5 Benefits Of Keeping A Diary

Only you know your deepest thoughts, dreams, and desires. Well, you and your trusted diary. If you have a diary, you know that it is useful for so many reasons, both logistical and emotionally. You don’t have to be a writer to keep a diary, you just have to be willing to express yourself in any way you know how, even if it’s visually. Here are 5 benefits of keeping a diary.

1. Goal Setting

If you have a goal you’re trying to accomplish, keeping a diary is a great way to keep yourself on track. Putting something down in writing can often make you feel accountable. If your diary is somewhere in your room that you’re always sitting or sleeping, it’s a good reminder to work hard and try to accomplish whatever it is you’ve written down in there. Plus, physically writing something down can be great for memory, giving you that extra motivation and reminder to do your best.

2. Self-Reflection

The accountability factor of keeping a diary can be good for more reasons than just accomplishing a big goal. It can be great for keeping your mental health in check as well. Your general progress as a human being is important, and you should always take the time to stop and reflect on your well-being. Write your feelings down in the diary so that you can notice patterns in your health or changes in moods, likes, and dislikes. You’ll start to notice things about yourself that you never thought were significant. It’s an interesting experience to look through your diary at the end of the year and see the amazing transformations you’ve gone through.

3. Improving Your Craft

If you’re a writer or an illustrator or any kind of artist, keeping a diary can help you to improve your craft. Practicing the art of writing every day is the best way to improve. Writing, like any creative pursuit, helps you to think critically and reach new horizons. You can start writing poetry, sketching, and adding enrichment to your entries to make it more of a creative pursuit, and an endeavor that will teach you to develop your skills. Diary-writing can be a routine that benefits your reflexivity and gives you the ability to observe the growth of your style. Many of the best artists kept diaries, like Susan Sontag and Virginia Wolf.

4. Downtime

Despite being practically useful, having a diary can provide you with your own personal space right there between its pages. Keeping a diary creates the safest place for your private thoughts because you only are allowed to see what’s in there. This can be a relief and can be a way to feel closer to yourself. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s great to use your diary as a medium for private downtime. We’re kind of always being watched on social media and in public, but a diary will create a private space where you can truly relax without judgment. You’ll be writing for yourself, not anyone else.

5. The Aesthetic

The most materialistic, yet tons of fun reasons to use a diary is because of how pretty it can be. Create your own fonts, try some calligraphy, color-code ideas and concepts. Make your diary uniquely you through design. Most diaries are already quite beautiful, but making it your own is even more fun. Customizing your diary will make you more likely to use it because you love the way it looks. It will also give it a more personal feel. This is your very own space to do whatever you want! There are no limits to what you can do, besides your own creative brain.