Why Keeping a Daily Journal Could Change Your Life

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From Medium:

“The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.” — J.M. Barrie

You know exactly what you want in life. But you can’t seem to get there. You have all these resolves.

You’re going to get healthy.

You’re going to write that book.

You’re going to be more present with your loved ones.

You’re going to start that home-based business.

You’re going to learn another language.

You’re going to be more patient and happy.

You’re going to get out of debt.

You’re going to be more organized.

You’re going to be a better friend.

You’re going to overcome bad habits.

But the problem is: Doing these is really hard. And it gets harder every day. Some days, it seems more realistic to just give up entirely. The whole taking one step forward and one or two steps backward pattern is getting old.

. . . .

“Keeping a personal journal a daily in-depth analysis and evaluation of your experiences is a high-leverage activity that increases self-awareness and enhances all the endowments and the synergy among them.” — Stephen R.Covey

Journaling daily is the most potent and powerful keystone habit you can acquire. If done correctly, you will show up better in every area of your life — every area! Without question, journaling has by far been the number one factor to everything I’ve done well in my life.

The problem is, most people have tried and failed at journaling several times. It’s something you know you should do, but can never seem to pin down.

. . . .

Most people live their lives on other people’s terms. Their days are spent achieving other people’s goals and submitting to other people’s agendas.

Their lives have not been consciously organized in such a way that they command every waking, and sleeping, moment of their life. Instead, they relentlessly react at every chance they get.

For example, most people wake up and immediately check their phone or email. In spare seconds, we hop on Facebook and check the newsfeed. We’ve become addicted to input. Or in other words, we’ve become addicted to reactively being guided by other people’s agendas.

On the other hand, Josh Waitzkin, author of The Art of Learning, wakes up and immediately writes in his journal for 30 minutes.

He does this because while he’s been sleeping, his subconscious mind has been brewing, scheming, problem-solving, and learning. So when Josh wakes up, he rushes to a quiet place and engages in a bust of intellectual and creative flow.

I recently wrote about the importance of morning routines. If I were to re-write that post now, I’d include my journal. I’ve been doing this the past few weeks and its reframed my entire approach to life. Additionally, I’ve never before had so many creative ideas crystallize.

Link to the rest at Medium

5 thoughts on “Why Keeping a Daily Journal Could Change Your Life”

  1. I suppose journaling has its place, though I’m wary of some claims made for it. As a guide to self-reflection, it seems a poor substitute, at least for the following four items, for what once was common among at least liturgical Christians, a daily examination of conscience.

    – – – – –

    You’re going to be more present with your loved ones.
    You’re going to be more patient and happy.
    You’re going to be a better friend.
    You’re going to overcome bad habits.

    – – – – –

    If you’re not “present with your loved ones,” if you’re impatient, if you’re not a good friend to others, if you have bad habits, the reasons are more likely moral than organizational.

    Journaling, even if regularly done, is a weak substitute for a daily “examen.” Some people expect journaling to do more than it can do, and they end up discouraged. They look for answers in the wrong places.

  2. It seems to me that this method of life-change would work best for those who are more naturally introspective and morally concerned. Someone who’s not already interested in examining their conscience or making personal improvements in their lives probably won’t benefit much from this habit.

    And as for those who are naturally more introspective and morally concerned? Well, if they’re already that way, they probably don’t need a whole lot of aid to determining what about themselves needs change and how to go about doing so.

    It would likely take anyone else a great deal of strength of will, and willingness to acknowledge their foibles to stick with this method long enough to develop the depth of self-examination necessary for such changes. And, frankly, most people who aren’t already for some reason doing these things aren’t willing to start–unless they’re somehow forced into it.

    Most people I’ve met who do change substantially but who were not naturally introspective and morally concerned enough to change on their own were forced into the habits by a mental illness of some sort–and of those people, it’s only those who are willing to seek therapy who are able to change themselves. In my experience, most mentally “healthy” people who are not naturally introspective and morally concerned don’t see a need to make an effort to be so–because they think they’re fine the way they are. In other words, if it’s not forced upon them by adverse conditions, I think it takes a certain amount of inherent inclination toward self-examination.

    But that’s just my observation as a mental patient of those around me who are both mentally “ill” and mentally “healthy.”

  3. I agree wholeheartedly with Karl Keating and Ashe Elton Parker.

    The only journaling I do these days is for stories I’m writing. I used to write down dreams that lent themselves to stories, but I don’t have those much anymore. Probably because I don’t sleep as long as I ought to these days.

    The story journals are self defense, in case external forces oblige me to walk away from a story for a while. If I write down where I was going with the plot and characters, I’ll have less trouble picking up the thread again.

  4. I journal because I’m the only one who will listen to me complain…or who should have to listen.

  5. “You’re going to get out of debt” is in the future.
    Say that and you’ll never get out of debt.
    The mantra has to be in the present.
    “I get out of debt now.”
    Yes, I worked on a book with a psychic for Simon & Schuster..

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