Writing a diary

Most people who start a diary quit because they don't know what to write. The blank page feels like a demand for something profound. It's not. Here are some approaches that help:

Just write what happened

Start with the basics: what did you do today? It sounds boring, but the act of writing about your day often leads somewhere unexpected. You start with "went to work" and end up somewhere about career anxiety or a conversation that bothered you more than you realized.

Write how you're feeling right now

Skip the events. Go straight to emotions. What's on your mind? What's nagging at you? You don't need to explain why – just describe the feeling. That's often where the good writing lives.

Think through a decision

Got something you're trying to figure out? Write about it. List the options. Argue with yourself. Diaries are a good place to think on paper when your head feels too crowded.

Capture something you want to remember

A conversation. A moment. Something someone said. Memory fades faster than you think. Writing it down is how you keep it.

React to something you read or saw

A quote, a movie, an article – write about why it stuck with you. What it made you think about. This is a good approach when your own life feels too boring to write about.

The secret is that there's no wrong thing to write. Just showing up and putting words down is the whole point.