https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/jumpstart-your-journaling-a-31-day-challenge/

The prompts below are now available in a paperback journal, for completely offline reference and writing.

There’s been plenty of talk on AoM recently about journaling with our articles on The Diary Habit as well as 9 habits young men should adopt. Seeing a few of the comments confirmed a notion I already had about the practice of journaling: many men would like to, but few men do to the extent that they would like. And the main reason why? A simple lack of direction. When presented with a totally blank slate — that open journal, with pen in hand, and nothing but white pages — we freeze up. It’s been said that constraint actually gives way to greater creativity. When we have clear boundaries, or direction, we no longer have to think about the act itself. We don’t have to think about what to journal, we simply have to journal based on a prompt.

With that in mind, I’d like to present a 31-day roadmap and challenge for your journaling. Doing something for around 30 days is a great way to not only build a habit, but to also explore if it’s right for you. Maybe journaling isn’t for you, and you just have never taken the time to really prove that to yourself. Or maybe you love the practice, and simply haven’t gotten into the habit yet. Either way, I hope this calendar presents you with ample opportunity to take the journaling bull by the horns and experience all its benefits.

All of these can be accomplished in just 20-30 minutes per day, and often less. If you can’t make time for that, perhaps journaling isn’t as important to you as you really thought, and you’ve discovered right there that it’s not for you.

In this roadmap are many questions. In your journal — whether digital or by hand — you can simply write out the question at the top of the page, and answer as if having a conversation. Don’t worry about formality, how it may sound out loud, grammar, etc. Just write your thoughts. It may seem mundane, but there is a magical quality in writing something down that cannot be fully explained. You just have to trust me and try it out.

Note: I am of the opinion that this exercise should be 31 continuous days. However, you can also decide to do it over the course of a couple months, or just on weekdays; remember, this is for you, so if don’t enjoy what you’re doing and are just stressed out by the thought of it, it won’t work. Also, if you’re looking for a different journaling practice, check out our Ben Franklin Virtues Journal.

Day 1: Why do you want to journal? What would you like to get out of it?

Day 2: Manliness has been defined in different ways in different times. What does manliness mean to you?

Day 3: Decide on one positive habit you’d like to implement in your life. Whether seemingly mundane (flossing) or perhaps life-altering (exercising), write out the steps you’ll take to get there.

Day 4: Via negativa; today, pick a habit that you’d like to eliminate from your life. Think about the steps you’ll take to get rid of that negative habit, as well as how to keep yourself accountable.

Day 5: Write a letter to a loved one. Maybe it’s a wife, a parent, an estranged friend, or a grandparent you never really got to say goodbye to.

Day 6: Write a 6-word memoir of your life so far; that is, describe your life in one six-word sentence. With this limitation, you really have to filter your life to what you deem most important.

Day 7: You’ve made it one week! Reflect on what this newfound practice of journaling has been like. Have you enjoyed it? Has it been difficult? Has it been what you expected?

Day 8: Take some time to reflect on your career. Jot down a timeline of it. What was your best experience? The worst? What would you like your future to look like in regards to work?

Day 9: Simply write about your day. What time you woke up, what your commute was like, what you did at work, how you spent your evening. (If you’re journaling in the mornings, write about the previous day.)

Day 10: Identify where you are in the hero’s journey. You can take it in the context of your entire life, or within the context of a certain phase of life.

Day 11: From ancient times, men developed their manhood within a group of other men. Do you have a gang of friends who push and support you? If not, how could you make some good friends?