Journaling - 30 Day Challenge

Journaling writing is a voyage to the interior.

Christina Baldwin

Maybe you know, maybe you don’t but I run several journaling challenges per year. They are free, open to everyone and are an opportunity for people to try reflection with a guide as their partner. As I was preparing the 2026 January Challenge the idea of this article showed up so that I can share it with future participants - to know what to expect.

So if you have arrived here and you are curious what to expect here are some notes.

Preparation:

Notebook and pens

While I support you to use any way of journaling you find easy (digital or analog), my invitation is to try pen and paper as a way of restart your brain and keep it free from the digital noise as a choice and with intent. If you already journal - do the challenge in your normal notebook, if you are just starting buy a diary that you like - color, paper and smell wise - this experience should be an immersive one.
Get some pens in different colors - I will invite you to draw, to color or choose to write some words with different colors.

Ritual
Might be the smell of coffee that gets you reflective or might be a good song - whatever works for you it will support you to create a habit. Habit is automatic and ritual is intentional ergo in order to create a habit link it to a ritual. My ritual for journaling is one that brings me joy - some soft music, a scented candle, the notebook and a beverage I like (coffee for mornings, flavored tea for evenings). Feel free to create your own ritual or link the journaling to something that you already do.

Set an intention
Setting an intention is an act of conscious choice. It’s less about what you want to achieve and more about how you want to be during this challenge. During the challenge I will invite you to think about your goals and connect your intention with them, in a way that this challenge will serve you and the future you!

Think of goals as lighthouses: guides, not destinations. They illuminate safe passage, helping us avoid the cliffs they stand upon. When we stop mistaking them for the shore, our expectations loosen. The wider landscape comes back into view.

If goals are lighthouses, intentions are the compass you carry. A compass does not promise arrival, nor does it prescribe a route. It quietly orients you, moment by moment, toward a chosen direction. Even when the terrain shifts or visibility drops, it helps you adjust without losing your bearing. Intentions are not about outcomes or discipline; they are about alignment—how you choose to move through each step, regardless of where you ultimately land. Feel free to create your own ritual or link the journaling to something that you already do.

During the challenge

Ritual and habit
This is your time and space - so create your own ritual in how you will journal in this journey. Emails are scheduled to come your way every morning around 6.30 AM (my CET +1 time zone). So depending on your location you might choose to have the journaling at a certain time in the day. My invitation is to try as much as possible to do it every day at the same time - after 20 days your brain will understand that you are writing a new neuronal pathway regarding a habit, this one linked with a ritual that brings you joy - it will create a feeling of joy and wellbeing.

Writing
When it comes to writing there is no good or bad way of doing it, too much or too little! When the critical voice will come up (and trust me it will - just hear it and come back to the present and your intention for this journey - the one that you set up when you joined). Sometimes you will write for 5 minutes, other days for up to one hour, one page, or just some sentences. Feel free to do it any way you want. Don’t judge yourself or put pressure on the process or tell yourself that it has to be in a certain way. It will be the way it is to serve you! Important is to observe what happens and to show up for yourself. The rest will come into place.

Practice
Try to get each day as it comes. Sometimes you might not feel like writing, yet take time to reflect on the prompt and see what emerges in you and if the feeling of writing might show up later - write there, or record a vocal message and keep the reflective practice. Or take a picture of something that inspires you based on the prompt. Don’t let the day pass without reflecting in any form.

Judgment
Be gentle with yourself, this is a journey of love and discovery, not a race. Also, is about taking small steps not giant leaps - you will find your way. Some days might be more joyful with more writing, some will take everything from you and your energy will be just for existence. Don’t judge yourself - see the bigger picture - and take one day at a time. If you skip a practice does not mean you failed the process, meet the next day with curiosity.

During the whole process I am happy to hear from you at any point - so reached out.

Photo: Cathryn Lavery