4 Pros and 4 Cons of Journaling

Journaling is a topic I've been thinking about recently. A lot of readers do it, and I've occasionally done it. Over the past week or two, I've considered really getting back into journaling and doing it consistently. However, I've been really trying to think about it. I've asked myself the following questions quite a few times: "What are the benefits of journaling?" "Do those benefits actually help me in any significant way?" and "Am I going to stay committed to it this time?"

I thought I'd do a post like this. Why? If I'm asking myself these questions, then there are most likely others out there asking these as well.

Why journal? Journaling can be a fun way to express yourself. You can do it in a physical notebook or use a notetaking app like Goodnotes or Notability. In both cases - physical or electronic - you can personalize your journal/notebook to be "more you." It's a very good way to record thoughts feelings. Journaling can also help you understand why you're thinking something or feeling a certain way. You can also journal about dreams, books, movies, travel, and so much more. The following link was my Google search for journal ideas.

With all that said, let's get into 4 pros and 4 cons of journaling.

Pro 1: It's a point in time where you can just sit and reflect.

Your reflection can be on anything you want to reflect on: a book, movie, show, your feelings, a dream, and so much more. Journaling simply acts as a pause during your day, week, or month.

Pro 2: The influences of other people don't need to be in play.

Journaling is about you. You don't need to bring up another person's thoughts or feelings on what you're reflecting on. Unless you want to reflect on your relationship with another person, then you only have to focus on your own thoughts or feelings.

Pro 3: It can be as simple or as extravagant as you want it to be.

Whether you prefer something more simplistic or something more embellished, your journal can be however you want it to be. And if you're journaling throughout an entire year, it's okay to change it up from month to month to fit how you're feeling.

Pro 4: It can be done in any format.

Whether you choose to have a physical journal or an electronic version, it's very easy to journal either way. You simply need to choose the format that works best for you.

Con 1: It is taking time out of your day.

No matter how often you journal - daily, weekly, or monthly - it does take time out of your day when you do sit down to work on it. And if you're in a really busy period of your life, you may not have the time to sit down, journal, and keep it up as a habit.

Con 2: It can be a hard habit to begin and maintain.

This is the case with any habit. If you're not used to journaling, and you don't do it regularly, it can be hard to begin and implement it as a habit. And oftentimes, if you stop for a day or two, you may forget to pick it back up and continue.

Con 3: You may just have too many notebooks for whatever reason.

I, too, am guilty of this. I have bought quite a few notebooks in my lifetime, started using them, and then just stopped partway through. And because the first couple of pages "don't fit into the theme of what I want my journal to look like," I just leave the rest of all of these notebooks empty.

Con 4: It can be difficult to be consistent in theming, spacing, etc.

This con is really dependent on having themed journals: i.e. book journals, movie journals, etc. When you're writing down your thoughts, you may have left too much space on a page, or maybe you didn't leave enough. No matter what the "issue" may be, it can be hard to be consistent with journaling.