What is Hobby Journaling?
Everyone knows the most popular form of journaling is to keep a diary. But this isn’t the only way – there are multiple types of journaling, including to-do lists, freewriting, scrapbooking, or keeping a bullet journal. Journaling is the perfect hobby for anyone searching for a productive and creative activity, alongside even being paperless and on devices such as iPhones or tablets. Whichever method you decide is your favourite, journaling has long been known to alleviate stress and is even used by therapists to help patients organise their thoughts. Once you’ve gotten into the habit of journaling, it’s a great tool to have in your self-care kit.
Hobby journaling in particular is great for your mental health. A log that helps you set goals and keeps track of your hobbies, the hobby journal intends to neither monetise your hobby nor put pressure on you. It allows you to enjoy your hobbies whilst keeping them organised and your creativity high. Keep reading for five journaling tips for beginners and to learn about our new Fuel Your Creativity Journal.
Five Journaling Tips for Beginners
1. Make time for it
Make sure to schedule time for your journal. If you keep at your journal consistently, whether that be daily or weekly, you will make it a habit and soon will find yourself reaching for your journal without even thinking about it.
2. Try different environments
If you’re finding it difficult keeping up with journaling or simply just feeling uninspired, a change of scenery could always help get you in the groove. Stepping outside, heading to a local coffee shop, or even just moving to a different room could help get those creative juices flowing.
3. Implement different journaling techniques
You don’t have to stick to a certain type of journaling. It’s your journal: you’re free to incorporate as many different techniques as you want into your journal, if it will help you keep up with the hobby. If you’re in the mood to rant, it could be as simple as scribbling down everything you thought was wrong in the latest season of Stranger Things (not that there was any – or was there? You decide). Another suggestion would be that, if you’re struggling with problems in your life, whether they be work-related or personal, mind-mapping solutions would help keep your thoughts organised and unjumbled.
4. Keep your journal with you
You don’t know when inspiration could strike. If you use paper journals, keeping one on hand could save you from excessive boredom in waiting rooms or on the bus, and could even cut down on your screen-time to help your sleep. You could even take it one step further and have different journals for different countries or cities if you’re somewhat of a frequent traveller. Having a bookshelf packed tight with journals listing restaurants and other tourist spots – whatever your favourite may be, whether that’s various museums or the best cocktail bars – alongside your adventures, however you decide to depict them, would make a great feature point of any home.
5. Write for you, and you only
Journaling works great as therapy, but only if you write honestly and freely. If you write as though you have an audience you may not be as truthful as you could be, and you won’t see journaling as the mind-relieving hobby it is known as. If the fear of someone discovering your journal hinders you from writing openly, it would be best to invest in a lock for your journal, search for a great hiding spot in your bedroom, or even use a password-protected word document or the notes app on your phone, which is lockable.
SmashBear’s Fuel Your Creativity Journal
We have recently released our own digital journal, which can be purchased here. The journal is designed to be anything you would like it to be, although its main purpose is to journal your hobbies. It doesn’t matter what – it could be gaming, writing, painting, or reading to just name a few – as the Fuel Your Creativity Journal has been created to help you set your general goals and keep track of your activities.
The journal features over sixty pages of customisable content, from a yearly planner to a colour coding system. It’s designed for anyone who isn’t too arty or doesn’t have the time to create their own journal – but it can be completely personalised by taking out certain pages or adding your own in, as it’s a digital journal. Promoting how selfcare isn’t selfish, a strong message behind why journaling is such a good hobby, the Fuel Your Creativity Journal focuses on positivity regarding your hobbies, asking you questions such as what your favourite moment was and what your favourite details were.
Serving as a basic template for any beginner to journaling, it’s great for easing anyone into the hobby and keeping your activities neat and organised. The journal intends to help you realise you are more than just your day-to-day life and contains quick tasks that are designed to be therapeutic, so you can view your goals easily without feeling the pressure to perform.
If you wish to give hobby journaling a try, make sure to check out our digital journal, as it could be a great place to start if you would prefer to have a template ready to go. And keep our tips for beginners in mind so you don’t lose interest in hobby journaling before you’ve given it a proper chance. Who knows, you might even gain a new hobby to write about in your journal, should you take to it!