5 Journalling Techniques To Help You Conquer The Blank Page

Did you dive excitedly into planning for the New Year only to end up staring lost at the blank page?

That empty page could represented so much possibility but instead it’s taunting you.

The same goals from last year that you never did accomplish are running through your head. You’re staring at the brightly coloured pages of your new 2016 planner knowing you should feel inspired. But all you can think of are all the things other people expect you to be writing down for next year.

All of the prompts and quotes meant to inspire you are instead showing you a dozen different ways to hit up against the same mental brick wall.

You can have all the prompts in the world but if you can’t think past the same ten “should” goals you’re not going to create the shining year you want for yourself.

You don’t have to set any goals you don’t want to.

You don’t have to set a goal because you feel you ‘should’.

You don’t have to transfer any unfinished goal from this year to the next.

And you don’t have to abandon this whole idea of creating your dream life because you can’t come up with anything better than you have right now.

Here are five journalling techniques to help you conquer those blank pages and see all the possibilities that you were promised.

1. Free Writing

Free writing allows you to explore your thoughts and feelings around a prompt that’s left you stumped or the goals that don’t fit right.

Prompts not prompting you for 2016 planning? Try some free writing to get you unstuck.
Click To Tweet

Write the prompt you’re stuck on at the top of the page. Then write out your exact thought process as you try and answer the prompt.

Write down what you’re thinking. Write down how you’re feeling about it. Really dig in and describe why you don’t want the goals you keep coming back to and why you want more. Keep asking yourself why any time you get stuck and give yourself permission to write nonsense.

Aim to write at least three pages of about A5 or standard notebook size. This is a variation on Morning Pages where I find the magic usually happens somewhere on page 3.

2. Timed Writing

Timed writing will keep your inner critic distracted just enough for you to sneak your weird and wonderful ideas past them and onto the page. It will also force you to fish deep to find where your crazy dreams lie and quickly pull them flapping and gasping out into the air.

Distract your inner critic with timed writing and sneak those wild dreams into your 2016 plans.
Click To Tweet

Set a timer for ten minutes and write as much as possible before the timer goes off. Aim to keep your pen moving across the page the whole time. If ten minutes sounds too long then start with five minutes. You can keep going when the timer goes off and if you feel yourself swept up in a wave of inspiration then I recommend you ride that inspiration into shore!

Timed writing can be used with many journalling techniques including free writing, lists, and mind maps.

3. Long List

The long list is a brain dump of any and all ideas that can then be refined later into a short list of the best ideas. Creating a long list takes away the pressure of getting the right ideas down and instead focuses on getting as many ideas down as possible.

Start by numbering a piece of paper from one to… how ambitious are you feeling? Start with 1 – 30 if you’re unsure. Or if you’re feeling brave write all the numbers from 1 to 100. Begin writing down one idea after the other trying to fill up as many numbered lines as possible and always looking ahead to the next number.

How ambitious are you feeling for 2016? Can you dream up 100 things to do?
Click To Tweet

You might not fill up all the numbers in the first sitting. When you run out take a break and come back to it by reading from the top and let the momentum you’ve already created propel you forward.

4. Mind Map

Mind maps are recognisable by the tell-tale circle in the middle for the main topic or idea and the lines that burst out like sunbeams to support more ideas about the central topic. Unlike other brainstorming methods the mind map allows you to group and expand on ideas.

Draw a circle in the middle of your blank page and write the prompt you’re stuck on inside. Now start writing down all the ideas that come to mind as other bubbles branching off this middle circle.

Get the most out of your planning session by using a mind maps to get more ideas in less time.
Click To Tweet

When you get stuck take a look at the ideas you already have and expand on one. Then when you run out of free flowing ideas on that sub-idea jump back to the main idea or another sub-idea. Keep jumping from one idea to another whenever you get stuck and you’ll find yourself coming up with a lot more because you’re considering all these ideas in context of one another.

5. Dear Future Self

Dear Future Self is a long form letter that you write to the you you’re going to be one year from now. Or you can flip the perspective and write a letter from the you you’ll be a year from now to your current self.

You can write about a specific prompt and that area of your life or write about any aspects of your life that come to mind.

Can you see yourself living your dream life one year from now? Really see, feel & taste it?
Click To Tweet

Imagine that you are living the life you dream of having, or feeling the way you dream of feeling every day. Write a letter of love and encouragement and pride to the you you’re going to become.

Imagine yourself on this same day next year looking back at your year and all you’ve accomplished. You’re feeling every day the way you dream of feeling. Now write to yourself now from that place of wisdom and growth.
When you feel that empty space in your mind after reading a prompt or become deafened by the cacophony of jumbled and contradictory responses I want you to try opening up to the possibility of new ideas more than trying to fight your way through.

Imagine opening a window and the fresh air coming in on the breeze bringing with it ideas that excite you and resonate with you.

Imagine opening a door and stepping through it to see a wide open vista with your dream life laid out before you.

If you’re stuck on the blank page comment below with what you’re thinking when you get stuck. I’d love to help!

P.S. The Shining Year Life & Biz Workbooks from Leonie Dawson have many of these techniques in them including a list of 100 things to do in 2016, blank pages for mind mapping, lined pages for free writing, and all the prompts you need.