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JOURNAL IN
THE NEW YEAR

2021
 Journaling In The New Year

As you probably know, journaling is the

practice of writing down your thoughts and
feelings in a notebook.

There are many ways to journal and

different types of journals, from keeping a
gratitude journal you write in just 5 minutes
a day, to choosing something more complex
like a bullet journal.

While it is great to use a journal during any

time of the year, there are some unique
benefits to starting one in the new year.
January 1st always feels like a new start,
where you feel like you can start over, be
better, and do better.

This is why many New Years’ resolutions are

about getting healthier, being more
organized, or trying to keep up with your
personal and professional obligations.
If you feel like you have been lacking or
looking for a good outlet to get your life
together, more organized, and be the
healthiest version of yourself, you should
consider starting a journal for the new year.
Now is a great time to get ready, as you try
to find the best journal and writing utensils.

In the following 8 sections, you will be

learning the following:
Why you should start journaling in the
New Year
Different types of journals to use
How and why you should consider a
bullet journal
Types of goals and lists for a journal
What a 5-minute gratitude journal is and
how to use it
Finding time to journal daily
How to use the journal for your New
Years’ resolutions
Questions that help you get started with
writing
Keep reading if you want to learn more
about starting a journaling practice in the
New Year!
 Why You Should Start

Journaling in the New Year

Lots of people start journaling in January,

and there are some clear benefits to this.

Keeping a journal can help you to deal with:

stress,
provide a serious mental boost,
support your mental health.
& achieve goals

If you want to know why the new year is a

good time to start journaling, here are some
things to consider:

Stress Relief

Life can be stressful. While it is often

possible to cut causes of the stress out of
your life, it isn't possible to eliminate it
entirely. Instead, it is important to find
healthy ways to deal with that stress.
Journaling isn't the only option, but it is one
of the best.
Journaling gives you a chance to sort
through all of the things that happened
during the day and work through your
feelings about them.

Since writing doesn't provoke strong

emotions as easily as talking about things, it
also gives you a little bit of distance that
can help you to understand the situation.

Actually, it can even act as an outlet for

anger or frustration that doesn't involve
getting into a conflict with another human.

Boosting Memory

Most people forget things far more often

than they realize.

Keeping a journal will give you an

opportunity to take notes on your life while
you still remember things clearly so that
you can check back on the details later.

At a practical level, this will make sure that

you can remember any good ideas that you
have for when you have time to pursue
them.
At an emotional level, it will keep a record
of the good times in your life so that you
can look back on them when things are a
little bit harder.

Getting Perspective

Humans don't remember all events equally.

We tend to remember bad things more
clearly than good things, and our emotional
responses to events can change the way that
we remember them over time.

You can avoid that problem by writing

things down in your journal and looking
through them later.

It will help you paint a picture of events as

they really happened, which can give you a
valuable perspective on the balance of good
and bad things in your life.

It's just like looking at history to get a

better grasp on how well the world is doing
at the moment, but at a personal level.
Tracking Success

Your journal can also help if you find

yourself getting discouraged when you try
new things.

That often happens when people focus on

their failures and ignore their successes.

If you write down your victories as they

happen, you will get a clear record of your
success.

This will act as proof that you can succeed

at things, and looking at that proof will be a
powerful motivator when you feel
discouraged in life.

It is a really amazing way to keep track of

your New Years’ resolutions, no matter what
they are, so that alone is a good reason to
start journaling in January.
Types of Journaling to Choose

From

When you want to journal in the new year,

one thing you should know is that there are
many types of journals to choose from.

The type you decide on will depend on a

number of factors including:
whether or not you like to write,
what the journal will be used for,
and how often you want to use it.

Think about your goals and reasons for

journaling when deciding on which one is
best for you.
Here are a few ideas:

Simple Daily Journal

The first type of journal is a basic journal,

similar to a diary. The great this about this
type of journal is that you can write
anything and everything in it.
You might want a theme for the journal,
such as using it to record what you eat and
how often you work out if your New Years’
resolution is to lose weight, or you write
down what you are thinking each day.

