Journaling 101 Guide

JOURNALING
101 GUIDE
A coach’s best kept secrets from
over a decade of mindful writing
WAVES OF
THOUGHTS
Hi, I'm Irene! Mindful
growth coach + Waves
of Thoughts Founder
WELCOME
Journaling is so much more than just putting pen to paper -
it’s a safe space to explore your thoughts, yourself, and your
life. And if you’ve been following me for a while, you know how
much I LOVE journaling! I mean, I have personally been doing it
for 15+ years, from the very day I learned how to write…
Whenever I talk about how much journaling has positively

impacted my life, I am always met with waves of questions -
how do you journal? how to start? what do you even write?!
So I’ve decided to create this guide, exposing some of my best

kept secrets, as well as tools for making journaling a valuable
practice for you, whether you’re a beginner or already more
advanced on your journey. Let’s get into it!
With all the happiness,

Irene
CONTENTS
01 The basics
02 The rules
03 Getting started
04 30 day challenge
05 Journal prompts
THE BASICS
WHAT IS A JOURNAL?
I like to refer to a journal as a record of feelings, thoughts,
ideas, and everything else in between.
That is the beauty of journaling: a simple blank notebook can

turn into anything you want (and need) it to be.
WHY JOURNALING?
Research suggests a wide range of physical, cognitive, and
emotional benefits of journaling such as:
Releasing the intensity of challenging emotions;
Connecting with yourself on a deeper level;
Organising thoughts and clarifying ideas;
Tracking progress and celebrating wins;
Increasing productivity and creativity;
Documenting and reliving memories;
Exploring different perspectives;
And so much more!
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF JOURNALING?
Gone are the days when journaling was just about
writing your 'Dear Diary' entries. With that said, below
you can see some of the different types of journaling:
Stream of consciousness
Freely write down everything that comes to your mind -
this can even include writing 'I don't know what to write'
until thoughts start pouring. E.g: brain dumping.
Prompted journaling
This involves answering questions to explore certain
topics, because let’s be real - starting a blank page
can be intimidating. E.g: 'what makes me happy?’.
Category writing
TYPES OF The method of organizing your journal into themed
JOURNALING entries. E.g.: daily gratitudes, reading log, fitness
tracker, dream journal, venting pages, shadow work.
Planner tracker
This is less about writing down thoughts, and more
about planning and tracking day-to-day activities.
Examples: meal planning or creating to-do lists.
Creative journaling
A mix of words, doodles, collages, stickers, and so on...
All in one place, to document memories or let your inner
artist loose. Example: scrapbooking a recent trip.
THE RULES
There are no rules for this practice - except to be honest with
yourself. With that said, I won’t tell you that the way to start
journaling is to just do it lol. So, here are some guidelines:
1. DEFINE YOUR ‘WHY’

Before jumping into it, reflect on your reason for wanting to
journal in the first place. Maybe you want to document
memories or maybe you’re looking for a tool to process your
emotions. Either way, understanding your true motivation will
help you tailor your practice and choose the correct materials
for it, in order to meet your goals.
2. MAKE A COMMITMENT
Decide how often you want to do this practice, how much you
want to write per entry, and/or how long you want to journal
for. My recommendation is to start small and build on it as you
become more consistent (or wouldn’t I be a mindful growth
coach)! For example, try doing it once a week or writing 1
sentence per day. Adding something extra to an already busy
schedule can feel challenging, I know, but a few minutes per
entry is all you really need to experience the benefits.
3. CREATE A RITUAL
Dedicate a specific time to journal (e.g. before sleep, while
having your morning coffee) and make it as enjoyable as
possible (e.g. sit somewhere quiet, remove distractions, do a
grounding exercise before starting, light up a candle, listen to
soothing music). Oh, and keep your journal in sight and easily
reachable (e.g. if you decide to journal before sleep, place it
on your bedside table). Find what works best for you :)
4. INVITATION TO GROW
If you find yourself procrastinating this practice even after
having all the materials, prompts, and time… Then this is your
invitation to look inwards: what are you trying to avoid? is it
the fear of messing your journal up? or the fear of having to
face unwanted thoughts? Let go of any expectations of what
your journal should look like - your entries to not have to look
super clean or aesthetic or even make sense at all. Your
journal is your private space for exploring and expressing
yourself. So let words and ideas flow freely - basically, do
whatever feels right and create for your eyes only. It’s okay if
your ink bleeds, if you make a typo, if the page is not
‘perfectly’ structured. Depending on the type of journaling you
choose to do, it can require a level of willingness to be
vulnerable and have hard conversations with yourself. Some
deeper parts of yourself might come to the surface too, so
always be compassionate with yourself during this process.
MY RULES
Use this space to decide on your personal journaling rules:
'Writing, then, is a kind of
seeing. A way to see your
insecurities more clearly. A
way to shine a light on doubts
and dreams and realise what
they are actually about. '
- Matt Haig
GETTING STARTED
WHAT MATERIALS DO I NEED?

