my other readers about what's going on, and it's not even everything. I'm taking a bit of time off to figure some things out and write some ideas out. It's very necessary... and right now I shouldn't deny myself this important period of healing and reflection.

My YouTube Channel is up: A New Author with New Beginnings

So, I'm up on YouTube now! Both nervous AND excited about this. :)

My Reason for Writing "Easy Journal Writing": Reason #1

I wanted to write and publish Easy Journal Writing because I didn’t see any books about journal writing that catered to those pressed for time. And even if you weren’t pressed for time, but had trouble making and keeping a journal routine, this book would still help you.

I have some books in my bookshelf that have writing prompts and journal writing prompts. But they call for writing more than one or two sentences. That’s fine with me, except that it’s not fine for everyone. What if you don’t want to be overwhelmed with a question that demands a whole page of writing if you don’t have the patience?

Many journal writing prompts are philosophical or thought-provoking. If you want to start a journal with those kinds of prompts, it will become too much. So I thought I could be helpful and provide something different out there—something not so intimidating. Something I can publish to get my message out there.

Journal writing doesn’t have to be so hard. You need to make it easy for yourself.

Some things that might not work for me might work for others, including you. So I also share my experience, knowledge and suggestions before the light prompts.

Easy Journal Writing is the first book I wrote to spread my message. I plan to write more. I still have more insights to share—so this is only a beginning!

Easy Journal Writing is on Amazon Kindle!

Hi writers and readers,

My eBook Easy Journal Writing is now available for the Amazon Kindle. This is exciting for me! I'm both excited and nervous putting myself out there in a way I haven't before.

Within the next week, I'll be sharing some different insights about my book. Things like: why I wrote the book and why I gave the book its subtitle.

So stay tuned. In the meantime, grab your copy of Easy Journal Writing and learn how you can ease into journal writing in your spare time. You don't wanna miss out!

https://www.amazon.com/author/sara-a-watts

UPDATE: New book cover! It has been updated to the cover design below:

Here was the old cover for the eBook:

 

Dear Journal vs. Dear Jane vs. [BLANK]

It's just a short post for today. JOURNAL NAMES!

We all have a favorite way to greet our journal at the beginning of every entry.

But what are the benefits of addressing a book we are writing in by name or by “Journal?”

Anne Frank named her diary “Kitty.”  She personified her diary with a [pet] name so it can be easy to write into it as if speaking to a silent friend.

I’ve given my old diaries names too… Xi, and Sairah, to name a couple.

I’ve even greeted my diaries with made-up words for “hello”!

The trend of greeting a journal with a “Dear Journal” or “Dear Jane/Jack” varies from person to person. It depends on what the journal is for, or how it helps the journal writer get in the mindset of writing—communicating to the self. One could even address the journal by their own name, if that helps.

In my Comfort Journal I begin by writing the date, day and time on the right-hand side, then underneath I begin on the left-hand side, “Dear Journal.”

And my big 200-sheet  notebook?  I do that differently. I still date, day and time it, but I do not begin with a “Dear Journal” or “Dear Jane.”  I just simply begin. Perhaps it’s because I use this notebook as a writing dump, a place to just pour out stuff when my head overflows with thoughts and words. For this particular notebook there is no need to address it. But that’s just how I do that one.

QUESTION:

What do you think of journal names? Leave your response in the comments.

Curl Up With a Good Journal In Front of the Fire

Autumn is upon us in the United States. Little by little the climate is getting colder.

Most people would like to come back home after a long day and curl up with a good book.

But maybe some others, like me, want to write in a book ourselves.

We’d prefer to write in a journal book instead.

Relax and Pour Out a Cup of Brain Clutter

Sure, reading a novel is a good distraction from the real world. We are reminded how grateful we can be, that we are not in as troubled of a situation as the protagonists we read about.

Then there is also the clutter in our heads.

We shouldn’t leave our brains cluttered. It’s bound to happen at least after half of a day goes by, and it can be that way even as early as getting out of bed. “What’s gonna happen today? What should I not forget today? What do I need to be careful about today? Is that milk still good?”

Keeping that all in your head is not going to do you good if you need to, or want to, be in the present moment.

Maybe you had a new story idea you want to write down that’s been floating around in your head since lunchtime.

You can look forward to writing it down when you get home. Maybe not on a loose sheet of paper, but in a nice, good-quality journal book you bought for yourself some time ago. Or maybe that journal book was a gift, and you didn’t know what to write in it or when to start it.

Get Cozy

Start that journal today.

Ask for that time. No—GIVE yourself some time to be in a quiet place and write things down.

If you get resistance, well…

Here’s the thing. You need to treat that time like it’s sacred. Your doctor would order it. Your writer friend would suggest it; whether you identify as a writer or not, that sacred personal journaling time will still benefit.

Whatever it is you want to talk about, that you can’t talk about with anyone because it’s a story idea or it’s a painful emotion… your journal book won’t talk back at you. It won’t tell you what to do. It will show you what you thought, what you think, and how you feel. 

You can turn what you wrote down into something you can use.

 

And then… your brain won’t be as cluttered after you write your whirling thoughts. You can go to sleep. You can be fully involved in a conversation.

Curl Up With That Journal

So if you want to read a book when it’s time to relax, then go ahead. You can read that book soon.

But before you forget those important or interesting thoughts you don’t want to forget, write them down. Write them down in your journal book or notebook.

And maybe you won’t want to put that pen down. You may keep writing. The novel you’re reading can wait a little longer.

QUESTION:

Do you prefer reading or journaling on cold or rainy nights? Leave your answers in the comments.

Hello There and Welcome!

Hello fellow writers and readers!

Welcome to my author notebook. I am Sara A. Watts, the author of Easy Journal Writing: Jump-start Your Journaling Routine with Expert Tips and Light Prompts.

This is something of a starter blog until I’m able to make a better website. But for now, you can learn more about me and my book's topics here.

I will also be writing my thoughts and experiences as both a writer and an introvert. The purpose of this blog is to continue sharing those experiences after my book has been published. But I will share them so that you may relate. 

I want to make it known there are many positive aspects about being an introvert writer. I am constantly learning about my new life and continue to journal. And since I'm an advocate of journal writing, you will benefit from what I share.

I enjoy personal journaling, which is one of those positive qualities as an introvert. It allows me to write more when I'm not at my computer. And, journal writing really is stress relief. I say this in my book too. At the end of the day my head is filled with thoughts and ideas that need somewhere to go. So I write them down in a notebook. 

It's very therapeutic. :)

As of today I'm in my final preparations to publish the book for the Amazon Kindle, so I'm very excited about it!

Glad you found me. Happy reading!