Well maybe do this “I woke up at 7:00 then made my bed, drank some coffee before washing dishes. After doing the dishes I had a nice chat with Sophia on the phone then got some laundry done and after that it was time for work.”
You could omit the word if it's understood, or combine sentences.
So instead, you could write
> "I woke up at 7:00, made my bed, and drank coffee before washing the dishes. Talked to Sophia on the phone and then I folded laundry. Later, I went to work."
or whatever you feel comfortable doing.
Keep in mind that it's a journal, not a graded paper. A teacher isn't going to come in and take points off for every instance of an incomplete sentence.
I’m having a hard time visualizing this. Would you write, “You got up at 8, then you ate breakfast. You were upset when your mom criticized you” for example?
Oh my gosh, now that you wrote those examples it seems obvious, haha. I’m a little dense lately. 😂 I love this now that you’ve explained it this way. It sounds kind of comforting and like self love and validating yourself. I’m going to try this out. I think my therapist would also think this is cool. Thanks for explaining!
Why do you think it bothers you? A journal is a story in which you're the main character and the camera's on you all the time, so it's normal that you'd refer to yourself a lot, kind of like how the name "Harry" appears a lot in the Harry Potter books.
I feel like a journal doesn't have to be a piece of literature. It should feel natural, and we journal about ourselves and our life, so it would be just natural for the word I to be frequent.
From a grammatical standpoint you could follow the other suggestions of combining thoughts into one sentence and eliminating implied “I”s…but depending on your purpose behind journaling it’s probably not necessary. If you’re trying to put your internal dialogue onto paper as a reflection of your life you’re doing it exactly right for you. Changing internal dialogue is a whole different discussion if that’s where the issue is coming from
Same, I go to great pains not to. If you describe the scene more or write about others around you you won't be using I so much. And it's possible to restructure sentences to use me or my instead sometimes.
its YOUR journal detailing YOUR life so it's perfectly fine but if it still bothers you, try skipping the "I" and then starting the sentence with the verb maybe?
Looking back thru my old journals, I regret not using ‘I’ more often. I would talk about everything that happened but not how I felt about them. I’m sure it was obvious at the time how I felt but not 30+years later
as someone who has been writing for 10 years, is pursuing a degree in the discipline, and is actively working toward publication- don’t even worry about it. journaling is not for the sake of the ‘craft’ of writing, it’s for the soul. don’t you dare critique yourself on the use of a word that is rarely more pertinent to anything other than journaling. i journal for a multitude of reasons, one of which being the opportunity to give myself a break. i allow myself to write just for me, and choose to be unconcerned with my word choice in any given context.
With that said, if you REALLY want to mix it up, i would suggest simple experimentation. no grammar tricks or anything of the sort- just mess around with your narration. Went to school, took a nap after class. I made a good sandwich before heading back to class at 3. (See what I did there? Mentioned ‘I’ only once). Play around with it! It’s your journal, after all. Happy journaling <3
Considering the sentence structure of the English language, that's normal. Also, you're writing about your own life and experience.
- Write about your surrounding, i.e. where you journal or the olace you spent your day.
- Just like the edited examples (of your text) written here, (native speaker or not) you can check some writing courses and videos. I guess academical writing could make it work but not sure. At some point of language learning, you must improve your sentences from basic structure to something with extra words.
well, it's your journal & i would think mostly about you... i think it's totally normal,
though i notice that kind of thing as well..
then start looking up synonyms and get distracted by words ... and then too many other things. tho i do notice when i use a word too often in my opinion.
I found this out because I don't like my cursive "I" and I journal in cursive.
Something that helped a little bit was to talk to an undefined "you" on certain entries, especially those that are more like venting and less like telling a story. It doesn't always help, but it does sometimes.
That’s really fine. But you can also journal in different ways. You could write in the third person. You could write as someone else speaking to you. You can do whatever you want.
I used to be self conscious about that then I realized that trying to monitor myself was too exhausting and made me not want to journal. Don’t give yourself a hard time!
My journaling is essentially capturing my inner dialogue at various moments of my life. It’s 100% about what I am experiencing. There’s no more appropriate time to use it in my opinion.
I usually drop the I unless I’m talking about a feeling.
