Many of us love the thought of running. But running every single day often seems like an impossible thing to do. However, starting a daily running might be more achievable than you think. 12 months ago I ran exactly 0 miles a week. But now, I'm running 20 miles a week.
Have you ever tried to start a journaling habit, only to quit a few days later?Personally, my problem was always starting and stopping.I'd get excited about writing a daily journal, and for the first week, everything would go smoothly. Then, I'd get busy one day and decide that "missing one day won't hurt."
When you keep a journal, you can look back on important life events to read about how you felt at the time. You may also be able to learn from these past experiences.
Writing about traumatic events results in physical and psychological health benefits. Journaling focuses on understanding traumatic events and makes people see these events with an extra level of clarity.
One of my New Year's resolutions for 2014 was to write daily. I'm happy to report that I only missed a total of three days in 2014. I'm currently on a 250-day writing streak, and it's become kind of addictive [edit: at 812 now, a year and a half later].
To build a habit of daily writing, try to get three pages of writing done every day. It can be about anything and it’s important that you write all without editing or censoring.
Come up with trackable goals like a number of words or pages per day. The specificity is important because being able to measure it allows you to keep track of your progress and better change your behavior.
Keeping track of streaks is a very powerful tactic for developing any new habit. Knowing that you have consistently succeeded for a number of days helps you push through the days who are unmotivated.
Other ways to foster regularity: writing in a different style or genre, and doing your writing first thing in the morning.