If I say the word journal, what’s the first thing that pops into your head? For me, since I always relate everything to movies, I immediately think of Harriet the Spy—sounds familiar? (total throwback I know) or The Ghostwriter that used to be on Nickelodeon, with the famous casebook where the kid detectives wrote down all the clues to solve the mystery.

If you’re already part of Sunday Funday, my free newsletter, you probably know how important it is to write down expressions, observations, and experiences in a journal.
But first things first—what exactly do I mean by journal?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as:
(noun) a written record of what you’ve done each day or frequently over a long period, sometimes including your private thoughts and feelings; a diary.
Examples:
He kept a travel journal during his trip to Europe.
The events are all recorded in her journal.

It can also be used as a verb:
(verb) to keep a personal journal; to enter or record daily thoughts, experiences, etc., in a journal.
Examples:
As a kid, I journaled about everything.
My sister likes to journal her thoughts before going to bed.

So basically, a journal is just a notebook where you can write whatever you want. It’s your own space, your creative corner for exploring, reflecting, and learning. You can scribble, cross things out, mess up a thousand times, and start all over again. That’s what makes it so cool—each journal is unique and completely yours.

If you’re as visual as I am and learn better when you can see things, keeping a journal to help with language learning can be a game-changer.

Here are some of the benefits of journaling when learning a new language:

• Vocabulary expansion: By writing about different topics and situations, you’ll naturally come across new words and phrases, which helps you build your vocabulary without even realizing it.
• Improvement of grammar and sentence structure:  As you go over your writing, you can identify grammatical errors or sentence structure issues.This helps you learn from your mistakes and get better at crafting sentences.
• Reflection and consolidation of learning: Reflecting on your experiences, thoughts, and emotions in the language you’re learning helps internalize new linguistic structures and connect them with real-life situations.
• Practice of integrated skills: Journaling isn’t just about writing—you’re also reading when you review your notes, practising listening if you’re using audio to learn new vocabulary, and even speaking if you eventually share what you’ve written with others.
• Self-awareness and self-expression: Writing in a different language lets you dig deeper into your thoughts and feelings. This boosts your emotional connection with the language and your confidence when expressing yourself.
• Personalized learning: You’re in control of what you write about, which means you can tailor your learning to your own interests. This makes it more fun and relevant to your life.
• Memory and retention improvement: Regularly writing in a journal activates parts of your brain that help with memory and learning, which can help you remember new words and grammar better.
• Stress reduction: Journaling can be a great way to get emotions off your chest, especially when you’re writing in the language you’re learning. It’s a cool way to manage the stress or anxiety that can come with picking up a new language.
• Creativity stimulation: When writing in a journal, you give yourself the freedom to explore different ideas, scenarios, and narrative styles. This fosters creativity, as it encourages you to think outside the box and experiment with the language. You can even use visual elements like drawings, diagrams, charts, and colors, making it more engaging.

On top of all these benefits, journals are super versatile. You can create one about anything you want. Seriously—anything. The only thing I’d say is essential is that it should be portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go without it feeling like extra baggage.

You can have something like a morning journal to jot down your intentions for the day, your to-do lists, or random ideas that come to mind. Or maybe a travel journal where you document everything from the places you visit, the food you try, to the new cultures you discover. The options are endless—it’s up to you to make it your best ally.

So, what are you waiting for to start your own?