12 Must-Have Types of Journals to Keep for Powerful Growth

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Last Updated on May 16, 2023

Looking for some fun ideas for types of journals to keep? These journals are just the thing for bettering yourself in just about any way you could imagine!

Journals, journals, journals! There are so many useful types of journals to keep that will help you grow in just about every aspect. From goal setting, to mental health, to quick “one line a day” journaling, there’s something out there for everyone. 

Featured in this post you’ll find:

• Gratitude journals
• Bullet journals
• Travel journals
• Mental health journals
• Dream journals
• Book journals
• Habit tracker journals
• Food journals
• One line a day journals
• Goal setting journals
• Mindfulness journals
• Self discovery journals

No matter your goals, these types of journals to keep will benefit your life in a meaningful way. I know that ever since I made journaling a regular part of my routine, I’ve gained so much insight about myself. And after all, learning more about YOU is what all these different types of journals to keep are for!

So browse through these must-have types of journals to keep, find ones that match your goals, and let’s get improving!

This post is all about types of journals to keep.

Picking the Right Type of Journal

When choosing between types of journals to keep, I suggest starting with your self discovery. What aspects of yourself would you like to dive deeper into and discover? With so many moving parts and different areas to self-discovery, you might wonder where to start! It helps to be aware of your options, which is why this list of types of journals to keep will help you determine that.

For example, want to understand your mental health better? Want to get better at goal setting? To get more in touch with mindfulness? There’s a journal for that! Using guided journals to hone in on certain aspects of yourself will do tremendous progress for your self growth. Through the help of the right journal, you’ll think deeper in ways you haven’t entertained before.

So pick the right type of journal for your needs and you’ll absolutely learn more about yourself than you even thought possible!

Benefits of Journaling

Aside from discovering yourself, journaling has fantastic benefits for your mental health, happiness, and overall wellbeing. It’s a time to connect with yourself and adress different areas of your life!

Journaling has helped me to:

• Become more self aware
• Understand more about the way I think and my overall personality
• Help me cope with mental health struggles
• Focus on the good and feel grateful for what I have
• Lowered my stress and anxiety
• Set and track my goals
• Get creative!

Level up your self discovery

Grab the (free!) monthly reset checklist below and stay on top of your personal development! This checklist is the perfect way to hit the “reset” button on your month by refreshing both your mental health and your environment!

Here are 12 must-have types of journals to keep!

Gratitude journal

Gratitude journals are the perfect way to take a step back, think carefully about what you’re thankful for, and appreciate the positives in life. They’re nice because they don’t require a lot of time and maintenance. Even just writing down 3 things you’re grateful for each morning with a sentence explaining why is powerful! 

Try one of these gratitude journals to lift your spirits!

{RELATED POST: 40 Helpful and Refreshing Gratitude Journal Prompts}

Bullet journal

Bullet journaling is a super creative, expressive way to journal about any and everything under the sun! I love that these are such open-ended and creative types of journals to keep. They are fully customizable because you’re designing the pages yourself, so it’s unique to you! They can be used for setting goals, tracking different lists, and planning!

Get yourself one of these blank bullet journals, search up cute bullet journal layouts on Pinterest for different page ideas, and have at it!

Travel journal

If you ever travel, whether it’s a day trip or an international vacation, recording your experiences while they’re still fresh in your mind is a great way to look back on your fun travels! I always make sure to jot down my travel memories on the plane ride back home, and it’s always worth it! This is among my favorite of types of journals to keep!

Make sure to grab one of these travel journals for your next trip, big or small!

Mental health journal

Journaling to track your mood, emotions, or any mental health struggles is a great way to check in on your progress. It also gets your thoughts out of your head and onto paper to prevent you from bottling up your emotions and creating a larger problem later on.

I know for myself, mental health journaling is an absolute MUST for regulating my emotions and making sense of my troubling thoughts. 

I created a printable mental health journal for this exact purpose, so you can reap the benefits yourself! This comprehensive 30+ page journal walks you step-by-step through understanding your emotions, overcoming unhelpful behaviors, and reframing negative thoughts.

Grab the printable mental health journal below and make your mental health a priority! It’s one of the most crucial types of journals to keep.

