Kick/Start

A Beginner’s Guide to Keeping a Journal

Even if you don’t see yourself as a journaler, the habit comes with powerful benefits

Published in

Forge

4 min readJul 22, 2019

--

An illustration of a messy desk with an empty lined journal. — Illustration: Kyle Griggs

Writing down your thoughts is a simple act with powerful effects.

Over the years, a wealth of scientific research has extolled the benefits of “expressive writing.” It has been shown to…

Anna Goldfarb

Written by Anna Goldfarb

Writer for

Forge

Writes about relationships and pop psychology for The New York Times, Vice, and more. Author of “Clearly, I Didn’t Think This Through.” Lives in Philly.

More from Anna Goldfarb and Forge

Anna Goldfarb
in
Forge

The Best Way to Handle a Family Estrangement

Whether your goal is to reconcile, maintain permanent distance, or something in the middle

6 min readNov 2, 2018

--

Ross McCammon
in
Forge

The ‘2 Beers and a Puppy’ Test Is My Greatest Contribution to the World

If I’m remembered for anything, it’ll probably be a piece of advice that occasionally and randomly goes viral called “two beers and a…

2 min readSep 8, 2020

--

Niklas Göke
in
Forge

You’re Not Lazy, Bored, or Unmotivated

And the cure for what really ails you can be found in an advertising slogan you’ve heard before

9 min readAug 15, 2019

--

Anna Goldfarb
in
Forge

What I Wish I’d Known When I Made a Drastic Career Change

Eight people who took the plunge share the biggest challenges and surprises of starting over

5 min readMay 21, 2019

--

See all from Anna Goldfarb

See all from Forge

Recommended from Medium

Aleid ter Weel
in
Better Advice

10 Things To Do In The Evening Instead Of Watching Netflix

Device-free habits to increase your productivity and happiness.

5 min readFeb 15, 2022

--

Alex Mathers

14 things I wish I knew at 25 (now that I’m 38)

I’m writing soon after my 38th birthday. It’s a time to reflect.

4 min readDec 27, 2022

--

Lists

My Favorite Writing Advice & Inspo

16 stories50 saves

Stories To Help You Overcome Writer's Block

8 stories36 saves

Level Up Your Medium Game

12 stories26 saves

Stories to Help You Live Better

21 stories84 saves

Unbecoming

10 Seconds That Ended My 20 Year Marriage

It’s August in Northern Virginia, hot and humid. I still haven’t showered from my morning trail run. I’m wearing my stay-at-home mom…

4 min readFeb 16, 2022

--

four cartoonish images of a white woman in business wear. i like this image because it looks like 4 different social media profiles.

Zulie Rane
in
The Startup

If You Want to Be a Creator, Delete All (But Two) Social Media Platforms

In October 2022, during the whole Elon Musk debacle, I finally deleted Twitter from my phone. Around the same time, I also logged out of…

8 min readApr 19

--

Bryan Ye
in
Better Humans

How To Wake Up at 5 A.M. Every Day

An unconventional and compassionate guide to becoming an early bird

15 min readOct 3, 2019

--

May Pang
in
Better Humans

The Real Key to Influencing the Behavior of Other People

Why trust is not enough and why you need an emotional bank account.

9 min readMay 22

--

See more recommendations

Help
Status
Writers
Blog
Careers
Privacy
Terms
About
Text to speech