WHY YOU SHOULD START A JOURNALING HABIT

Throughout the annals of history, one habit has been common among great men. From writers, generals, statesmen, and artists each recorded their thoughts, day to day, in their personal journals. We know of some of the more famous journals, like Ben Franklin or Leonardo da Vinci’s, but figures such as General George S. Patton and John D. Rockefeller also utilized the medium. Writers like Hemingway used his journal to come up with stories when none seemed forthcoming and figures such as Theodore Roosevelt kept one during some of the darkest days of his life.

You too can reap the rewards of daily journal writing. Journaling can serve as a way to keep track of ideas, write down jokes as they come to you, or just clear a little mental space in your day. I have recently embarked on a ten-day challenge to log an entry every day about something I have noticed. I now find myself picking up on details from my surroundings that would have been overlooked previously. There are various benefits aside from increased awareness that I will now review.

Improve thinking and provide clarity

Life can be messy and thinking can be even more so. Journaling can help to make sense of a difficult problem we are encountering. If I have a stressful day or something is bothering me I will write it down. Often before I have even finished the entry I can start to see the problem from a different perspective. Once I have written down what a particular problem is, I can start to see similarities between this problem and similar challenges encountered by others. It helps to realize that your not the only one going through some difficulty and other people have surmounted similar obstacles.

Recording yourself helps you to know yourself. When you write about what makes you happy or unhappy about your day to day life your values begin to show. One of the greatest learning experiences and one they should teach in school if they cared about actually educating anyone, is to find your deepest most cherished values. By helping you uncover your values, your journal becomes an invaluable compass. While keeping another unrelated journal I began to see just what people and situations were good for me and correct course accordingly.

Take stock of the details

One particular skill that helps set writers apart from the average layman is an eye for detail. Unfortunately most people, and I do this myself, float through their day on autopilot. Either they build up a routine that doesn’t allow them time to take in their surroundings or they’re so distracted they might as well be on another planet. The ten-day journaling challenge I embarked on had me write down something I noticed every day. I set a timer for 5 – 10 min and would just write about what I noticed in as much detail as I could. You can do this exercise for other things such as gratefulness or perhaps you pick a memory from your past and describe it in as much detail as you can remember.

Keep track of progress

For any long-term goal, it is easy to give up when results aren’t quickly forthcoming. A journal lets you keep track of your progress, allowing you to look back at a specific point in time and see how you have grown. It also lets you spot mistakes you’re making and allows for course changes. It doesn’t matter if its fitness or a project you’re working on or if you just want to write down your day-to-day. It is heartening to see how you’ve improved from a few weeks, months or years if you’re really dedicated.

I found that over the course of a few months my general mood began to improve. The language I used when I first started journaling was much more negative and pessimistic. I wrote mostly when I was feeling down or depressed. When I made journaling more of a consistent habit I began to see the good days as well. I could see any improvements that were made and it kept me motivated to do better.

Conclusion

If you do any sort of writing, there are times when you hit a creative wall. Writing journal entries is a great way to stay involved with the process of writing while giving your creative side a bit of a break. You may even have a spark of creative insight or eureka moment while journaling. I highly recommend giving journaling a try even if it is just for 10 days.

Reposted from granthaigh.com