Some people also like to use these types of

journals to record triggers for things like
anxiety and depression.

If you have been under a lot of stress, it

really helps to write all of your thoughts and
feelings down in the journal.

Bullet Journal

A bullet journal is one of the top types of

journals to use in the new year.

This journal is not going to rely on a lot of

writing but more organizing your life.
It can be used for absolutely everything in
your life, including what you do, what you
want to do, birthdays and holidays,
appointments and events, to-do lists,
dreams, and so much more.
You will learn more about bullet journaling
in the next section, but here are a few
things to include in a bullet journal:
Daily to-do lists
Weekly and monthly calendars
Lists of places to go or things to do
Business plans
Cleaning and errands scheduling
Meal planning
Tracking your weight, fitness, and other
personal goals

Gratitude Journal

You can also start writing in a gratitude

journal, which is a great way to journal in
the new year and embrace your positive
side.
Instead of writing anything in the journal, it
is reserved just for talking about what you
are grateful for.
Every day, you will have at least one thing
you are happy about, whether that is your
family, friends, job, pets, something that
good that happened, or even simple joys like
watching your favourite movie or buying
something you have been wanting for a long
time.
Tips for Starting a Gratitude Journal

Here are some different ways you can really

benefit from the gratitude journal:
Write in it every morning OR every
evening
Go into as much detail as possible
Write as if you are talking to Allah

Stream of Consciousness Journal

This type of journal is similar to the basic

journal, but you don’t really have a theme or
subject you are sticking to.

With this type of journal, the goal is just to

write whatever comes to mind first. This is a
journal that benefits from having a timer.
With a stream of consciousness journal, you
just start writing without thinking too much
about it.

The point is not to think about what you

want to write about. Just start doing it and
see what comes out. Just pour it all out into
your journal.
The options for journals in the new year
truly are endless. Be creative and make a list
of why you want to journal and what you
want to be included in it when deciding
which one will be the best fit for you.
 How a Bullet Journal Can

Help You

Journaling can help you stay organized and

feel fulfilled. There are many different types
of ways to journal.

You can keep a stream of consciousness

journal. You can journal weekly. Or you can
use a journal to keep tabs on all the
important happenings in your life.

A bullet journal is a great way to document

to-do lists, events, and other milestones on
a regular basis.

As you make bullet journaling a habit, you'll

begin to accrue a library of each year's
activities.
These are great mementoes to look back on
in the future.

Here are a few ways a bullet journal can

help you in the New Year:
Get Organized

If you've tried to keep a journal or planner

before but find yourself getting off track, a
bullet journal is a great way to get
organized.
Bullet journals lack the rigid structure of a
planner and bullet journals provide
opportunities for personalization beyond
pen colour.

There are a few standard approaches to a

bullet journal, but it's up to you to make a
bullet journal your own.
These are some best practices:
Pick a notebook you love
Set aside the first few pages for an Index
Number all your pages
Label your pages appropriately
Review and revise as needed

Many people choose to use a blank or grid-

style notebook. These notebooks provide
you with more flexibility than lined
notebooks.

The first few pages may stay blank for a

while, but as you add content your index
will grow. Your index can include topics,
like Qur'an memorisation tracker or daily
planner.

Any time you write down information about

that topic put the page numbers in the
index. It's important that you number all
pages in order to stay organized.
Use Symbols

Some people think that a bullet journal is

just bullets. And those people are kind of
correct. A bullet journal is based on bullets,
but these bullets can be changed or
modified to accurately reflect the status of a
list item. For example, a single bullet can
represent a task that needs to get done.

But when you complete that task, you can

change that bullet to an X to indicate a job
is done.
Some people use > and < symbols to
"migrate" their bullets.

