Here’s Your Simple Guide to Journaling

...you're welcome!

Assalamu alaykum dear friend!

Today’s Letter is a sneak peek into how I journal. (I’ve included some screenshots to show you what it looks like in real-time) :)

If you’re curious about journaling but are not sure how to start or how to stay consistent, I’ve got youuuu!

I’m breaking this guide down into 3 main parts: The Journal, The Writing, and The Habit.

Let’s dive right into part 1!

Part 1: The Journal

First things first, you need a journal 😁

There are many options to choose from here. But you need space to write things down. Simple. That space is your journal.

You can have one journal or multiple ones. You can even have a digital one if you prefer. Here are some of my favorite spaces for journaling.

A specific notebook

This, and the Notes app (below), are the two spaces I’ve been the most consistent with journaling. I have a section of my shelf dedicated to all of the notebooks I’ve used for journaling over the years.

They’re not pretty or uniform or aesthetically pleasing, lol. They’re quite all over the place.

But for the past 10+ years, they’ve given me more grounding than I thought I could get from simple notebooks.

And yes, I’m a journaling elder :) Alhamdulillah.

The Barakah Journal

My dear friend gifted this to me and I love how natural/complete it feels. It’s full of prompts around gratitude, du’a, salah, etc. I also like that it’s a planner AND a journal so there’s space to “just write” and there’s space to plan, reflect, and write down specific answers to prompts.

The 5-minute Journal

The 5-minute journal is a guided gratitude journal and it’s a great way to start and end your day. And yes, it does take around 5 minutes to fill in (there’s a section for morning and evening entries). I think this is the one to start with if you’re not sure where to start (or if you find a blank page intimidating).

The 5-minute journal (and my mushaf) were my closest companions during a difficult phase of my life and so it has a special place in my heart :) It’s simple, and it works!

Day One

If you’re team “pen and paper isn’t my thing” or you prefer digital apps, I think the Day One app is worth checking out. What drew me to this journal (way back in 2014!) were the privacy features. Of course, it has had many improvements since then, and I still think it’s a solid journaling app.

Notes App

I won’t get into a debate about Apple vs. Android, but I don’t know if Android devices have a Notes App that is as good as the Apple one.

#Jussayin’.

My Notes app is simply the most used app on my phone. I write e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in there. My brain of course loves that I can organize everything into folders.

Isn’t she so cute? 🥹

Part 2: The Writing

Now that you’re all set up with where to write, let’s talk about WHAT to write.

In my last post, I shared some information about the benefits of journaling. I think it’s important to know why you’re writing, as that will help you figure out what to write.

I use my journal for so many different reasons, and so here are a few different methods I find helpful. I switch up my writing depending on the goal:

One-liners, two-liners

Somedays, you may not feel like writing much, and that’s ok. You can write a sentence or two about your day or about how you’re feeling. Sometimes, my one-liners start with “Ya Rabb…” and end with “Ameen”.

Topic by topic

Pick a topic and write about it.

It could be about something that’s been on your mind, your goals for the month/week, a recent experience you had, or a book you’re reading. Just pick one topic and write whatever comes to mind about it, or try to unpack what’s working or not working regarding the specific topic.

Some days, my topic is my husband, lol. I’m usually unpacking something he did or said to me that I loved or didn’t love so much. I write about how I responded, how I could respond next time, etc. I’d also try to figure out what I want my next step to be.

Other days, my topic is myself - how far away I am from where I want to be, and the many ways I want to improve myself.

Free writing

This is where you let your thoughts f-l-o-w, Morning Pages style, without worrying about structure and grammar.

The goal with free writing is simple: just write.

It’s such a simple way to get all the jumbled-up thoughts out of your brain and onto your paper. Here’s a mini version of my free writing, with some ‘deep’ parts hidden.

My regular free writing entries are usually 1-2 pages long, btw. This is a baby version (which still made me feel lighter, and gave me some direction)

Self-reflection / self-accountability

A.K.A Muhaasabah:

“Self accountability (or muhaasabah) is to evaluate one’s actions and behavior of the nafs (inner self); and then rectifying the mistakes, and continuing the good deeds. When we evaluate our daily, weekly, and monthly actions, we should identify our sins and repent sincerely. We should ask Allah to forgive us, and make a firm resolve to stay away from that sin in the future. We should identify the root causes of the sin, and plan how we can stay away from what causes us to fall into that particular sin.”
[Source: Life With Allah]

Because when you know better, you do better.