”Got up early today, had the leftover tacos for breakfast. Tried to get some writing done but got distracted by an argument online. I really hate when people act like that. I want to try and finish cleaning the kitchen today. Need to find a podcast to listen to or I’ll just end up replaying old Tom Scott videos. Really enjoying this new book…” and so on
It's fine! A journal is for you and looking into your emotions. If it really bothers you, try thinking of ways to reword your sentence where it doesn't start w "I".
Such as...
I felt bad today. -> Feeling bad today took a toll on me.
It's a simple example, but yeah. Restructuring the sentence can make it feel better when you reread it.
This is the reason I put off journaling sometimes. I do it to improve my writing as well but I keep using “I” and I get disappointed. Although one trick I do is I describe what happened to my day instead of writing what I did for the day. Does that make sense?
Glad to read all these responses and tips, though. Really helpful.
In classrooms, using "I" frequently is avoided. However, you're not writing an essay, a tech article, or a novel. It's a journal. You don't have to worry about it.
Why? Your journal is a safe space. If you want to talk about yourself, do that.
Sounds more like you don't like your sentence structure. Go more in depth and find specific bits to talk about. Add a little history on the places you go. When you visit a friend, comment on their house, new haircut, how they're doing at school/work, what you talked about.
I don’t think it’s bad but I’ve been thinking about doing a challenge/prompt where I don’t write about myself for a week. So I can write about people I talk to or spend time with, the weather/seasonal changes, plants and animals, information I learn, books I read, and my thoughts on whatever ideas are in my head but nothing about “I did this, I did that”. It would be a cool exercise to get out of my head and be more observant about the things happening around me. Even changing a sentence like “I watered the tomatoes and saw that they’ve grown five inches” to just “the tomatoes have grown five inches” feels different, the one without “I” feels like I’m more engaged with the world vs. looking at myself and pointing myself out as something separate from the world. I guess I need to actually do the challenge before hypothesizing about it but I predict I would feel more like part of the world, have less ego, and feel happier after that kind of challenge.
Sometimes when journaling it strikes me how often I refer to myself, and take it as a challenge to restructure a phrase or thought. Seems like the perfect place to practice how to convey your meaning with pretty low stakes. Having said that, it’s your journal, it can be about anything you like. Mine seems to be rather inane comparisons of nibs and inks, with a few anecdotes from my daily life thrown in. On occasion i’ll realize i’ve just put down 8 pages on a topic that i didn’t realize i “needed” to write about.
If you're unhappy with it, try cold turkey not using it. The writing may end up looking more list-like but the habit will start to go away.
Since my journaling is for me and it's rarely revisited, it doesn't matter. Heavy usage of me & my on emotional days.
I'll also focus more on point other than the act.
I folded laundry
turns into
Folding laundry while listening to a podcast is relaxing most days. Today tho? A fly kept buzzing by and the cat was chasing it right across the stacks of cleaned towels.
Because I fold laundry several times every week - but if I read this I might also remember that it was raining so hard I thought the water would come in through my AC unit. The cat did NOT catch the fly.
But if my day has been super busy, the extend of my records is whether or not I highlighted a task as completed for the day.
That’s something I have noticed too. I rearranged the first sentence so it didn’t start with “I” but now this one does! SMH
Journalling does that. We are writing about ourselves, our lives and feelings. I keep reminding myself it’s ok. Also I work in school with 10 year olds and we remind them to start their sentences in different ways so I challenge myself to do this when I can. Only in a fun way though - sometimes it doesn’t make sense or holds up my writing so I just go for it.
Try to be a little more creative. Try something like: “After waking up at 7 am, I set about my day; this commenced with me making my bed. Following this I drank a cup of coffee to give me a buzz. The next port of call was phoning Sophia, we had a catch up which was pleasant, she told me of a new recipe for blueberry muffins, I might give it a go! Before heading out the door for work I folded the laundry, I've been using a new cloths softener that smells of lavender and lemons, I love it! That's all for now.”
"I" would be the right one to use. Maybe you are reading to journal too much, so you are getting too many details from your writing and start to feel weird.
* woke up at 7am
* made bed, had coffee, did dishes
* talked to Sophia
* folded laundry
* work!
I don't know why you hate I so much, though. It **IS** your life, so "I" should be pretty dang common.
I don’t see why it’s a problem but I do understand it bothers you. Your journal is a place for you to fully express yourself.
