How To Start Journaling in 2025 (Free Download)
It’s February here as I'm writing this. Can I still say ‘Happy New Year’?! I know we all feel the collective urge to plan, do, and create in the first month of the year. But over here in my studio, January is anything but a conventionally “productive month.” Instead, I start the year in my journal by looking back on what's already happened. Those insights are how I come up with my goals/resolutions/'word of the year' and everything in between.
I'd love to share some of that process - and a journaling workbook download! - with you here because I just got back from teaching a series of journaling classes in NYC (what a dream!).
Do you currently keep a journal?
People often confuse journaling with rumination ("repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences" - Psychiatry.org).
But…
“It’s proven that writing what you’re feeling, even if you burn the pages or rip them into shreds, reduces your cognitive load. The next time those same feelings hit you, they won’t be as intense or happen as frequently if you allow them to come out.” - From pages 44 & 48 of my new guided grief journal, Forget You Not.
Now we're getting into the facts. I love them, too! In the process of publishing my first book and in teaching over 50K students the art of writing with Montblanc, I was thrilled to dive into the research that supports how writing and the arts are essential to longevity and wellbeing.
And you don't even have to be “good at it" to experience the VERY. MANY. benefits (keep reading!) of putting pen or paintbrush or pencil to paper.
Why journaling matters
Writing is a proven practice to reduce stress and alleviate anxiety
It activates your body's relaxation response and lowers your heart rate. How? “It’s a structured task that helps bring order to the chaos of life.” - Ivy Ross & Susan Magsamen in their wonderful book: Your Brain on Art.
Writing improves your memory, focus and concentration
Processing what's in your way helps you build better habits and break bad ones
A journal is a place to build self-trust that's only for you (In my grief journal, I created this mantra: “Write to express. Not to impress”)
You're 42% more likely to accomplish your goals simply by writing them down (thanks for this stat, Ali Abdaal - Author of Feel Good Productivity)
Do I need to journal on paper or can I do it digitally?
Short answer: if it's the only place you feel safe to express yourself, do it. With that being said, the sensory experience of putting pen to paper is where we experience better focus, concentration, memory and mindfulness benefits. Also, we could all use less screen time!
Tap to read another post about when I found these journals in the process of writing my first book
Tap to see some travel journaling in action!
3 Ways to (Simply!) Start Journaling in 2025
Start with a cover: Eliminate the fear of the blank page and create a basic ‘cover.’ Open your journal to the first blank page. Use stickers. Write the year in calligraphy or your own handwriting. Doodle it up if you want to. The goal is just to get ink on a page!
Date every page: On the first lined page, date it on the top right (or left - you choose the rules)
Reflect: Instead of writing down your plans and resolutions (we'll get to that), start by reflecting on what's already happened.
Ryder Carroll, the inventor of the Bullet Journal Method, said “Don’t make resolutions based on what you think you want. Make plans based on what you know you’ve had.” Before you plan ahead, it‘s always best to look back. What lessons did you learn last year? What worked well for you? What didn‘t? Instead of always focusing on what‘s new and next, let‘s start by making plans based on what‘s already happened.
Consider these prompts:
What worked well in 2024?
What were the highlights? Accomplishments, what you learned, what changed, what you're proud of
Next, write about…
What didn't work well in 2024?
What were some of the hardest parts of last year? What felt the most challenging?
It can be helpful to think about these as it relates to your relationships, health and work life.
And if you're already spinning with questions like:
Can I write a bulleted list?
Should it be a paragraph?
Or how many pages?
You're not alone. But none of that matters, I promise! We all crave “the right way” of doing things (myself included), especially when we're trying something new. But when it comes to journaling, yes there are helpful tips, but you'll find your own flow by doing.
Here's what works for me. See what resonates with you, and try that:
Write three full pages of “stream of consciousness” (a la “Daily Pages" in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron) where you simply write down everything that comes to mind without censoring it. Even if that thought is “I don't know what to write," write that down until you do have a thought. Stop at three pages.
Set a 10 minute timer
Answer the prompts in list format. Lists can be helpful to take the pressure off of long-form writing. It can also be a good challenge for long-form writers to answer as a list from time to time
Remind yourself of the “why journaling matters” list above. This is heart work!
4. Create a More/Less list. What do you want more of in 2025? What do you want less of? Use your earlier reflections on what didn't and did work well in 2024 to inform these lists. Want to see mine? Here it is
Taken at Zero Bond in Manhattan NYC, where we hosted a private new year’s journaling class
Journaling in NYC with Montblanc
My New Year's Journaling classes in NYC were all about how to take this ‘reflect’ perspective from swirling thoughts into an aligned plan for this year.
Workbook Download for YOU!
If you have a fear of the blank page (totally normally, we all do!) and you'd like some gentle prompts to get you started, download a few pages from our workbook below (scroll down). Print it out and write in the included boxes, or just use the prompts as a guide for your own pages!
⬇️
For your ‘Word Of The Year’
This word isn't to “dictate” your year. This word is meant to guide you the inevitable obstacles you'll face.
Here are some of my past ones for inspiration:
2022 - Grace
2023 - Energy
2024 - Brave
2025 - Vitality
Every year - Magic
Hello, World!
A few scenes from my trip to NYC teaching journaling workshops with Montblanc! Enter your email below to receive a few of the worksheets from those sessions.
Of course, we talked about a lot more/with context in the class. So please reach out if you're feeling stuck!
Last QUESTION:
Are you feeling inspired to put pen to paper now?
Enter your email above to download the new year’s journaling worksheets and join my email list for more shares like this one.
xo Brittany