How to Kill the Journaling Experience J

1. Make sure your journal is hard to open and won’t lie flat.  Struggling to keep it open will take your mind off any meaningful thoughts.

2. Make sure your pen skips when writing, or that it makes annoying noises as it moves across the paper. This will create extreme frustration causing the “journal-er” to quit in mid-paragraph (maybe even mid-sentence or word).

3. Make sure both journal and pen are difficult to find.  Keeping them in separate places not easily accessible will quickly divert attention from the task at hand (which is to journal) to whatever distraction is lurking between the “journal-er” and her supplies.  (i.e. dirty glass to go to the kitchen, pair of shoes to be returned to the bedroom, gum stuck on the carpet, children/spouse asking questions,  etc.)

4. Journal in a central location where you are easily available to everyone and everything coming through the house.  The frustration of constant distraction is enough to kill even the most valiant attempts to journal.

5. Set unrealistic goals.  Go from never having journaled, ever, to recording every single event and thought of the day.  This monumental task will so overwhelm the “journal-er” that she will give up the first day.

6. Mourn missed journal entries.  Feeling guilty about all the wonderful parts of life not written down will either (1) cause the “journal-er” to attempt retro-recording all her life events which will become burdensome (see #5), or (2) cause the “journal-er” to say, “I’ve missed so much; it’s just too late.”

7. Make sure there are no spelling errors and that every sentence is grammatically correct.  This is a great way to shift focus from deeply personal thoughts to the mechanics of language resulting in discouragement.

(C) Drewe Llyn Jeffcoat 2005