However, if you want to remove the ‘I’s, you could try experimenting with writing about different topics that are not related just to your day. You could write about some reflections you’ve had or an observation, different ideas or goals. Have fun journaling! Don’t overthink it 😄
I also feel this and I’ve been doing some research about the ego. Specifically watching HealthyGamerGG’s videos related to ego. I still have a long way to go, I mean, just look at this paragraph. Full of I’s.
Is it better to journal with less I’s? I don’t know. Is it a good exercise? Sure! I think it can help us see things from a general point of view rather than from our own perspective only.
However, your journal is your safe space to think, so I don’t think you should limit or add rules to it. Sure, play around and experiment if you want to, but stay true to yourself.
For me, journaling is when I get in touch with what I’m feeling and experiencing. There’s no better word than ‘I’ to do that!
Maybe you could write a little about what it feels like to turn that focus on yourself and why it feels a bit weird?
There’s a phenomenon (called “diary-pro” or “conversational deletion”) where the diarist often omits pronouns, especially when it comes to actions. Since “I” is already implied, you could write: “Woke up at 7:00. Made my bed and drank coffee before washing the dishes. Talked to Sophia on the phone. Folded laundry. Went to work later.” You could find these examples in 20th century war diaries.
I have had this exact same insecurity before, lol ❤️ I think its okay, its really the only time things are /supposed/ to be all about you and your thoughts and feelings.
But maybe explore what sentences would sound like if you had to avoid referencing yourself! It could make for some cool writing :)
I mean it's your journal and about you so it makes sense. If it's bothering there are two specific ways one clump the activities together to limit the I. For example I woke up, washed my face, and made bed before breakfast. The other way is use your name or a place holder name
You’re journaling, so it’s okay if it’s all about you. But why not look into creative writing exercises? Think about this:
The alarm blared at 7:00 this morning. Despite feeling sleepy, I knew there wasn’t a chance of staying in bed. Making my bed only took a few minutes and I know I’ll be happy coming back to a fresh bed tonight.
There weren’t too many dishes left over from last night’s pasta primavera, and my coffee made it a pleasant task. Afterwards, I called Sophia and we talked about our cats and our gardens. While I was on the phone I was able to knock out a load of laundry. Another chore that’s nice to have finished before going to work.”
Try thinking about your journaling from the perspective of the reader and see what that’s like. Consider your five senses - can you include each one in every entry?
It's common to use "I" frequently in personal journaling, but varying your sentence structure can help. Try focusing on actions or describing your surroundings and feelings.
You did it in this post as well 🤭 (lol just messing)
But, it is a story all about you and your life! So one would imagine you'd mention yourself frequently. Don't worry about it! It's a necessary part of describing your experience :)
Well, in this case it really is all about you, so no worries.
I think journaling is the perfect time for “I”! Journaling is your safe space to process, you deserve to love and explore you!
What a beautiful response
I love this so much awww
Well maybe do this “I woke up at 7:00 then made my bed, drank some coffee before washing dishes. After doing the dishes I had a nice chat with Sophia on the phone then got some laundry done and after that it was time for work.”
I think I need ro fix my reading, cause I read that as "I woke up at 7:00 and then my bed drank some coffee" TT
...depending on how tired you are, if you're drinking coffee in bed, this could happen, lol.
Also I love letting my bed drink some coffee
There also nothing wrong with using I to much :D
You could omit the word if it's understood, or combine sentences. So instead, you could write > "I woke up at 7:00, made my bed, and drank coffee before washing the dishes. Talked to Sophia on the phone and then I folded laundry. Later, I went to work." or whatever you feel comfortable doing. Keep in mind that it's a journal, not a graded paper. A teacher isn't going to come in and take points off for every instance of an incomplete sentence.
Woke up at seven. Made my bed and drank coffee. Washed the dishes. Folded the laundry in the blue basket. Ate nineteen donuts and rolled to work.
This is what I do! I’ll still use I pretty frequently cause it makes sense but it really is just implied that you’re the one doing all of those things
For a hot second I was hoping "This is what I do!" was gonna be followed up by "I also have 19 donuts before work!" lol
I write in second person a lot like I'm writing to myself directly, so I use "you" a lot
Same I switch from I and you
I’m having a hard time visualizing this. Would you write, “You got up at 8, then you ate breakfast. You were upset when your mom criticized you” for example?
