21 Best Journaling Ideas for Beginners

Journaling has proven benefits for mental health, mood, and self-exploration. There are so many different types of journaling, it could be helpful to see all the journaling ideas for beginners in one spot!

As a personal journal-keeper, I have tried dozens of different journaling styles, and love to share this form of expression with others that are just getting started. This post is ALL ABOUT journaling ideas for beginners.

Reflection Journal

Reflection journaling is a good way to get into the habit of writing your thoughts down on paper. It can be easy to be caught-up in the day-to-day, not pausing to reflect on your thoughts. Exploring your thoughts can help with understanding yourself better and living more intentionally.

There are different ways to keep a reflection journal. The first way would be to pick a time every day, in the morning or evening, and just free-write. Set a timer and allow yourself to write anything that comes to mind in the allotted time.

Another way to keep a reflection journal would be by using pre-set prompts. This can help if you find that you have writer’s block. Click here for a list of journaling prompts.

There are also TONS of reflection journals online. Here is a top-rated one from Amazon.

Goals Journal

Another one of my favorite journaling ideas for beginners is keeping a goals journal. Did you know that you increase your chances of completing your goals by 42%, simply by writing them down?

One way to keep you goals journal is to write down your BIG goals, like your 5-year or end-of-year goals, and then break them down into smaller steps. At the beginning of every day (or whatever timing works best for you), write down your smaller goals for the day. At the end of every day, check off the goals that you were able to complete.

This helps keep you on track toward your big picture goals, but the baby steps help make it easier to not get discouraged or overwhelmed.

Therapy Journal

A therapy journal is a type of journaling that is specific to mental health. Whenever you are in therapy, your therapist will give you goals, challenges, or follow-up thoughts on things you discover in session. However, most of the therapeutic growth happens OUTSIDE of session. Writing down key points from session, and then journaling about any follow-up thoughts throughout the week, can help you to continue improving your mental health daily.

Need more of a guide? This popular journal helps walk you through the process.

Bullet Journal

Are you looking for something with more of a creative outlet? Bullet journaling (or Bujo for short) is used like an organizational journal that also allows some creativity and art within the pages. Bullet journals can be used for goals, scheduling, favorite quotes, and even diary entries!

People will typically use a journal with gridlines and some colorful pens to begin making their organizational artwork. Pinterest has TONS of ideas to help get you started. Click here for a useful article for Bujo beginners!

Prayer Journal

One of the most popular journaling ideas for beginners that I hear about is a Prayer Journal. A prayer journal is great for people who want to spend more time with their higher power or want to dive more into their spirituality.

For a prayer journal, you simply write down what you would want to say to your higher power, similar to a prayer. You can express your gratitude, your questions, or even your thoughts from different relevant readings.

Gratitude Journal

People that give daily gratitude are more likely to experience happiness, according to this Harvard article. Keeping a gratitude journal is one way to build this habit.

To start, choose a time every day, ideally morning or night (or both), and write down three to five things you are grateful for. These can be things about yourself, your circumstances, other people. You might find yourself writing repeat statements, and that’s okay! It doesn’t hurt to be grateful for the same things every day.

Reading Journal

If you spend a lot of time in books, then a reading journal might be for you! Books have so much to offer in terms of inspiration, favorite quotes, and thought-provoking material. Whenever you read, keep a journal close by to record your thoughts and things that stand out to you.

Another option while keeping a reading journal is to write down things you’d like to follow-up on. Oftentimes, when I read, the author mentions a concept, or refers to a historical event, and I am interested in knowing more about it. Instead of pausing my book, I write it down to follow-up on later.

Quotes Journal

One of my favorite journaling ideas for beginning is keeping a quotes journal. I LOVE stumbling upon inspirational or thought-provoking quotes, and them sharing them with others. I don’t always remember the quotes when I need them, so writing them down has been super helpful.

Whenever you see a quote that someone posts or that you read in a book, write it down in your quotes journal. For extra exploration, write down a journal entry about what the quote means to you.

Project Journal

If you are someone who likes projects, or aspires to be a project person, then a project journal may be for you. A project journal is similar to a goals journal, except more detailed around your specific creation. Projects could be home improvement, artistic creations, writing a book, building a table, or anything that speaks to your passions!

To create a project journal, you start with your idea (or ideas). In the beginning, you fill your pages with what you envision for your project using words, images from magazines, printed out Pinterest blogs, or even drawings. As you work on your project, you can write down steps, or smaller goals, progress, and ultimately your completed project! This is a great way to stay motivated, as well as keep track of your progress.

Travel Journal

For avid travelers, a travel journal is a fun way to document your experience. Most of the time when I travel, I have such an amazing time, but then begin to forget details or how I felt in those moments after I arrive home. A travel journal, along with pictures, can bring me right back to those memories.

To write a travel journal, choose something that is easily portable that you carry with you while you are traveling. You can either write down a sequence of events with details of your day, or you can choose to write your emotions and thoughts during memorable moments. Or both!

