Do you struggle to find new ideas for your journal practice?

Have you ever had this experience?

You grab a pen and a journal. You open the journal to the next blank page, click your pen, and place the pen’s point on the page. And then, your mind goes blank. You think to yourself, “Now what? What do I write about?”

Can you relate to this?

I can. This feeling sucks!

And maybe you’re looking around at other writers or bloggers and think, “How do they write so much? And where one earth, are they getting so many good ideas?”

I will share the 3 ways that I use to capture new ideas for my journal practice.

After reading this blog post, you will have 3 actionable ways to start capturing new ideas for your journal practice and take your journal practice to a new level.

Step 1: Be open to receiving new ideas.

New ideas are always around you. Once you start to look for new ideas for your journal practice, the ideas will start to come to you in unexpected ways. You may be at the grocery store, work, home, or walking your dog. You may be watching a youtube video or scrolling through Instagram or reading a book. Be open to new ideas, and the ideas will find you.

Step 2: Capture the Ideas.

Okay, so imagine your laying in bed wide awake. And thoughts keep flashing through your mind. Maybe it’s about a project at work or a journal prompt idea. You look over at the alarm clock. The neon green digits flash at 3:00 AM. You think to yourself, “Oh, I really should write this idea down, so I remember.” But you decide to roll over and go back to sleep. “I’ll remember tomorrow,” you reassure yourself.

By the next morning you forget all about the idea. And move on to start your day.

It’s important to capture your ideas. That way you can use them when you need to.

There are several ways to capture your ideas. Pick the one that works best for you, or use all three.

1. Carry an “Idea Journal.” This is a small journal that you carry around with you to keep track of new ideas. This is only for ideas and journal prompts. Write on the front “Idea Journal.” Keep the journal and a pen in your purse, bag, or pocket. You can also keep a journal on your nightstand so that you can write down your late-night ideas. Note: I like the pocket-sized softcover Moleskine journal for this. You can usually buy a 3-pack.
2. In your journal, leave the first 2-pages blank. Write on the top of the page “Writing Prompts.” These pages are for new writing prompt ideas. I’ll sometimes write down quotes for inspiration here, too. You can return to these prompts anytime you feel stuck and need inspiration for your journal practice.
3. Use Google Keep – This is an app that you can download on your phone that connects to Google calendar. Create a note and title it “Writing Prompts” or “Journal Ideas.”

So there you have it, 3 ways to capture new ideas for your journal practice. I hope this helps.

Now, I want to hear from you!

Let me know in the comments below…

• How do you come up with new ideas for your journal or writing practice?
• Which tip from this blog post are you going to use to capture your ideas?