How to keep a journal.
Five minutes a day, a story that’s all yours.
You don’t need to write well, or every day, or in a leather notebook. A journal is simply a place to put what you think, what you live through, what you don’t want to forget. Here’s how to keep a journal: how to start and, above all, how to keep going.
Why keep a journal
Ordinary days, read again ten years later, are never ordinary.
Writing helps you put your thoughts in order, see things from a little distance, remember. Reading a journal again after a few years is surprising: worries that seemed enormous have become small, and things that seemed small have become the loveliest memories.
These days lots of people call it journaling: the word may be modern, but the habit is old. It simply means writing down what you think and live through, regularly.
And a journal can become a gift too: for a child who will one day want to know what you were like at their age, or for yourself, a few years from now.
When, how much, where
- WhenA fixed moment: in the evening before bed, with your morning coffee, on the train. Linking it to a habit you already have is the secret to keeping it up.
- How muchFive minutes, three lines. Little and often beats a lot and never.
- WhereA notebook, a file, an app, a voice note. The right place is the one that’s always within reach.
20 prompts for when you don’t know what to write
Pick one at random. You don’t need to answer well: you just need to answer.
Which kind of journal to choose
- WrittenThe most reflective. Writing slows your thoughts down and makes them clearer.
- AudioThe quickest and the most intimate. Twenty years from now, your voice will say more than a thousand words.
- VideoThe most alive. Perfect for special moments, trips, changes.
You don’t have to choose once and for all. Many people mix them: writing in the evening, audio when they’re in a rush.
A journal that’s yours alone, for as long as you decide
Text, audio, video and photos, each with its own date.
Write, record, add
A Diaries capsule holds every page, in whatever format you prefer.
Keep it to yourself
Your journal stays private: only you can see it.
Or choose a reader and a moment
Your child at 18, your partner on an anniversary, yourself in ten years.
Keeping a journal: common questions
Any other questions? Write to us via Help.
