Recently we started looking into the area of journals or journaling. The area is diverse with so many talking points to cover no wonder the several articles. The topic of this article is the different types of journals. This is essential to giving you an understanding that will inform your choices. You will get to appreciate the many different areas in which you can journal. You will also get to know the exact type of journal to use given a need or scenario. As emphasized before everyone must cultivate journaling as an integral part of their lives. I am sharing with you the most basic types; otherwise, the types are somewhat countless. This is because a type is based on the specific use of the journal.
Generic Journal
I have already gone at length explaining this one in one of the previous articles i.e. the notebook journal. Generic here implies generalized use so it can be anything. It can be a notebook journal, an ordinary notebook, a diary, and so on. It can also be generic but digital i.e. digital notebook, digital diary, and the like. The main attribute of the generic journal is that it does not have specialized use. It can be used for anything according to one’s needs.
Financial Journal
Keeping track of finances is imperative be it in business or personal finances. There are things like budgeting, purchasing, sales, cash receipts, and the like. Such things need to be properly documented. Usually, in business operations, people do prioritize keeping everything documented but some do not. Financial journals in the business context take on several different types of forms. As for personal finances that is where the biggest challenge tends to be. Most people do not keep track of their expenditures. It is important to have a financial journal where you take note of all your spending. In the end, you can better draw insights that can help you make frugal financial decisions.
Creativity Journal
This mostly applies to creatives or people whose work entails always coming up with creative ideas or work. It can be entrepreneurs, artists, artists, writers, consultants, designers, engineers, and so on. They would need such a journal to take down something that comes to mind. This is because creative ideas can come any time, unannounced. The world we live in is highly demanding and fast-paced. Not documenting something thinking you will recall it later might not happen. That is why you should have a creativity journal to jot down ideas, sketches, and the like in real-time.
Productivity Journal
Being consistently productive is a tall order for many people. Most people say they will do something but they do not follow through with action. A productivity journal helps you note down your to-dos. You get to include even the specifics of timelines and all. Then you keep track of your progress making sure you ultimately complete what you set out to do. This is an effective way to beat procrastination. I have even noticed that at times one can forget an important to-do item in a day. Having a productivity journal and always keeping it close and referring to it help keep you productive.
Gratitude Journal
It is always encouraged that you should have an attitude of gratitude. There is overwhelming evidence of how gratitude attracts more of what we are grateful for. It also helps you to shift your focus from negative to positive thinking. If you do not consciously take note of things to be grateful for you might think there are not any. That is why you can use a gratitude journal to deliberately take note of what you are thankful for. You can do this any time of the day, either throughout, as the day starts, or at the end of the day. You will simply be documenting what you are grateful for in life or on that particular day. This seemingly small activity has been shown to boost mental health and productivity.
Dream Journal
In one article I cited an example of keeping your notebook journal by your bedside. The idea behind that is to ensure when you wake up during the night or in the morning, you make important entries. It can be inspirations or creative ideas that can hit you whilst you are in bed. The other key focus is documenting dreams. Typically if you do not recall and process what you dreamt about a few moments after waking up you tend to forget. That is where the dream journal comes in.
There are lots of people who believe their dreams are highly valuable. Plus there are famous inventors or creatives who have indicated they got some ground-breaking ideas in dreams. Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity started from a dream he had. One of John Lennon’s best-selling songs came to him in a dream. The inventor of the sewing machine, Elias Howe, got the idea from a dream. You might have watched the movie Inception by Christopher Nolan. Well, that movie is an idea that was inspired by dreams he had. So do not always downplay the dreams that you have; document them.
These are some of the many types of journals that you can keep. Scientific studies have been done and have proven the immense psychological benefits journaling has. Everyone has some form of mental health issue that they have to address. Journaling is one of the potent ways you can use to put your mental health in order. You should check out the article I did where I discussed the importance of journaling.
