Types of journaling include diaries, gratitude notes, bullet journals, art and junk journals, commonplace books, reading journals, travel journals and prompt-led writing. Choose by what you want to put on the page: a memory, a plan, a picture, a saved idea or a story.
To try one today, use a notebook and pen. Pick a section below and make one entry. For a collage, add a paper scrap and glue. The sample pages are invented examples made for this guide, not customer journals or pages from a paid game.
If game-style journaling appeals, our solo journaling RPGs are printable games you play in your own journal.
The daily diary
A diary is a place to record your days and thoughts. Try it if you want to write about your own life. Start with the date and one thing you noticed. Add what you thought about it, if you wish. You can write about a quiet day, skip dates or return after a gap.
Tuesday · Diary sample
Rain on the walk home. I waited under the library porch and watched the water drip from my bag.
I might leave a spare bag by the door.
Gratitude journaling
Use this page to note something you appreciate. It could be a person, a meal, a place or a small act. Try one item and add a detail about why you chose it. There is no need to fill a fixed list for this exercise.
Tuesday · Gratitude sample
Glad of: the library porch.
Why: it gave me a dry place to wait while the rain passed.
If you keep naming the same thing, you could add a new detail or leave the entry short.
Bullet journaling
The Bullet Journal method uses short entries and symbols to mark tasks, events and notes. Its official rapid logging guide explains the symbols: a dot for a task, a circle for an event and a dash for a note. Rapid logging means writing brief entries in this form.
Try it if you want a page for things to do as well as things that happened. Here is a small sample, not a full setup for the method.
Tuesday · Short log sample
• Return library book (task)
○ Walk home in rain (event)
– Bag needs to dry (note)
Art journaling and junk journaling
For an art journal page, try drawing, paint or collage, with as much text as you want. For a junk journal page, try saved scraps such as an envelope, a ticket or wrapping paper. These approaches can share a page.
Start by placing one scrap on a blank page. Leave a space beside or below it for a date and a line of writing. Move the scrap until you like the layout, then glue it down. Keep the notebook page in place.
Example: a piece of an old envelope
Date: Tuesday
Writing space: This blue reminds me of the library door.
The commonplace book
Use a commonplace book to collect ideas and passages you want to keep. To try it, copy a short line from something you are reading. Add the author, title and page number, or a link for a web source. Put your own thoughts below the copied words so you can tell them apart.
A simple page could have four labels: Topic, saved line, source, my note. If you want to find entries by topic, number the pages and list those topics at the front. You can add that list later.
The reading journal
Use this to keep notes about books. You might track titles, write reviews, give ratings or record thoughts as you read. For a first entry, write the title and where you stopped. Then add one thing you noticed or a question you have.
Invented sample: “Book: The Blue Gate, a made-up title. Stopped at: chapter two. My question: why did the visitor leave the key behind?” You can return to the question on a later page. Finishing the book is optional for this exercise.
The travel or memory journal
Choose an outing, a place or an occasion you want to record. Add a date, a place name and one detail. You could include a photo or ticket, or just write a caption. Write during the trip or when you get home, as you prefer.
Invented sample: “Tuesday, library steps. We waited for the rain to ease. The blue door was propped open.” If a detail is uncertain, mark it as uncertain rather than filling the gap with a guess.
Prompt-led writing and journaling games
A prompt gives you a subject or question to write about. Try one if you want a starting point. A journaling game adds rules for play; check the chosen game’s materials and instructions before you begin. A prompt on its own does not need a game.
Prompt: A letter waits under the library door. What is written on the envelope?
Sample response: Only my street name, in green ink. I turn it over and find a sketch of the porch.
For a game to explore next, see Folklore Forest game and paper bundle, a digital download. Read its product page for the current contents and required materials. If you already have a game on the shelf, our guide to returning to a journaling game after a break shows how to leave yourself a note for next time.
Choose one entry to try
Pick what you want to save today. For a moment from your life, try the diary or memory page. For a plan, try a short log. For paper and pictures, try the collage layout. For reading, choose a book note or a saved passage. For fiction, answer the letter prompt.
After one entry, ask whether you want to make another like it. Keep the format, change the prompt or try a different page. You can mix these ideas in the same notebook.