How To Use A Journal for Your New Years Resolutions

New Years’ Resolutions seem a little silly to you?  The truth of the matter is that they really are a great way to narrow down your focus to one or two of your main goals. 

Journals aren’t meant to be something miraculous. Although, if you think about it they can really be life-changing. They can help you to take advantage of the new year with a fresh start. 

Maybe you want to lose weight this year. To give up soda and sugary drinks or significantly reduce your intake at the very least is also on your list. 

You might want to start doing yoga or stop a bad habit like overspending, procrastination or quit smoking. The list of options is endless.

When it comes to creating your New Years’ Resolutions, using a journal is one of the best tools at your disposal. 

It not only helps you decide on the resolutions you want to work on, but it can also help you to track your progress along the way.

What You Want to Accomplish This Year

Start by writing down everything you would like to accomplish this year. This might end up being a long list, which is totally fine.

You are just starting with any idea you have in your head before you make your final decisions.  Just do a total brain dump.

Think of everything – big things and small things. Even if you don’t know that they will end up being a resolution. Just get everything out of head and on to paper.

Give some serious thought to your bad habits or something you want to implement or put into practice.

It could probably be a goal you want to achieve, healthier lifestyle habits or a change in your routine. Maybe it’s a place on your bucket list you want to visit, or a problem you really want to delve into and once and for all find a solution.

What You Feel Like You Lacked in the Previous Year

To add to your list of possibilities, write down anything you feel like you lacked or fell behind in the previous year. Commitments that you were unsuccessful in keeping or intentions didn’t implement.

This can help you figure out where you want your focus to be. For instance, if you struggled with your finances this past year, you might want to look for a new job opportunity or work on your business more. 

Flesh Out Your Ideas

Go through and highlight or make a check next to anything that really speaks to you or you believe would make a positive impact in your life.

 Consider something you can do for the entire year. Really think about whether doing that thing or things if it will help to make you happy or healthier, or just change your life in a positive way. 

Choose One or Two Resolutions

From this list, choose just one or two resolutions for the year. That doesn’t mean you won’t accomplish anything else. This just means that you want just one or two main things to focus on. 

You might have some things that are good to do, but can be done in a shorter period of time, like starting to journal.

 Instead of that as a resolution, maybe you want to read twenty (20) books in a year or lose thirty (30) pounds. These are more concrete resolutions that you can track throughout the year.

Track Your Progress Throughout the Year

Once you have chosen your resolutions, you can then use your journal to track your progress. 

Have one journal you use only for your resolutions, so it doesn’t get mixed up in your other journal entries.

How to Use Lists in Your Journal

If you are getting stuck on what to write in your journal, why not embrace lists? 

These can be as short and brief or as detailed as you want. You make lists of virtually anything you can think of. Now would be a good

Whether you just want to get different ideas out of your head and onto paper, or you want to keep track of something on your mind. 

Take a look at these different lists you can keep in your journal.

Pros and Cons Lists

One of the best lists you can make in your journal that will bring a lot of value to your life is a pros and cons list.

 This is great when you are trying to make a decision, and really struggling with which direction you want to go. 

This works best when there are two options you are choosing from, such as two colleges, two jobs who want to hire you, or two places to live. 

Write down the pros and cons of each, or just the pros and cons of ONE big decision, and see if there are more pros or cons.

Gratitude Lists 

If you haven’t heard by now, expressing gratitude in your journal will allow you to truly appreciate what you have in your life, instead of focusing on what you don’t have or wish you had.

 All you do with this type of list is write down everything that you are grateful for. 

It can be someone who has made an impact on your life. Maybe someone who did you a favor or held a door open. Or simply, what you have in your life. Like your friends and family, a home, a stable job, and pets who you love and love you back. 

Anything that you are appreciative of can become part of this list.

Favorite Memories and Moments in Your Life 

You can also reflect in your journal by creating lists related to your favorite memories or certain moments in your life. 

This might be some of your fondest memories from your childhood. Moments from school you don’t want to forget or cherished memories of your grandmother before she passed away.

 It is not only good to reflect on your life, but to preserve these memories.

Goals and Tasks

For more list ideas, why not make a list of goals you have, or write down a specific goal? Then you can make a list of the tasks you need to complete in order to accomplish that goal.

You can be as brief or detailed as you want. But just by writing down a list of things you want to accomplish in your life helps you see what really stands out, and what you can probably put on the backburner.

Bucket List Items

Lastly, you can make a quick list of your bucket list items. These are things that you’ve never done before that you would like to do someday. 

Bucket lists are great because they give you a list of goals, adventures, and accomplishments you would like to achieve in your life.

Use your Journal to create a Bucket List. This will allow you to visualize them and start crossing them off your list at your own pace. 

Bucket lists can be for shorter periods of time, like seasonally or monthly, or they can be of things you want to try in your lifetime.

It can be anything. From traveling to Europe or going on a cruise, to buying a house or swimming in the ocean.

Here are some ways you can use your journal to get started on your bucket list.

1. Get Ideas From Your Past Journal Entries 

Take a look at some of your recent journal entries, especially those related to dreams, goals, or aspirations.

 Do you notice trends where you keep bringing up one type of activity you have never done before? This is a good indication that you have found something to add to your bucket list. 

A lot of times, you don’t really know WHAT you want to do, even if you have some ideas. This is why it helps to start with a broad list of interests, focusing more on what you haven’t done before, or haven’t done in a while. 

Then you can start going down the list and thinking about what really caught your eye.

2. Write a List of What You Have Never Done

Another way to use your journal for creating your bucket list is to spend some time making a list of everything you have never done. 

These items might not all make it to the official bucket list, but this is a good place to start. 

Most bucket lists consist of small and big things you have not experienced, for whatever reason.

This might be a place you have always wanted to visit, never having been on a cruise or gone scuba diving, or maybe it’s just getting through a really long book you have had your eye on. 

Not everything has to be big and expensive either. It can be hiking a local trail you are interested in or going to a movie alone if you have never done that before.

Remember that you don’t have to lump them in just have one lifetime bucket list. 

You can also have certain things you want to do each season, in a year, or maybe even monthly.

If you are a little overwhelmed by the lifetime bucket list, start with a month.  

Choose a month with interesting activities or events, then make a list of what you want to try or go to that month.  Then you can start adding to other bucket lists in your journal.

Do you use your journal for New Year’s resolutions? How do you use your journal?