Yesterday I found this motivating article by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits about the benefits of keeping a daily writing practice. As a once reluctant journal writer myself all of Leo’s points really do ring true, especially now that I have (finally) created a daily writing habit for myself. Enjoy.

Why You Should Write Daily

By Leo Babauta

One of the most instrumental changes in my life has been writing every single day. For many years I was a writer who didn’t write that regularly. It was always on the back of my mind to write, but I didn’t find the time. Then I started this blog in January 2007 [zenhabits.net], and have written pretty much every day since then. It was life-changing.

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A good way to push yourself past the fear of the blank page is to read journaling prompts as if they are questions being asked of you by a journalist or TV talk show presenter. It turns your journal writing into more of a conversation and also prevents you from using brief one-word answers; after all you wouldn’t give Oprah Winfrey a one-word answer would you? It also helps you write more because it feels like someone is actually listening to your words.

Give your journal a name to address it by or you could pretend you are writing to a friend, a family member, a historical figure, a fictional character, a celebrity or business personality you admire or even to your higher-self or higher being of your choice. Anyone or anything that helps you open up.

Another way to ensure you gain the most possible benefit from your practice is to aim to fill an entire page in your journal per prompt. This will prevent you giving short answers and increase the likelihood of the prompt sparking an idea or memory. It also creates a much more interesting keepsake.

Thanks a million & happy journaling, Rossi.

You can find more journal writing tips & tricks along with a year’s worth of journaling prompts in 365 Journal Writing Ideas available on Amazon.