No more like (speaking to myself), “You did great today babes keep thinking positive,” & “I felt like what he did was weird to me.” Stuff like that
Oh my gosh, now that you wrote those examples it seems obvious, haha. I’m a little dense lately. 😂 I love this now that you’ve explained it this way. It sounds kind of comforting and like self love and validating yourself. I’m going to try this out. I think my therapist would also think this is cool. Thanks for explaining!
Of course no problem hope it all works out 😊
I like this one.
Why do you think it bothers you? A journal is a story in which you're the main character and the camera's on you all the time, so it's normal that you'd refer to yourself a lot, kind of like how the name "Harry" appears a lot in the Harry Potter books.
You could try bullet journaling! Or utilizing smaller information structures to omit the need for repetition.
I feel like a journal doesn't have to be a piece of literature. It should feel natural, and we journal about ourselves and our life, so it would be just natural for the word I to be frequent.
From a grammatical standpoint you could follow the other suggestions of combining thoughts into one sentence and eliminating implied “I”s…but depending on your purpose behind journaling it’s probably not necessary. If you’re trying to put your internal dialogue onto paper as a reflection of your life you’re doing it exactly right for you. Changing internal dialogue is a whole different discussion if that’s where the issue is coming from
Same, I go to great pains not to. If you describe the scene more or write about others around you you won't be using I so much. And it's possible to restructure sentences to use me or my instead sometimes.
i don't think that should be a problem. journaling is suppose to be about as much "I" as possible,
its YOUR journal detailing YOUR life so it's perfectly fine but if it still bothers you, try skipping the "I" and then starting the sentence with the verb maybe?
I use the word "suddenly" too much lol
Looking back thru my old journals, I regret not using ‘I’ more often. I would talk about everything that happened but not how I felt about them. I’m sure it was obvious at the time how I felt but not 30+years later
Substitute with “Batman”. Of course it gives away your secret identity…
as someone who has been writing for 10 years, is pursuing a degree in the discipline, and is actively working toward publication- don’t even worry about it. journaling is not for the sake of the ‘craft’ of writing, it’s for the soul. don’t you dare critique yourself on the use of a word that is rarely more pertinent to anything other than journaling. i journal for a multitude of reasons, one of which being the opportunity to give myself a break. i allow myself to write just for me, and choose to be unconcerned with my word choice in any given context. With that said, if you REALLY want to mix it up, i would suggest simple experimentation. no grammar tricks or anything of the sort- just mess around with your narration. Went to school, took a nap after class. I made a good sandwich before heading back to class at 3. (See what I did there? Mentioned ‘I’ only once). Play around with it! It’s your journal, after all. Happy journaling <3
Considering the sentence structure of the English language, that's normal. Also, you're writing about your own life and experience. - Write about your surrounding, i.e. where you journal or the olace you spent your day. - Just like the edited examples (of your text) written here, (native speaker or not) you can check some writing courses and videos. I guess academical writing could make it work but not sure. At some point of language learning, you must improve your sentences from basic structure to something with extra words.
well, it's your journal & i would think mostly about you... i think it's totally normal, though i notice that kind of thing as well.. then start looking up synonyms and get distracted by words ... and then too many other things. tho i do notice when i use a word too often in my opinion.
Try journaling from 3rd person, the observer view point. Try observing yourself.
I have a separate journal where I write everything in the third person
I found this out because I don't like my cursive "I" and I journal in cursive. Something that helped a little bit was to talk to an undefined "you" on certain entries, especially those that are more like venting and less like telling a story. It doesn't always help, but it does sometimes.
That’s really fine. But you can also journal in different ways. You could write in the third person. You could write as someone else speaking to you. You can do whatever you want.
I’m so curious why it bothers you? :)
If you just remove a few I’s and extra comas it will sound the same or better.
I used to be self conscious about that then I realized that trying to monitor myself was too exhausting and made me not want to journal. Don’t give yourself a hard time!
Know yourself
My journaling is essentially capturing my inner dialogue at various moments of my life. It’s 100% about what I am experiencing. There’s no more appropriate time to use it in my opinion.
