The Easiest Habit to Start (Again)
Journaling doesn't replace exercise or meditation – but it's a lot more friendly.
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Out of all the self-improvement habits I’ve tried — and I’m someone who used to unironically identify as a “lifehacker” — the most valuable one is simply writing down what’s in my head.
What I’ve realized recently is that it’s also the most forgiving.
”But what about [insert some habit here]?”
I can’t cover them all, but let’s take a couple of examples — starting with exercise.
Exercise is great — but most of it is framed as punishment. “Push through!” “Feel the burn!” “No pain, no brain!” Or that gem from my time in the Marines: Sweat is fear leaving the body!
Even with more gentle kinds of movement like yoga, there’s a penalty if you skip a couple of weeks or months (ask me how I know).
Whatever kind of physical movement you choose, there’s a use it or lose itcost that only increases the older you get. Your stamina drops. It’s harder to stretch.
If you let go of the habit, you lose progress — and that makes it that much harder to start again.
Journaling, on the other hand, doesn’t care if you haven’t written in a month, a year, or a decade. The pen doesn’t get heavier (unless you want it to). The notebook doesn’t judge you — in fact, it’s happy to be chosen, because there are a lot of unused notebooks on my — er, I mean, your shelf.
(Just kidding. Notebooks like the one in my satchel next to me don’t have emotions. (Whisper ) Do you, you beautiful bundle of sexy signatures…
Ahem. Where was I?
Ah, yes. You just find a blank page, pick up a pen, and write today’s date at the top. No warmup needed, no special clothing or uncharged battery to get in the way.
The only thing you need to empty your head onto a page is pen, paper, and time. It is instant access to yourself — and yeah, that can be scary.”
But what about meditation.
I hear some of you saying. “Meditation doesn’t even need a paper and pen, and it also brings you face to face with yourself’”.
You’re right! It does. All you need is time, really, because you can choose to mindfully meditate or breathe or chant pretty much anywhere.
But that lack of physical anchors also makes meditation hard to do. Coming face-to-face (metaphorically) with yourself tends to get emotional.
But you can’t scribble angry capital letters into the sound of a bell. Most places frown at punching your zabuton, no matter how much it deserves it.
And it’s easier to quit a meditation habit, because there’s no physical artifact of what you’ve done.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t meditate. I’m just saying: journaling is easier.
Journaling supports you with a collaborator: the page.
It has your back. It doesn’t auto-correct what you write, or autocomplete your sentences.
It challenges your bullshit. It reflects your beauty — even when you can’t see it. It holds your focus and engages your body from fingertips to brain cells like nothing else does.
Journaling is a habit that waits patiently for you, ready to help, no questions asked.
So if you haven’t written in a while? Grab a notebook today. Not an app, not a voice recorder, a pen and frickin’ paper.
“The only questions that really matter are the ones you ask yourself.”
― Ursula K. Le Guin