Sometimes it’s not enough to just hold yourself accountable in your head. It helps to write it down. That way you may revisit it at a later date to see how much you’ve grown or what parts of you still need some work.

Prompts

Prompts are helpful when you’re not sure what to write.

This is another reason I think the 5-minute journal is fantastic — it’s all prompts! It’s nice to have prompts as a starting point.

Here are some prompts I like:

• What’s taking up space on my mind?

• What would this look like if it were easy? (Source)

• What are my top 3 for today?

• What would make today great? (Source)

Part 3: The Habit

Ok, now that we’ve talked about where to write and what to write, let’s move on to the ‘how’.

How can we maintain a journaling habit?

I’m not the type to journal every day, though I can see how that would be useful. I journal very (VERY) often — but not daily.

If you’d like to make journaling a habit, I think you’ll benefit from these 4 steps from Atomic Habits by James Clear.

He talks about 4 steps to making a habit stick:

1. Make it obvious
   Keep your journal close by so it’s easily accessible. I like to keep my physical journals on my nightstand so it’s right there when I need it. I also almost always have a notebook in my bag. You could also try pairing journaling with another habit you already do, like journaling while you’re drinking your morning coffee (habit stacking).
   

2. Make it attractive
   You want to enjoy your journaling experience and even look forward to it. You could use colorful highlighters, markers, cute stickers, photos, and washi tape to make your journal a fun space. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, so my journal is always and forever Plain Jane type — and just the pen + paper + words are enough for me to enjoy it.

   
   What do you think would make your journaling a little more… attractive?

   
   I’ve benefitted from having a group working towards similar goals, and keeping a journal based on what we’re working on. Hint Hint, the 12 Week Du’a Challenge can give you that sense of community and lots to journal about.
   

3. Make it easy
   Don’t put pressure on yourself to write pages and pages every time you sit to write... that’ll make it harder to keep coming back. Start small — maybe with just a few sentences at the same time every day or in the same setting (bedroom or work desk).
   
   With time, inshaAllah, journaling will become second nature.
   

4. Make it satisfying
   I like to smile to myself after my journaling session, as if to say “We’ve got this” or “Let’s do this!”.
   I also loooove to give myself a "slide to power off" moment right before I start writing. What do you think could make your journaling sessions more satisfying?
   

Journaling is such a personal journey, and even though I’ve given you a whole 3 part ‘how to’, I think there’s no right or wrong way to do it.

The most important thing is to start.

Slowly, you’ll find yourself enjoying the process and letting your thoughts flow. And, btw, if you don’t care for it, no worries!

Maybe your ‘thing’ isn’t journaling. Maybe it’s painting. Or talking. Or running.

As long as you have an outlet for your jumbled-up thoughts, you’re good!

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Alright friends, we’ve come to the end of today’s letter.

But before I leave you… 😁 I want to share this;

If you're looking for more structure and community support as you start your journaling journey, I think you’ll love being a part of The 12 Week Du’a Challenge (12WDC).

The 12WDC is designed specifically for Muslim women who want to achieve their goals without feeling overwhelmed and “scattered”.

Throughout the 12 weeks, you'll use your 12WDC Journal to maintain progress, think out loud, and record your goals, actions, and du’a lists — and bi idhnillah, you will find yourself making progress on the things that matter to you.

Doors to the 12WDC open next month inshaAllah! If you’d like to know when registration starts, consider joining the waitlist HERE.

Love + Du’a,
Maryam

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What I’m up to

If you’re looking for me, friends, I’ll be busy finding things to be grateful for inshaAllah.

I’ve been feeling desperate for a lifeline, and I think gratitude is exactly what I need.

Also, waiiiit! You know what I’m thinking?

Why don’t we write what we’re grateful for in the comments section of this post? I think it’ll be fun, and it’ll be so helpful for anyone who’s reading and needs a little gratitude boost (I know I need it for sure, so I’d *really* appreciate you sharing and giving me a richer/broader gratitude perspective).

Are you in? (pleasesayyes)

Please share your answer to this question in the comments: “What am I grateful for today, right now?”

See you in the comments? :)

Thank you and jazaakillah khair!

P.S. Look at usssss, getting right into journaling with a prompt and all, woohoo! 🥳

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