English Journal For Learning

TOP BENEFITS OF HAVING AN ENGLISH JOURNAL FOR LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Writing what you have learned is an excellent way to monitor your progress in learning the English language. Check the top benefits of having an English journal in this post.

Writing is a great way to practice your English language skills, reflect on your learning progress, and inspire you to learn more. Numerous studies show that having an English journal also helps in enhancing one’s creativity, critical thinking, and decision-making ability.

Read on to find out how this method can change your life.

What is a journal?

benefits of having an English journal

A journal is simply where you put anything you want into the paper. It can be anything about your personal experiences, to-do-lists, and even your deep secrets. A journal can be a personal space, too. No one will dictate what you need to write or not. You can write anything you wish to document in your journal.

There are different types of journals that you can create as part of your language learning.

Daily Journal to record your to-do-lists, Expressive Journal where you can write your feelings and emotions,
Dream Journal so you can document all your vivid dreams, Travel Journal wherein you can write your adventures, stories, memories, and discoveries in your travel and Hobby Journal where you  can write about your hobbies likes making a review of the movie you watched.

Now, what’s in it for you to write and keep an English Journal?

Well, some of you may wonder, especially those who don’t keep a journal themselves, does writing a journal have importance? The answer is yes! There are many important reasons for writing an English journal. Here are some of the importance based on experience:

Practice your vocabulary.

When you write, you think of different words to clearly express your feelings and your thoughts. It’s either searching for the meaning of the word that popped into your mind, or sometimes, trying to remember some words you previously heard and make use of those whichever you find it fit. This way, you practice your vocabulary and understand the meaning of each word.

Record memories you might forget later on.

When you save files on your computer, it is best recommended to have a backup. In case something happens to your computer, you still have your important files. This also applies to the journal. We know that every single day, we experience different ups and downs in life. One thing that could comfort us is writing. By writing what happened on your journal, you are backing up your memory so in the future you can look back and reminisce things from experiences. Time will come that you might already forget things from the past, but our journal still remembers.

Improve your problem-solving skills.

Here in the journal, you can tell everything. It is as if you are talking to someone, venting out your anger or failures, and trying to figure things out. Even the hardest of your life can be written. And as you continually express yourself, you get to understand the problems that you had. It helps you clear your mind from worries and think of solutions that can help.

Find your true self and grow.

Finding yourself has always been a reason why you look for personal space. You want to understand your feelings and emotions so you can know what are the things you still need to improve. Connecting to inner self helps you grow into a better person.

Reach your goal.

In writing a journal, you can also write our goals–your dreams list. Everyone has dreams of their own. Writing your goals and how you can achieve it helps you succeed in reaching it. Why? Because you get to visualize what things you need to do and where you are lacking. From there, you slowly fill in the gaps until you reach your goal.

Discover your inner self.

Not only can you learn from writing in the English language, but you can also learn more about yourself. Writing a journal is an effective way for you to know your deepest thoughts and feelings. You will also find out your strengths and weaknesses. It is also helpful if you are experiencing depression and anxiety. Through the journal, you can transform into a powerful version of yourself. Additionally, the journal will also help to alleviate stress when writing because there is no criticism. You can also use the journal to brainstorm and form your thoughts. Daily writing in your journal will make you feel more comfortable in writing English essays, stories, formal documents, and presentations.

How Do You Start Writing?

benefits of having an English journal

Decide if you will use a notebook or a digital application.

Most people write on notebooks, or on readily-available journals on the supermarket. However, with the inception of advanced technologies, you now have the option to have a digital English journal. If you want the more modern method of writing down your thoughts, there are some of the apps you can try such as Day One, Diarium, Journey, Penzu, Momento, Grid-Diary, Five Minute Journal, and Daylio.

Set a schedule and keep up with it.

The first step is to prepare a writing schedule. Set a routine you like that is also convenient in your free time. If it’s once a day or once every other day, stick to it as much as possible.

Clear your thoughts.

It’s important to know that every journal entry will benefit from specific moments of contemplation. Before writing, try to find a calm and quiet spot. Concentrate on your breath for a few minutes. When you clear your mind and calm your feelings, you’ll have higher chances of creating an excellent journal entry.

Write the date.

It’s essential to keep the date of any journal entry. In case you need to reminisce or review, you can easily find your way back and check your progress from day 1 to the present. If there’s a deadline, having dated entries will also motivate you to complete your goals.

But the most important?

Write naturally and make it a fun experience!

Don’t feel like you have to adopt some style or structure while writing. Unite the thinking process to see what kind of writing occurs. Try to write whatever comes to your mind. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, especially when you are a beginner. As days go by, and your knowledge expands, you can always go back, compare, and correct yourself. Furthermore, the journal is exclusively for your mind; always be honest. You have no desire to lie to yourself

Writing a journal is fun, and it shouldn’t be a chore in your book. It needs to be something that you are looking forward to doing, so follow the tips above to make it an enjoyable learning activity.

Reap the Benefits of Having an English Journal Today!

Writing is a flexible hobby because you can write whatever time of the day about exciting topics that will pop out of your mind. There are plenty of topics that you can choose from; plus, we can relate it to our experiences. Cool right? Writing is for everybody; each entry’s content becomes more palatable and juicy when you are having fun while creating your journal entry.

Also, with emphasis, the benefits of having an English journal trains you to become more acquainted with the language. Every day, you are somewhat obliged to write about something. In writing, you learn how to produce grammar-wise written outputs, correct spelling of words, and check your story’s overall concept. In other words, you learn how to organize your thoughts. Writing an English journal is also healthy for your mind because you exercise every nerve of your brain while keeping on thinking and letting the flow of information feed your system.

Is there something that you wanted to write now but you’re afraid to start? Throw away your worries. Start by writing in your native language, then try translating it. You will realize that you are learning English slowly but surely. Who knows, it could also be your gateway to earn a living? So, gather your things and start reaping the top benefits of having an English journal today!