How to journal for maximum impact
Have you ever wondered what all the craze concerning journaling is? I have noticed that this has become a popular subject for people to write about in their blogs and share their videos on Youtube explaining what they do. It could be that these pitches have fallen on deaf ears and put you off until now.
Here are three reasons that may have prevented you from journaling:
It feels like going back to school and could be a waste of your precious time.
You don’t know what to write about or how it will improve your life.
It is merely modern marketing and people trying to sell me their fancy overpriced notebooks. (This one could be true).
I hope what I share in this article can put you at ease and get you journaling for maximum impact in your life. By the simple act of writing, you will cause your brain to wake up and think of what could be possible. Getting your thoughts down on paper can help to create new ideas and release stress and worry. Check out my previous post on how writing down what you are concerned about can help solve most of the problems and concerns you may have.
Journaling is something that I have been doing for a long time, more than 30 years. WOW! That makes me seem old.
In this post, I want to share four ideas of how I use journaling as something that enhances and enriches my life and how it can do the same for you.
Make it a daily practise
Like so many habits and practises consistency is critical for the best results. Dr Caroline Leaf explains in her book, Switch On Your Brain that it takes around 60 days for habits to fully form, so you need to keep going even if you feel you have nothing to write about.
I would guess that out of the whole year I may miss a few days when I have not written anything down.
“Writing each day allows me to focus on what matters most.”
There are no magic formulas for writing, but there are key things that can give you an advantage by focusing on them daily. This is the subject for another post on the (Reticular Activating System) that I will share in the future on how our brains work.
2. Follow a clear and simple system
Here are the areas I write about in my journal (not diary) and a brief description of what they are. If you are unsure about any topic them drop me a question in the comments below.
What am I grateful for
I write down what I am grateful for, this could be anything from something small, like the coffee I am drinking to something more significant like my family. Research shows that being grateful has so many positive impacts on our lives.
I love this explanation found here at daveasprey.com. “The clinical definition of gratitude is the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to oneself; a general state of thankfulness and/or appreciation.”
The One Thing
Each day I ask myself. What is the one thing I can do to bring improvement in the seven environments of my life? Each day had a different focus, such as family, friends, finance. I will cover this system in another post and why I prefer systems more than goals. The point in asking this question is to make sure that I am continually improving in all the essential areas of my life.
Meditation on my chosen word for the year
At the start of each year, I choose a word or phrase that I would like to think about or develop in my life. Writing this down and thinking about it helps me to not only expect it but also to practise it. As an example, it could be the word GENEROUS.
Affirmations
These are a set of statements about who I am and who I want to be. Each statement must carry an action alongside it so that they become active affirmations, so they don’t cause cognitive dissonance.
Inspirational and instruction from the Bible (for you this could be another inspirational source)
Each morning I read and listen to the Bible and take notes on what stands out to me and what I think God is saying to me. These moments have been some of the best moments of my life, bringing encouragement direction and correction to my life. I would not be the person I am today without this.
You don't need to have all these areas, remember to write about what is important to you. When I started this practice over 30 years ago, I simply wrote about my favourite words in the Bible that I felt God was speaking to me, and then I would finish with prayer. It was my faith that got me on this journey of being a ‘journal worrier’. I can recall my brother and my youth leader saying, “Write down something every day as you pray, as prayer is a conversation”. So this is what I have been doing ever since, with some changes and tweaks along the way.
3. Review and revisit
This seems obvious, but often the obvious things are missed. So let me say it loud, review what you have put in your journal regularly. If you are crazy on productivity and follow a weekly system like Getting things done (GTD) by David Allen, then you could do this in your weekly review time.
You will be amazed at what things you write down that can help you make the best decisions in your life. It is often in these moments when my most exceptional ideas come from and even words to bring about the direction of my life. We are idea machines, and the world is changed by ideas that are actioned.
4. Don’t share your ideas too soon
On the note of ideas, don’t share your ideas too soon. I recently heard someone put it this way. Our ideas need time to develop to get the best results, like marinating a steak for the best possible flavours. It takes time, and it is good to take time and work through what you have added to your journal before sharing with the world. Everything around us that we have made started as an idea first before it was created. Someone, somewhere, imagined in their minds how the future could be better as a result of a new idea or an improved idea.
It is possible that as you develop the daily habit of journaling, you could come up with a winning idea that could transform your life and the lives of those in our world.
Wrapping Up
So to wrap up, I highly recommend you start a journaling practise as a daily habit for your life as this is often where your best thoughts will come from. This is also advised by Tim Ferris in the book, Tools of Titans, which is well worth a read.
Remember, consistency is crucial to get the best out of this habit. On the subject of habits lookout for my next post as I share the genius of habit stacking.
Thanks for reading
I wanted to let you know that I bought my last journal from moonster*. I would recommend them as the quality is excellent, and they are a super ethical family company.
Question
How do you journal?
Drop me your answer in the comment below and let me know what you do.