Dream Journal

A dream journal can provide good insight into your subconscious thoughts. Some people believe that dreams are unconscious beliefs coming to the surface, some believe they are messages from a higher power, while others believe that they are simply random images and memories that the brain is processing. Whatever you believe about them, there can be benefit in writing them down.

People will often forget dreams quickly after their day begins, so a dream journal should be kept by the bed and written down as soon as you wake up. Once your dreams are written down, you can begin analyzing, exploring patterns, and identifying themes.

Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams is a popular book to start analyzing your dreams!

Art Journal

Unlike the other journaling ideas for beginners, an art journal does not involve writing. Art is a great way for people to express themselves, especially if writing is not preferable. Similar to a written journal, art journaling can start as free thought, where you just begin creating whatever comes to your mind, or with a prompt, such as “draw how you feel today.”

There are many different forms of expressive art, such as Zen doodles, sketching, watercolor, and magazine collages. Remember, art journaling is not about creating a perfect product, it’s about exploring your inner world. Allow yourself to create and then you can analyze what it means to you afterwards.

Food Journal

Food journaling is a good way to express your love of food. Many people who food journal like to try new recipes, restaurants, or brands and write down, similar to a food critic, what their experience of the food was. If you are someone who enjoys cooking, this can also be a great way to keep track of food you like, new cooking techniques, and future recipes you want to try.

Food journaling is not recommended for people who struggle with disordered eating or body image. Food journaling is best used when exploring a passion, not as a way to create limits or judgements around food.

Fitness Journal

A fitness journal is a fun way to keep track of fitness progress and goals. Fitness is something that is difficult for many people to get started with, because results are often delayed or slower than what they are hoping for, causing them to quit before reaching their goals. Keeping a journal can help you see where you are progressing, giving you motivation to keep going.

It can also be helpful to write down favorite or new exercises and create a miniature vision board for your fitness goals at the beginning of your journal.

Similar to a food journal, a fitness journal is not recommended for someone who struggles with body image issues or other mental health concerns that could be exacerbated by fitness. If you are unsure about whether a fitness journal is right for you, check in with your therapist to make sure it aligns with your mental health goals.

Poetry Journal

As a creative writer, I enjoy writing poetry as a form of emotional expression. Keeping a poetry journal can be a great way practice your literary skills while simultaneously exploring your inner world. Poetry doesn’t have to hold a certain form, it doesn’t have to rhyme, and there are no real rules.

Some people enjoy trying different pre-made formats, like a haiku, or using prompts, similar to reflection writing. Some examples of prompts could be: Write a poem about your work life or write a poem about your relationship.

Mood Journal

A mood journal is great for mental health or therapy journaling because it helps bring self-awareness and intention to your moods. Throughout the day, people can experience a huge range of emotions, like boredom, joy, disappointment, and anger. Keeping track of your moods can show you how much time you spend in each mood, what impacts your moods, and how you can manage your moods.

To keep a mood journal, you’ll want to check-in with yourself at consistent times during the day and mark down your mood and any relevant details around the mood. Click here for more detailed ideas on keeping a mood journal.

Health Journal

One of the more practical journaling ideas for beginners is a health journal. Many people tell themselves, “I want to be healthier,” but then struggle with follow through. A health journal is a good way to stay on top of your health habits and goals. If you struggle with chronic illness, it can be a good way to be aware of symptom management.

To keep a health journal, start by identifying a baseline, or where you are starting from, then identify your goals or things you want to track. This could be water intake, blood sugar levels, or exercise habits. Track how you feel as you improve your health habits and identify what things help and what things don’t.

Vision Journal

Similar to a vision board, a vision journal uses magazine clippings and artwork to highlight what you envision for your future. This is a fun way to keep track of things that inspire you, while also motivating you to keep working toward your goals.

To keep a vision journal, you simply need a journal with ample space, some magazines (or printed out images), some scissors and glue! When you have time, look through the magazine for images that stand out to you and begin placing them in your journal. Feel free to write about the images to add extra dynamics to your journal.

Worry Journal

Keeping a worry journal is great for mental health, especially if you have anxiety. When you have anxiety, your brain is constantly scanning for threats, from logical concerns, like a school test, to less logical concerns. If you find yourself worrying throughout the day or at night when you try to rest, try putting your worries out of your head onto paper.

When you put your worries on paper, you’re telling your brain that you acknowledge the worries, but don’t have space to think about them right now. You can go back to your list later and identify what things you can take action on and what things might not be necessary to worry about.

Pocket Journal

Always on the go? A pocket journal is exactly what it sounds like, a miniature journal for you to carry around when you’re out. A pocket journal is great for helping you put things on paper to reflect back on later. Maybe you like to write down interesting things that you see, fun words that you hear, or thoughts that you have during the day. Here is a top rated pocket journal on Amazon.

Use any of the previously mentioned journaling ideas for beginners in your pocket journal. Write down your worries, your goals, health information, or anything that would be useful when not home.

Get to Journaling!

If any of these journaling ideas for beginners stood out to you, there’s no better time to start than today! I hope this was helpful in getting you closer to beginning your journal. Which journal will you try first? Comment below!