I’m not a daily journal writer, but over the past decade I’ve probably written somewhere around 400 to 500 personal entries. While many people like the charm of a paper journal, I use Apple Notes because it’s convenient and I’m more likely to stick to a habit that’s easy.
A question I asked myself recently was: Is it worth keeping up journaling, and do I expect I’ll write as much over the next decade of my life?
Honestly, I’m almost certain I will keep going. I only write when I have something I need to process, and I have yet to find a better way to think through things I’m thinking. So most likely, I’ll stick with this habit for many years to come.
I enjoy my journal for other reasons, both for what it gives me in the short term and for the useful artifact it leaves behind.
7 Reasons to Keep a Personal Journal
I’ve laid out a number of benefits I’ve gained from a regular journaling practice, in the hope that you might decide to try the hobby as well:
1. Clears Your Head Instantly
In my experience, nothing clears away the mental clutter that accumulates in my brain faster than writing everything down. It’s not even essential to reread what you wrote at a later date—it’s simply therapeutic to know it’s there if you need it.
2. Helps You Work Through Problems
When you’re uncertain of what to do or how to proceed, writing in your journal is a safe place to process your options. While mental thinking often leads to unhelpful rumination, the act of writing engages your brain in a slower, more methodical manner. Often, writing down a problem in detail is enough to get me unstuck.
3. Reduces Anxious Thoughts and Rumination
The ideas in your head can sometimes feel bigger and scarier than they really are. I think this is because we can only hold so much in our minds at once and can easily feel overwhelmed when we’re operating at or near that capacity. The forcing function of writing down what’s wrong makes the problem feel smaller and more manageable than it did when it was only in your head.
4. Records Life Thoughts and Memories for Future Self
It is truly enjoyable to look back at what you wrote at different stages of your life. I can, for example, see what I was thinking as I took on new jobs, had more children, and went through the various highs and lows of my life. It’s comforting to have that connection with my past, and it helps me see how the chapters of my journey have tied together.
5. Shows Patterns in Moods and Habits
The advent of AI has really made me glad for all my past journal entries. I recently gave Claude access to my entire journal archive and asked it to point out patterns in my notes and offer advice based on what it found. I know this may sound strange, but it honestly felt like the response was written by someone who knows me better than myself.
6. Sharpens Self-Awareness
One thing I’ve learned through hundreds of journal entries is that many of the struggles I had in the past are the same ones I struggle with today. It’s funny to think that our personalities are the same over time. While it’s possible to interpret this as a lack of self-awareness—I did, in a sense, fail to overcome my issues—I choose to be glad that I came to this realization at all, and plan to grow from it.
7. Leaves a Record for Friends and Family
I really don’t know if I ever want anyone to read my journal. Probably not in my lifetime, at least. However, there is a strange pleasure in thinking that future people might be able to know what I was thinking and understand what I cared about—my hopes, dreams, and failures. Maybe they will find some lessons in reading about my life because I wrote them down.
I’ll leave you with one last word of advice. I’ve read back through many of my old entries, and one thing that matters less to me than I thought—it really doesn’t matter how polished or nice your writing looks. Some of the most useful and thought-provoking words I wrote down were just quick little entries or even bulleted lists on a topic. Don’t let perfection get in the way of getting started with this fascinating and rewarding habit.