Be creative

Bullet journal provides you with the freedom

to keep things as simple or as wild as you
like. You can express your creativity with
funky headlines, washi tape, colourful
markers, or any other fun additions you'd
like. Bullet journals free you from the
conventional planner. Add what matters
most to you, and enjoy seeing your life's
story told one page at a time.
 Types of Goals and Lists for

Your New Years’ Journal

At some point, nearly everyone dreams of

bigger, better things for their lives – the
dreams of personal goals, family goals, or
even business goals.
As another new year approaches, many find
the practise of journaling to be an effective
way to record those goals and how to attain
them, as well as reflections on personal
development and growth.

Here are a few great suggestions of things

to include in your new journal:

Memories

Many important events, both good and bad,

happen in our lives, but unfortunately, our
minds can’t capture every single one of
those experiences. Journaling is a great way
to record those significant memories,
including life milestones such as a
graduation, reaching a certain age, or
buying a first home.
Personal Development

Want to lose 20 pounds or start a new

business? Writing down personal goals,
including step by step lists of how to reach
those goals, is a great way to make use of a
journal in the new year.

Gratitude Journal

In the midst of life’s challenges, maintaining

a journal listing of all the things you have to
be grateful for to Allah can be especially
helpful.
But hardship or trials aren’t required to
keep such a list; jotting down expressions of
gratitude, no matter how small, on a daily or
weekly basis can help keep life in
perspective through good times as well as
bad.
Quotes

Quotes are a great way to keep you inspired

and motivated to reach particular goals or
to persevere during difficult experiences.
Get in the habit of writing them down in a
journal so you can reflect on them whenever
you need or want.
It can be motivational quotes or hadiths or
Ayahs of the Qur'an that give you hope or
inspiration.

Bullet Journals

Many people also find great use in a bullet

journal – a relatively new, creative way of
journaling that helps maintain organized
lists of goals and tasks.
These journals can be kept by the day, week,
or month, but rather than simply filling out
a typical day planner or organizer, the blank
pages of a bullet journal can be completely
customized by you.
If the idea of bullet journaling intrigues you,
some great journaling ideas can include:
• Tracking finances/monthly savings goals/
salah tracker/ Qur'an tracker
• Weight loss management/daily workout
routines
• Meal planning
• Books to read
• Relationship goals (such as spending more
time with friends/family)
• Daily/weekly to-do lists
• Educational goals

One of the hardest things about journaling

is actually getting started, but the fact is
that, with a little discipline and creativity,
journaling can become a fun, enjoyable, and
even therapeutic habit to develop this new
year Insha'Allah.
 The Power of a 5-Minute

Gratitude Journal

Are you looking for a way to enhance your

feelings of gratitude to Allah in day-to-day
life?
Researchers at the University of
Pennsylvania have shown research on the
benefits of gratitude exercises, a subfield of
positive psychology.

Being grateful can be an incredible way to

cope with stress, making you more resilient,
to begin with when facing stressors.

There are simple strategies to nurture and

increase feelings of gratitude in yourself,
which can be easily be incorporated into
your daily schedule by taking 5 minutes
each day to document your progress in a
gratitude journal.
Build the habit

Intentions are not the same thing as a

follow-through.

Set aside time during the day to engage in

this practice, such as while you are having
your morning coffee or before you go to bed
at night.
These exercises are thought to bring your
attention to the existing positive events
happening throughout your day, you can
greater steep yourself in these experiences,
leading you to notice energizing things
around you that been overlooked before.

Often times we fail to appropriately savour

these things, and they quickly become
forgotten, leading us to dwell on the bad.
Taking time to refresh these memories of
pleasure and satisfaction is an incredible
way to enhance your psychological and
social health.
Look back at your notes when you feel like
your motivation needs a pick-me-up.
Different Ways of Engaging in Gratitude

You can note three good things or successes

big or small that have happened to you
during that day.

These things can be relatively small in

importance such as having a really good cup
of coffee, or bigger successes such as
completing a long-term project or making it
to the gym.

This can help you to put a positive tone on

your day, and prevent you from getting
stuck thinking about the things that you
didn’t get done.

