How To Form the Habit of Journaling

In my last post, I discussed the benefits of journaling and doing a daily thought download.  This is a key piece of successful weight loss that is vastly under-emphasized.  In order to truly have freedom from food, you have to change your thinking and manage your mind.  This means you really need to know what is in there!

Many of you may have read about journaling and thought “I’ll just do this in my head.”  Sadly, in most cases this just doesn’t work.  It remains a mystery why either talking to someone about your thoughts or just writing them on paper has such a profound effect, but ultimately it does matter.  What you end up writing on the paper will surprise you, and you need to see it there on paper to fully be able to manage your thoughts and let them go.

The problem is, unless you love writing, journaling sounds like a chore. There are so many obstacles associated with it.  Taking the time to sit down and write, where to do the writing, how to actually journal are just a few of the thoughts I had when I tried to get started.  It just seemed so difficult.  

So how can we make this part easier?  How can we easily make journaling a consistent habit?  For advice on forming this new habit (or any new habit for that matter!) I highly recommend the book Atomic Habits, by James Clear.  Clear has written extensively on how to form new habits and make them permanent.  He states that in order to form a new habit, first focus on the easiest part, the first two minutes.  Almost any habit can be broken down into its easiest part which is just the beginning step.  An example he uses is that if you want to start a habit of running, first focus on tying your running shoes.  Tying your running shoes is easy to do, and once you’ve got that down you might take the next step of walking out the front door, then taking a walk, etc.  You always keep the focus though on the first two minutes.  

In a famous example, one of Clear’s readers achieved his goal of exercising by forming a habit of going to the gym.  He started by just going to the gym for 5 minutes every day.  He would go to the gym, check in, spend no more than 5 minutes there, and then leave.  This went on for over a month, but he remained vigilant about focusing only on just getting to the gym.  Eventually, he decided he would do a little exercise before leaving, and slowly built up the time he spent there and the exercise he did.  A year later he was in the best shape of his life and was remaining consistent.

If we apply this to journaling, the initial focus should be on just sitting down in front of paper and a pen (or laptop if you prefer).  Focus on what time of day, and where you will sit, and write one sentence.  Don’t worry about having a nice notebook, it can be a post it note, scratch paper, or a blank sheet out of the printer.  Start by sitting down for two minutes in front of the paper and pen and just write anything that comes to mind.  It does not matter what you write.  You could write “I feel tired”, “this post it note is a terrible shade of yellow”, or “I am really craving ice cream.”  It truly does not matter!  The point is to focus on the first two minutes.  After you write one sentence, just stop.  

This may seem like a waste of time at first, but if you stick with it, the results will be impressive.  What tends to happen over time is that when you do something every day, it becomes part of your identity.  This does take some time, but will happen with consistency.  Examine the case of the man who went to the gym each day for 5 minutes.  At first he was someone who did not exercise.  After a month of consistently going to the gym for 5 minutes he became someone who goes to the gym regularly.  His identity changed, and he saw himself differently.  Going to the gym becomes less of a barrier, and more of just who he is.

In the case of becoming someone who journals, by simply sitting down with a piece of paper and  writing a sentence each day, you become someone who journals.  This does not happen automatically, and will take several, believable steps in between.  You might start with the following thought:

“I am learning to journal.”

This is an easy, believable thought to have as you sit down and write one sentence, again taking less than 2 minutes each day to do this.  Then, as you remain consistent over the next couple weeks, you can progress in your thoughts:

“I am someone who writes a little everyday.”

“I am becoming someone who journals.”

“I am someone who journals regularly.’

As this new identity starts to take hold, you can start to progress in your journaling. Instead of writing one sentence, you might write two or three.  You might set a timer for five minutes and just write whatever you are thinking about.  It truly does not matter, the important thing is that you get started by focusing on the first two minutes.  

Journaling is an essential part of a successful permanent weight loss program.  It is the best way to truly understand what is going on in your mind and determine what thoughts and feelings are holding you back.  Watch for my next post which covers how to journal for weight loss.