{RELATED POST: 30 Day Mental Cleanse Challenge for Boosting Your Wellness}

Dream journal

Our dreams can give us more of a clue to our subconscious thoughts than we realize. Only problem is, we often forget about the important details of our dreams soon after waking. It’s said that we forget about 50% of our dreams within 5 minutes of waking up!

Using a dream journal each morning will help you become more aware of your dreams, and from there, you might notice patterns that tell you something important. If you notice a pattern of being trapped during your dreams, this could indicate that you feel trapped in your daily life in some way.

Check out the dream journals below. Who knows? You might learn something you never realized about yourself just by tuning into your dreams!

Reading journal

Do you love to read? Keeping a reading journal to store lists for books you’d like to read, as well as reviewing books you’ve read, is perfect for you! I know I hate it when so much time has passed that I forgot the important details of some of my favorite books. No more of that when you have a reading journal! Bookworms everywhere know these are essential types of journals to keep.

Buy one of these nice reading journals to stay on top of all your reading adventures!

{RELATED POST: 5 Best-Ever Motivational Books for Women}

Habit tracker journal

Habit trackers are simply the bestttt for implementing new healthy habits. There’s always that little bit of satisfaction each time you tick off a habit that’s so motivating! Whether you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle, get your finances in check, or practice more mindfulness, using a habit tracker journal will keep you organized in getting there.

Food journal

When you think food journal, you might think of dieting and calorie counting. But this isn’t the only thing a food journal is good for! You can use a food journal to jot down recipe ideas, review new recipes you try, and comment on what did and didn’t taste good!

One line a day journal

Not sure you have the time to dedicate to a long journaling session? No problem! A “one line a day journal” is your solution to growing your habit of self discovery journaling without a big time commitment. Just one line a day can be powerful enough.

Goal setting journal

Goal setting is a fundamental part of achieving what matters to you. So what better way to grow your personal development than by using a goal setting journal? The great thing about goal setting journals is that they guide you step-by-step from start to finish so that you have a solid strategy for how to actually go forward with achieving the goal! This is easily one of the most useful types of journals to keep.

Printable Goal Planner

Tired of setting goals but never seeming to follow through? Unsure how to set goals that work in the first place? This Printable Goal Planner alleviates all of that by helping you set, plan, AND actually achieve the right goals for your life!

Includes 4 essential sections for figuring out what goals you even want to chase in the first place, to actually executing them:

Section One: Intentions And Brainstorming

Section Two: Setting Broad Goals And Habits

Section Three: Setting Specific Goals And Habits

Section Four: Reviewing Your Goals

{RELATED POST: These Printable Goal Setting Worksheets Will Help You KILL Your Goals}

Mindfulness journal

Practicing mindfulness can be super beneficial for mental health, or even just helping you stay grounded in the present moment. However, mindfulness can feel like an intimidating and vague concept if you’re new to it! This is where a mindfulness journal can help.

{RELATED POST: 11 Practical Tips for How to Live in the Present Moment}

Self Discovery journal

Finally, what about a journal for your overall, general self discovery? Your growth as a person can’t always be confined to any one area, as there are many areas to self discovery. Finding a journal for your overall self discovery is great if your goal is to simply focus on becoming your best self. If you wanna step outside your comfort zone, these are the best types of journals to keep!

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Don’t forget your free monthly reset checklist!

This post was all about types of journals to keep.

Feeling inspired now?! This list of the types of journals to keep is exactly what will help you work on yourself and unlock your full potential. With sooo many different types of journals to keep, there’s so much room to grow on your journey in getting where you want to be!

Give them a try–even if they feel out of your comfort zone at first! You never know what you might learn about yourself. For example, maybe you don’t think you’re a very creative person, but you might just fall in love with bullet journaling. You won’t know til ya try!

Let me know in the comments which of these types of journals to keep is your favorite!

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU’LL LOVE THESE TOO!

40 Helpful and Refreshing Gratitude Journal Prompts

30 Day Mental Cleanse Challenge for Boosting Your Wellness

5 Best-Ever Motivational Books for Women

These Printable Goal Setting Worksheets Will Help You KILL Your Goals

LIKE THESE TYPES OF JOURNALS TO KEEP? PIN THEM FOR LATER!