I usually drop the I unless I’m talking about a feeling. ”Got up early today, had the leftover tacos for breakfast. Tried to get some writing done but got distracted by an argument online. I really hate when people act like that. I want to try and finish cleaning the kitchen today. Need to find a podcast to listen to or I’ll just end up replaying old Tom Scott videos. Really enjoying this new book…” and so on
It's fine! A journal is for you and looking into your emotions. If it really bothers you, try thinking of ways to reword your sentence where it doesn't start w "I". Such as... I felt bad today. -> Feeling bad today took a toll on me. It's a simple example, but yeah. Restructuring the sentence can make it feel better when you reread it.
This is the reason I put off journaling sometimes. I do it to improve my writing as well but I keep using “I” and I get disappointed. Although one trick I do is I describe what happened to my day instead of writing what I did for the day. Does that make sense? Glad to read all these responses and tips, though. Really helpful.
In classrooms, using "I" frequently is avoided. However, you're not writing an essay, a tech article, or a novel. It's a journal. You don't have to worry about it.
Why? Your journal is a safe space. If you want to talk about yourself, do that. Sounds more like you don't like your sentence structure. Go more in depth and find specific bits to talk about. Add a little history on the places you go. When you visit a friend, comment on their house, new haircut, how they're doing at school/work, what you talked about.
I don’t think it’s bad but I’ve been thinking about doing a challenge/prompt where I don’t write about myself for a week. So I can write about people I talk to or spend time with, the weather/seasonal changes, plants and animals, information I learn, books I read, and my thoughts on whatever ideas are in my head but nothing about “I did this, I did that”. It would be a cool exercise to get out of my head and be more observant about the things happening around me. Even changing a sentence like “I watered the tomatoes and saw that they’ve grown five inches” to just “the tomatoes have grown five inches” feels different, the one without “I” feels like I’m more engaged with the world vs. looking at myself and pointing myself out as something separate from the world. I guess I need to actually do the challenge before hypothesizing about it but I predict I would feel more like part of the world, have less ego, and feel happier after that kind of challenge.
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Good idea! I do sometimes use it like "So, how are we feeling today?" and idk but I think it's kind of funny
>Any tips? Maybe consider trying another way of journaling? One that would be less about you and more about whatever is happening around you.
I have the exact same perceived problem with starting sentences with "I feel..." or "I feel like..."
Same here. Sometimes, I omit it because it's understood.
Sometimes when journaling it strikes me how often I refer to myself, and take it as a challenge to restructure a phrase or thought. Seems like the perfect place to practice how to convey your meaning with pretty low stakes. Having said that, it’s your journal, it can be about anything you like. Mine seems to be rather inane comparisons of nibs and inks, with a few anecdotes from my daily life thrown in. On occasion i’ll realize i’ve just put down 8 pages on a topic that i didn’t realize i “needed” to write about.
If you're unhappy with it, try cold turkey not using it. The writing may end up looking more list-like but the habit will start to go away. Since my journaling is for me and it's rarely revisited, it doesn't matter. Heavy usage of me & my on emotional days. I'll also focus more on point other than the act. I folded laundry turns into Folding laundry while listening to a podcast is relaxing most days. Today tho? A fly kept buzzing by and the cat was chasing it right across the stacks of cleaned towels. Because I fold laundry several times every week - but if I read this I might also remember that it was raining so hard I thought the water would come in through my AC unit. The cat did NOT catch the fly. But if my day has been super busy, the extend of my records is whether or not I highlighted a task as completed for the day.
So what. You're writing about yourself and your day. What do you expect?
Just leave out the I if it bothers you. : woke up at 7 and did xy&z. Later chatted with Sophia on the phone. Did laundry before work and so on
That’s something I have noticed too. I rearranged the first sentence so it didn’t start with “I” but now this one does! SMH Journalling does that. We are writing about ourselves, our lives and feelings. I keep reminding myself it’s ok. Also I work in school with 10 year olds and we remind them to start their sentences in different ways so I challenge myself to do this when I can. Only in a fun way though - sometimes it doesn’t make sense or holds up my writing so I just go for it.
Try to be a little more creative. Try something like: “After waking up at 7 am, I set about my day; this commenced with me making my bed. Following this I drank a cup of coffee to give me a buzz. The next port of call was phoning Sophia, we had a catch up which was pleasant, she told me of a new recipe for blueberry muffins, I might give it a go! Before heading out the door for work I folded the laundry, I've been using a new cloths softener that smells of lavender and lemons, I love it! That's all for now.”
