Audio Journaling Secrets
During U.K. Lockdown One, I began keeping an audio journal. It helped tremendously. I always wanted to keep a written journal but never had the right pen or notebook and I worried about my spelling and my grammar and my handwriting and that my sentences might just go on and on endlessly. Audio journaling gracefully side-steps all these barriers — you simply open your phone, hit record and sound off.
Science says you should journal, so give audio journaling a go with these handy tips:
1. Don’t Listen Back
It’s a funny urge that’s unique to audio journaling. When you write a diary entry, you rarely have the urge to immediately read it back. Try to think of audio journaling like sending voice notes to Future You. Maybe, one day, you’ll listen back. For now, though, it’s just like sending a voice note to a friend on WhatsApp, just hit record and send. You’ll speak more freely in a world in which you might never listen back.
2. Avoid a Format
You don’t need to state the date and time with audio journaling because the date and time are automatically saved with the file. And here’s where that gets interesting. Starting with the date and time inevitably restricts you to only discuss the day's events. Skipping this set-up frees your mind to talk about anything and everything that presents itself.
3. Think Out Loud
Thinking out loud is good for you and we’re designed to do it. Humans have been verbally expressing their thoughts long before they had pens and journals to jot them down. When you stub your toe, you don’t impulsively dive for a pen and paper to write down “Ow, that really hurt!” I often think of sounding off as the opposite of meditation. And by this, I mean that instead of sitting and trying to think about nothing (almost impossible for me), I sit and think out loud everything that’s on my mind until I run out of things to process.
4. Keep Going
Don’t restrict yourself to a specific amount of recording time. Just keep going. Do not look at your phone. Do not check how long you have been sounding off. Just keep going. My recordings max out at about six minutes each day. We’ve had people sounding off for up to an hour though. Most 17–20-year-olds who try it sound off for twenty minutes per day. Just hit record, start talking and see where it takes you.
5. Be Honest with Yourself
It’ll only work if you give a little. Be honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable. If you want to change and improve your life, tell yourself that. I think this is the part that surprised myself the most about audio journaling. It’s hard not to hold yourself accountable when you’re honest with yourself each day. It’s tricky not to see patterns and it’s easy to find ways to better your life. You don’t have all the answers, but you do know you better than anyone else. Be honest with yourself.
Will you give audio journaling a go?
I’ll answer any questions you have in the comments : )
We’re building a voice journal app, follow us: co-founders Elly, Paavan, & Rory post on the Sound Off publication every week.
