Staring at a blank page can feel paralyzing. You know journaling is good for you—you've heard about the mental health benefits, the clarity it brings, the memories it preserves. But how do you actually begin?

This is the most common barrier to starting a journal. Not the lack of desire. Not the lack of a nice notebook. It's the fear of the blank page. The question: What am I supposed to write?

The truth is, there are no rules. You don't need eloquent prose. You don't need to write for 30 minutes. You just need to start. And this guide will show you how.

1. The One-Sentence Journal

Sometimes the simplest method is the most powerful. The one-sentence journal removes all pressure. Your only job is to write one meaningful sentence per day. That's it.

This sentence could be:

• Something that made you happy ("I laughed so hard at lunch today that my coworker thought I was crazy")
• A challenge you faced ("I was too afraid to speak up in the meeting, and I regret it")
• A reflection on your day ("I realized I'm more resilient than I thought")
• A moment of gratitude ("My friend called just when I needed to talk")

The beauty of this method is that it's so low-pressure that you'll actually stick to it. One sentence takes 30 seconds. After a week, you'll have seven sentences. After a year, you'll have 365 reflections that paint a portrait of your life.

Pro tip: Use DearDiario's Happiness Tracker alongside your one-sentence entry to rate your day on a scale of 1-5. Over time, you'll see patterns between what you write about and how you felt.

2. The Bullet Point Method

If you're someone who thinks in lists, the bullet point method is your answer.

Instead of writing flowing paragraphs, write bullets:

• Highlights: Three good things that happened
• Lowlights: One challenging moment
• Gratitude: One thing you're grateful for
• Tomorrow: One thing you're looking forward to

This method is fast (5-10 minutes), organized, and perfect for people who like structure. It also gives you a consistent template, which removes the daily decision of "what should I write?"

Many DearDiario users have told us they fill out this bullet format while having their morning coffee. It starts their day with intention, and it's done before they even get to work.

3. The Conversation Method

Write to someone. A close friend. A future version of yourself. Your therapist. Even a fictional character.

By writing to someone specific, your brain shifts from "I need to write something important" to "I need to tell my friend something." The words flow more naturally.

A conversation-style entry might look like:

"Hey Sarah, I had the weirdest dream last night. We were back in college, and..."

or

"Future me, I'm worried about the promotion interview next month. I want you to know that..."

This removes the formality barrier. You're not trying to write for posterity—you're having a conversation with someone you trust. The "future me" option is a fun one too as you get to read that entry at some point in the future thanks to Dear Diario's "previous entry" feature.

4. The Stream-of-Consciousness Brain Dump

Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write whatever comes to your mind. Don't edit. Don't worry about grammar or spelling. Don't even check if your thoughts make sense.

This method is called "free writing" in psychology, and it's incredibly powerful for stress relief. You're not trying to create something beautiful—you're trying to externalize what's in your head.

One user told us: "I used brain dumps when I was really anxious. I just wrote every worried thought down. It felt like I was taking the anxiety out of my brain and putting it on the page. By the time I finished, I felt lighter."

This works especially well if you're dealing with emotional turbulence. You don't need to be coherent. You just need to get it out.

5. The Gratitude + Reflection Hybrid

This combines gratitude with self-reflection—two of the most scientifically validated journaling methods.

Your template:

1. Three things I'm grateful for today: (Examples: My sister's text, the coffee I had, that song)
2. One moment I want to remember: (A scene, a conversation, a feeling)
3. One challenge I faced: (And how I handled it, or how I want to handle it next time)
4. One thing I'm proud of today: (Something you did, something you tried, something you overcame)

This method takes 10-15 minutes but gives you a multi-dimensional snapshot of your day. Research from UC Berkeley shows that gratitude journaling alone improves sleep quality and lowers illness likelihood. Combined with reflection, it becomes even more powerful.

The Real Secret: Consistency, Not Perfection

Here's what separates successful journalers from people who give up after three days: they stopped waiting for perfect conditions.

They didn't wait until they had "something interesting" to write about. They didn't wait until they were in a special mood. They didn't wait until they had 30 uninterrupted minutes.

They just wrote something, using whatever method worked that day.

Some days you'll use bullet points. Some days you'll use the conversation method. Some days you'll do a 20-minute brain dump. The method matters less than the consistency.

Getting Started Today

1. Choose your method from the five above (start with whichever sounds least intimidating)
2. Set a time (morning with coffee? lunch break? before bed?)
3. Use a platform that makes it easy to stay consistent (DearDiario's distraction-free writing environment + Happiness Tracker helps you track patterns)
4. Give yourself grace for the first two weeks—this is when habits feel hardest

You don't need to be a writer. You don't need inspiration. You don't need perfect words. You just need to show up and write one sentence, one bullet point, or one brain dump.

Try DearDiario's free tier today—you get 30 days to explore all these methods and find what resonates with you. Then, when you're ready, unlock unlimited entries with our Premium plan so you can keep this practice forever.

The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is today.