Fresh off the back of some stellar New Year’s resolutions (some of which may or may not have already been broken), many writers have expressed the desire to begin journaling. And while it may seem like a simple and straightforward activity, starting a journal can come with its own set of queries and conundrums. After all, we writers are nothing if not overthinkers.

In an attempt to make the whole process just a little less intimidating, I’ve compiled a brief rundown of what to expect and how to get started. A journaling starter kit, if you will. Here’s to forming a fun and cathartic new habit this year!

What is journaling?
First off, a word about what journaling is . . . and is not. A journal is simply a safe space for you to write down anything and everything that comes to mind: story ideas, emotional confessions, lists, that weird dream you had last night—truly, anything you feel like writing!

And as for what it is not? A journal is not a place to censor or judge yourself, to feel constrained by what you should be feeling or thinking or writing. It’s meant to be a place of mental freedom—which is probably why people who journal tend to rave about it so much!

Choosing your journal
Remember when you started the beginning of a new school year and got to go shopping to pick out brand new notebooks that completely and totally displayed your personality? Well, picking out your journal is the part where you get to feel like a kid again. Whether you want something loud and colorful or dark and mysterious, a fancy leather-bound tome or a cheap spiral-bound notebook—just be sure to think about the technical aspects of the journal in addition to the cosmetic ones.

For example, if your handwriting is naturally large, you’ll want to steer toward notebooks with wider lines and margins. Or if you’re a lefty like me, you might want to consider notebooks with a more forgiving spine or even get one of those lefty notebooks with the spine on the opposite side. While it’s nice to have a journal that you enjoy looking at, it’s even more important to have one that you’re physically comfortable writing in.

How to begin
Ah, the eternal question: How in the world do you begin putting pen to paper? Freewriting is a great option for those who like to let their mind wander in whatever wacky direction it may go. That involves simply writing without stopping and without preemptively thinking about a particular topic. The only rule? Don’t stop writing! It’s a fun way to just force your hand to get moving, which often results in random thoughts beginning to form into a surprisingly comprehensible sequence—well, sometimes.

If even that seems like too much, and when the blankness of the pages seems too overwhelming, don’t worry—you still have plenty of options. Some people like grabbing a random prompt from the internet. Others like to jot down a song lyric and contemplate what it makes them think of or how it makes them feel. You can even write down a list (“Today I’m grateful for . . .” for example). If using a list, however, try to keep it small and really focus on the why behind each item—the deeper you delve into a topic, the more insight you’re likely to glean from it.

Start small
It can be easy to get overwhelmed when attempting to carve out a specific time for journaling. The good news is that you don’t have to dedicate an hour or more of your day to reap the calming and creative benefits of journaling. Oftentimes, starting out with just ten minutes—or five pages or however you want to clock it—of journaling a day can still help you feel a sense of accomplishment while providing an emotional outlet.

And if you’re really pressed for time, to the point where even that sounds unlikely to happen, keep in mind that multitasking is perfectly fine. Try journaling while you drink your morning coffee, while you’re waiting at the doctor’s office or in the school pickup line, while you’re walking on the treadmill, etc. If you make journaling a priority, you might be surprised at how you can fit it into your busy lifestyle.

Don’t write for an audience
A lot of people start journaling because they have this romanticized idea of their kids or grandkids or great-grandkids stumbling across their journal one day and having a nostalgic moment in which they get a glimpse of what life used to be like.

Forget all that. In my opinion, journaling can only really ever be creatively, emotionally useful if you write for yourself and only for yourself. That’s not to say that you can’t use any of the ideas or writings inside it for other more public-facing projects. That’s one of the bonuses of starting a journal!

All I’m saying is that the advantages of journaling really come to fruition when you write to yourself and for yourself. Getting rid of any self-censorship or filter that necessarily comes when we think of others reading what we write just might result in the moment when you truly feel free.

Andrea Moran lives outside of Nashville with her husband and two kids. She’s a professional copywriter and editor who loves all things books. Find her on LinkedIn.