Savour your successes and be grateful for

the life that you have right at this very
moment, break out of your lack-mentality.
This is most effective however if you keep it
up. Try to do it at once a day for as long as
you can, likely you’ll begin to enjoy doing it
so much that you’ll want to continue with
your journal.
Getting Others Involved

In addition to keeping a journal, by sending

a heartfelt letter of thanks to someone in
your life that you feel gratitude towards has
been shown to lead to feelings of happiness
and contentment. As Muslims, we should
show gratitude to others not just Allah.

This can allow you to savour the connection

with the other person, as well as strengthen
your relationship as you show your
appreciation.

Working to nurture your sense of gratitude

can have the effect of warding off
depression and anxiety while instilling
feelings of well-being.
Try sending your hubby a thank you note
and see what wonders that does for you
Insha'Allah.
Finding Time to Journal Every

Day
Journaling is a habit that a good majority of
people would love to get into.
It's a way to document your life and get
your worries, excitements and frustrations
out onto paper.

You might have heard experts claim that

journaling helps with anxiety, depression
and other mental health issues. You might
be journaling for any one of these reasons,
or you might just want to keep a journal
because you want to remember small details
that you're likely to forget in a year.

The New Year is the perfect time to start a

journal and to stick with it all year. You'll
find that it's fun and even informative to go
over your journal a year from now and
remembering all of the little things you did
throughout the year. However, if you don't
start in January and keep leaving it until
"later", you'll likely never make it a habit.
Here are five tips for finding time to journal
every day and actually get into the habit:

Try a Method That Works for You:

You need to find a method of journaling

that's right for you. If you're constantly on
your tablet or computer at night, you might
want to think about keeping a journal
online. Not only are there tons of lockable
journal websites that you can make a free
account on, but there are tons of mobile
apps as well.

If you're a paper and pen type of person, get

yourself a large notebook of your choosing
and try to find a little time each day to
journal your thoughts of the day.

Make it a Habit

The key to keeping up with your journal is

to make it a habit. This might not come easy
if you're not used to journaling every day,
but over time, you'll notice that you feel off
or weird when you skip a day.
The key is to stick with it. If one morning
you don't have time to journal, do it at
night. Try to pick the same time every day
so that it's just something you do, like
brushing your teeth or showering

Keep it Short and Simple

One issue that a lot of writers have when

keeping a journal is that they get too
detailed.
If your journal entries are a mile long, you're
probably not going to be able to write a post
every single day without it taking an hour or
longer.
Keep your posts short, simple and sweet and
you might even find that they're more
enjoyable to read through later on. No one
wants to read through an entire essay on
how your day went, including the future
you.
However, with that being said, if you enjoy
writing then go ahead and write as long as
you need.
It all depends on you and your preferences.
Make it Public

One way to keep yourself motivated to

journal is to make the journal public online.
If you have an online journal and don't care
about privacy, keeping the journal public
allows people to visit, view and comment on
your entries. When other people show
interest in your journal, you'll find that you
begin to get motivated to write more often.

Customize Your Journal

Another method for getting into the habit of

journaling is customizing your journal so
that you'll want to write in it.
If you have an online journal, you can grab a
template or create your own so that you can
customize it to your needs and interests.

If you have a pen and paper journal, you can

easily find a great-looking book and get a
really pretty pen that you'll look forward to
using every day.
Getting into the habit of journaling each day
is a great way to keep tabs of what's going
on. It's a good outlet for mental health
issues ranging from anxiety to depression,
and it's a wonderful source of memories
that you might want or even need to go back
to a year or two down the road. Be sure to
utilize each of these methods so that you're
able to find both the time and motivation to
journal each day.

How to Use the Journal for Your

New Years’ Resolutions

Your journal is a tool that can help you to

keep your resolutions during the coming
year Insha'Allah.
There are a few different techniques that
you can use to help, so you can probably
find at least one that meets your needs.

It's best to give them all a try, and then mix

and match to find a program that works for
you.
Organize Your Plan

Planning is the key to success, especially if

you have complex resolutions that involve
dieting or other major life changes.

