What To Write in Your First Journal Entry

Starting your first journal entry can feel a little awkward—especially when you’re staring at a blank page and wondering what on earth to write. You’re not alone in that feeling, and you’re definitely not doing it wrong.

I’ve been journaling for years. Through trial and error (and many scribbled-out pages), I’ve found what really helps when you’re just beginning. These days, I share journaling ideas and practices to help you find clarity, reflect more deeply, and make journaling feel like a part of your everyday life.

So, if you’re ready to start your first journal entry—and want to actually enjoy the process—grab a cup of tea and let’s walk through it together.

Your First Journal Entry: Where To Start

The easiest place to start your journaling practice is with an introductory entry. Staring at that blank page can feel daunting, but let’s keep it simple. Here are my three steps for those first few pages.

Step 1: Make Your Introduction And Set Intentions

You can do this in one of two ways. You could write your first journal entry as an in-the-moment piece and speak about your intentions for the process, or you can write it as a letter to your future self. The purpose of this entry is to set the stage. What do you want from your new hobby, and where do you want it to take you?

For example, if you want to find more positivity in your week, then state that if you want your days to be more productive, state that, too. Write about why you want what you want. What change do you want to see in your mindset? How will this help you grow as a person?

By understanding what you want from your journaling habit, you can set goals and intentions around it and find a format or style that works for you. Here’s a guide to the types of journal entries you can create and how they work.

Much later on, when you refer back to this first entry, you’ll be able to see how things have changed for you in ways you may not have anticipated. You may find that, alongside feeling more positive, you’ve also fostered better relationships. You might find that being more productive has allowed you to take steps towards goals you previously found overwhelming.

Step 2: Set A Goal To Develop Your New Journaling Habit

As with any new habit you want to introduce into your life, you need to find a way to ensure it becomes a routine. You develop a habitual approach to daily or weekly writing by developing a routine.

There are several ways to do this, but one of the most effective is ‘habit stacking’, a technique created by BJ Fogg and popularised by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. For example, some prefer writing their journal entries in the morning with their first coffee.

The idea is that your new habit (journaling) becomes easier to establish because you consistently attach it to something you already do and find rewarding (in this case, a morning coffee). The ritualisation of journaling alongside your morning coffee becomes a practice you don’t want to miss out on, and the idea is that this keeps you returning to your journal because it feels rewarding.

Think about how this could work for you and write about it in your first entry. And remember, this isn’t about adding pressure to your day; if you miss an entry, that’s fine. Instead, it’s about creating an intention that helps you develop a routine that will benefit you in the long term.

Step 3: Create A Tracker To Help You Keep Going

Create a tracker on one of your early journal pages to help you track your daily or weekly progress towards your goal(s). Again, this isn’t about adding pressure to your day. Instead, your trackers are designed to help show you how things are going and what you might need to change or take more action on. The act of filling in your tracker is motivating in itself because it becomes a ritualised habit.

How Long Should Your First Entry Be?

It’s a natural question at this point. How long should you make your first entry?

Honestly, there is no right or wrong answer here. You could write a single page or several. From my experience, the details you go into with your first entry may signal the types of entries you might expect in the future. For example, if you prefer to write long entries with lots of detail, a journaling style that echoes this will work best for you in the future. Likewise, bullet journaling may be better for you if you like to be succinct.

Or will your first entry be an exception to the rule you want to create for yourself?

Personally, I don’t like to overthink this too much because once you get deeper into journaling, you’ll find a format and length that suits you. But it can inform the initial style of journaling you might like to try.

Should You Start Your First Entry With A Journal Prompt?

If you follow my three steps, then this acts as a journaling prompt, so there is no need to search for a common prompt to start with. However, you can write out the underlying theme as a prompt if you wish. That would look something like this:

“What do I want from my journaling practice?”

Journal prompts can be helpful for those days you feel stuck or if you have specific topics you want to write about. For these entries, you can prepare a few prompts ahead of time. To help get you started, I have created a list here.

Prompts can also be helpful for those deep-dive entries into feelings or behaviours because they give direction to your writing. But they aren’t always necessary; as you get writing, prompts might not feature in your daily ritual unless you address something specific or find this method more rewarding.

Keeping Your First Journal Entry Easy

The most important aspect you should consider for your first journal entry is that you keep it simple. Make it easy to write and allow yourself grace to make mistakes. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It can be messy and full of questions. The point is that it’s your start.

So remember:

• Step 1: Make your introduction and set intentions
• Step 2: Set a goal to develop your new journaling habit
• Step 3: Create a tracker to help motivate you
• Don’t worry about a set length
• And don’t worry about how it reads, as long as you have a clear route going forward.