To get started with journaling, all you really need is pen and
paper. You can also use the notes app on your phone or a
notion template for quick on-the-go thoughts. However, as a
rule, I recommend that you journal the old fashioned way - in a
dedicated notebook to save all of your reflections in one spot.
NOTEBOOK RECS: PEN RECS:

Whether lined, dotted, Again, this is up to your
blank, big, or small - this is preferences. My only
totally up to you and the advice is that you pick a
type of journaling you will pen that does not bleed
do. I personally prefer A5 (aka when the ink gets
dotted and hardcover over to the other side of
notebooks such as: the page). My fave:
Leuchtturm1917
Muji 0.5mm
Flying Tiger
HOW TO SET UP A NEW NOTEBOOK?
Instead of jumping straight into
writing, I like to bring some
intentionality to the first pages of
my journals. These are some of the
elements I include: welcome page,
photos of me, vision board collage,
ins and outs list, letter to future
me. Click here to see what this
looks like.
HOW TO SET UP A NEW PAGE?

This might look different depending on the type of journaling
you do but, again, there are some elements I recommend you
include:
the date where you are
day of the week what time it is

30 DAY CHALLENGE
Just like for any habit, consistency is key! So I challenge you
to practice every day for the next 30 days. Even if you only
write for 1 minute or 1 sentence per day... To make this easier,
in the next few pages, you will find some prompts examples.
01 02 03 04 05
06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
JOURNAL PROMPTS
MORNING REFLECTIONS
1. How do I feel this morning?

2. How do I want to feel at the
end of the day?
3. What can I do that will move
me towards those feelings?
4. What tasks do I want to
accomplish today?
5. How can I make time for
taking care of myself today?
6. How can I show up as my
best self today?
7. What is my positive
affirmation for the day?
JOURNAL PROMPTS
EVENING CHECK IN
1. How do I feel?
2. Did I follow the promises I
made myself today?
3. Is there something weighting
on my mind?
4. What were the highlights of
today?
5. What brought me joy today?
6. What am I grateful for?
7. Who am I grateful for?
8. What did I learn today?
9. How can I make tomorrow a
better day?
JOURNAL PROMPTS
REGROUP + REFOCUS
1. What are my top priorities

right now?
2. What is working well at the
moment?
3. Where is my life out of
balance?
4. What are my recurrent
thoughts and feelings?
5. How would I feel if I stayed
exactly where I am right
now?
6. What are my short-term vs
long-term goals?
7. What small steps can I take
each day to make these
goals a reality?
Congratulations for making it to the end
of this guide. I hope you’re feeling inspired
to dive into your journaling practice now ☺
DEEPEN YOUR JOURNALING PRACTICE WITH

THE HAPPINESS DIARIES JOURNAL
GET IT AT WAVESOFTHOUGHTS.COM
GRAB YOURS HERE
The Happiness Diaries Journal is your personal coach in a
journal format. It is your 5-phase roadmap for befriending your
mind and growing mindfully in less than 12 weeks. It is the tool
you’ve been looking for!
This journal includes only the best exercises, prompts, and

tools (based on a unique blend of Positive Psychology,
Neuroscience, NLP, and Mindfulness), which have personally
helped me as well as 100s of my coaching clients get unstuck
and take action to create happier lives. Think mindset rewiring,
intentional planning, goal achievement, whole self integration,
self-discovery, embodying your happiest self, prioritising
yourself, and a lot more!
STAY CONNECTED:
@irene.martinho
@wavesofthoughts.co
wavesofthoughts.com
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
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www.wavesofthoughts.com.
You may not distribute, copy, or

recreate this workbook in any way.
You may print this document

for personal use only.
WAVES OF
THOUGHTS

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JOURNALING

Whenever I talk about how much journaling has positively

So I’ve decided to create this guide, exposing some of my best

With all the happiness,

That is the beauty of journaling: a simple blank notebook can

1. DEFINE YOUR ‘WHY’

WHAT MATERIALS DO I NEED?

NOTEBOOK RECS: PEN RECS:

HOW TO SET UP A NEW PAGE?

the date where you are

day of the week what time it is

1. How do I feel this morning?

1. What are my top priorities

DEEPEN YOUR JOURNALING PRACTICE WITH

This journal includes only the best exercises, prompts, and

All copyright belongs to

You may not distribute, copy, or

You may print this document

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