Relying on a vague plan is a recipe for

disaster, but you also need to be able to
adjust your plan when necessary.

The key to managing both of those things is

your journal.

Start by writing out your plan for the first

week or two of the year. As you progress
through that period, take notes on where
you succeeded or failed with it.

Once you have done that, you can look back

on your records and adjust your plan to deal
with any problems.

Repeat the process until you have

something that works well!
Track Your Success

It's important to have big goals, but it can

be hard to work towards those goals if you
don't see any signs of success.

Fortunately, this is another problem that

you can solve with a journal and a little bit
of planning.

Start by breaking up your big goals into a

bunch of little ones that are easier to
accomplish, and keep a list of those little
goals in your journal.

When you reach one of those goals, be sure

to make a note of it. This will immediately
give you a feeling of progress that can
motivate you to take the next steps.

If you ever feel discouraged, you can look

back at your journal to see the progress that
you have made and find the strength to keep
going.
Emotional Support

Major life changes can be stressful, and

resolutions are no exception to that rule.

People who give in to stress are more likely

to fail to achieve their resolutions than
those who find a way to deal with that
stress and keep working towards their goals.

There are a lot of ways to do that, but

journaling can be a vital part of a stress-
relief program.

Writing about your experiences and how

they made you feel will help you to work
through those emotions and put them
behind you. It will also give you a chance to
look back at the past when you feel
stressed.
Since it usually gets easier to keep
resolutions as time passes, that will give you
a chance to see how far you have come. It
will replace feelings of failure and anxiety
with a feeling of success, and that will help
you to keep working at your goals
Insha'Allah.
Simple Questions to Help You

Decide What to Journal About

If you want to write in a journal in the new

year, but aren’t sure where to start, you’re
not alone.
The hard part is often figuring out what you
should write about.

Journaling prompts are a great way to get a

little more insight into what to write about,
but the simplest type of prompt is a
question.

So, here are some questions that you can

answer in journal entries, making it easier to
start with a Yew Year’s journaling practice:

1. What do you want to accomplish this

year?
2. Do you have any personal health goals?
Maybe you want to lose weight or reach
some fitness goals.
3. What made you want to start a journal?
4. Did something good happen to you today?
5. What is one goal this week that you can
accomplish?
6. What are 10 things you want to
accomplish this year?
7. What actionable steps can you do to make
your first goal a reality?

Insha'Allah this guide was super helpful and

it's inspired you to start journaling in the
new year.
I pray it brings you so much benefit and
helps you to achieve both your Deen and
Dunya goals, Insha'Allah.
As always, have a barakah filled year and
happy journaling.

Ema xxx
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JOURNAL
PROMPTS

2021
 Journal Prompts

How do you feel 2020 was for you?

What are 3 things you could do differently to
make this year better?
What are your New Years’ resolutions for this
year?
What is your favourite memory in 2020?
Do you have any business goals for this year?
What are some actionable steps you can take
for these business goals?
In what ways can you be healthier this year?
Record your diet for one week to see where
you can improve it.
Start a fitness log with new workouts added
periodically.
Record your weight and inches to keep track
of them.
Describe how you can give back more this
year.
Write down 5 names of friends or family
members you want to spend more time with
this year.
Write down your ideal day and see how you
can make it happen.
Are you happy with your current job? If not,
write down your dream job.
 Journal Prompts

How did your resolutions go last year?

What can you do to make the resolutions
more successful this year?
What are 10 fun activities can you try out this
year?
Imagine you are on a dream trip – describe it
in detail.
Write down how you can be more organized
this year.
What Islamic /Deen Goals do you have for
this year?
What emotions/ experiences do you want to
forget from 2020 and leave behind?
What new skill do you want to master this
year?
What was your biggest accomplishment this
year?
What can I do this year to bring me closer to
my ideal life? In what ways can I start living
that life right now?
When I picture myself in December next year,
what do I see? What have I accomplished?
What kind of person am I?
If I wasn’t worried about time or money, what
would I do, be, or have 2021?