"I" would be the right one to use. Maybe you are reading to journal too much, so you are getting too many details from your writing and start to feel weird.
“Woke up early. Breakfast was healthy. Feeling real good these days. Thought I’d get a new book, read it in a day.”
For me its "today" 90% of my entries begin with it😅
* woke up at 7am * made bed, had coffee, did dishes * talked to Sophia * folded laundry * work! I don't know why you hate I so much, though. It **IS** your life, so "I" should be pretty dang common.
Same! More specifically “I feel”. I’m writing that verb every two sentences lol
I don’t see why it’s a problem but I do understand it bothers you. Your journal is a place for you to fully express yourself. However, if you want to remove the ‘I’s, you could try experimenting with writing about different topics that are not related just to your day. You could write about some reflections you’ve had or an observation, different ideas or goals. Have fun journaling! Don’t overthink it 😄
Journalling is *supposed* to be full of I's, that's just how it works. No-one is going to grade you for grammar.
You could have a place for lists. I find there is a lot of information in a list and you don't have to repeat i.
I also feel this and I’ve been doing some research about the ego. Specifically watching HealthyGamerGG’s videos related to ego. I still have a long way to go, I mean, just look at this paragraph. Full of I’s. Is it better to journal with less I’s? I don’t know. Is it a good exercise? Sure! I think it can help us see things from a general point of view rather than from our own perspective only. However, your journal is your safe space to think, so I don’t think you should limit or add rules to it. Sure, play around and experiment if you want to, but stay true to yourself.
For me, journaling is when I get in touch with what I’m feeling and experiencing. There’s no better word than ‘I’ to do that! Maybe you could write a little about what it feels like to turn that focus on yourself and why it feels a bit weird?
There’s a phenomenon (called “diary-pro” or “conversational deletion”) where the diarist often omits pronouns, especially when it comes to actions. Since “I” is already implied, you could write: “Woke up at 7:00. Made my bed and drank coffee before washing the dishes. Talked to Sophia on the phone. Folded laundry. Went to work later.” You could find these examples in 20th century war diaries.
The Royal “We”?
I have had this exact same insecurity before, lol ❤️ I think its okay, its really the only time things are /supposed/ to be all about you and your thoughts and feelings. But maybe explore what sentences would sound like if you had to avoid referencing yourself! It could make for some cool writing :)
I mean it's your journal and about you so it makes sense. If it's bothering there are two specific ways one clump the activities together to limit the I. For example I woke up, washed my face, and made bed before breakfast. The other way is use your name or a place holder name
You’re journaling, so it’s okay if it’s all about you. But why not look into creative writing exercises? Think about this: The alarm blared at 7:00 this morning. Despite feeling sleepy, I knew there wasn’t a chance of staying in bed. Making my bed only took a few minutes and I know I’ll be happy coming back to a fresh bed tonight. There weren’t too many dishes left over from last night’s pasta primavera, and my coffee made it a pleasant task. Afterwards, I called Sophia and we talked about our cats and our gardens. While I was on the phone I was able to knock out a load of laundry. Another chore that’s nice to have finished before going to work.” Try thinking about your journaling from the perspective of the reader and see what that’s like. Consider your five senses - can you include each one in every entry?
Journaling is literally a safe and judgement free space. There's no wrong way to journal.
Considering this is a journal and not meant to be a publishable manuscript, I would say you’re doing swell and there’s nothing to worry about!
Actually, using a lot of "I"s when journaling is a sign of you really care about your emotional needs!
It's common to use "I" frequently in personal journaling, but varying your sentence structure can help. Try focusing on actions or describing your surroundings and feelings.
well the journal is about you, so it would be expected. I'm not sure how to lessen the amount unless you start journaling about something else.
Use “we” to confuse or freak out anyone who reads your journal 😂
I do this too but I believe it's because therapy encourages I statements. If you've had therapy could it be that?
You did it in this post as well 🤭 (lol just messing) But, it is a story all about you and your life! So one would imagine you'd mention yourself frequently. Don't worry about it! It's a necessary part of describing your experience :)
The linguist James Pennebaker would say this is an indication that you’re depressed.