How Daily Journalling Can Transform Your Life
Whichever method you choose, there is a type of journal for you.
Have you ever had time to reflect on your old diaries and contemplate who you once were? That is what I had the opportunity to do this week, and it reminded me what an essential part of my life journalling has been.
We are currently moving rooms, the children will have the bigger room to share, and we will go into the little room. While clearing out the wardrobe, I saw my old diaries were at the back in a box dating back to when I was a child.
Flicking through, I found three years when I wrote a daily sentence about my day. As a child, I documented my everyday life with my sister. It made me smile, not just for the memories but because I realised I had not changed that much.
I also thought about sharing these with my children as they got older. So they could see my life with their aunty. Okay, I might have to explain what some of the places were to them, especially Whimpy. For those that don't know, think of Mcdonald's with plates.
One of the journalling techniques I used is a sentence-a-day entry. Even now, it is one of my favourite journals. I never realised I started this as a child. But journalling has a lasting impact on other areas of our lives, not just our memory. So why do you journal?
Why Journal
One popular method of journalling practised by many famous people is to keep a commonplace book. You can use it in years to come to remind you of the wisdom you have learned through reading and life.
If you use your journal to reflect on the day, you will realise that much of what you worried about in the past is not worth worrying about. For example, reading back on some of the concerns I had years ago that never happened allows me not to take worries too seriously now.
A journal is a place where you can be yourself. None of this writing needs to be viewed by anyone but you. Your spelling, grammar and handwriting can be appalling; no one else is viewing them. This is an essential element of journalling; this is for you, no one else.
I don't journal to 'be productive.' I don't do it to find great ideas or to put down prose I can later publish. The pages aren't intended for anyone but me...I'm trying to figure things out...I'm just caging my monkey mind on paper so I can get on with my fucking day. - Tim Ferris
Evaluating our day and writing down our worries is also brilliant for mental health. The worries seem less once they are down on the page. Reflecting on events and what you could have done better is an excellent place to start with self-improvement.
Journal for self-improvement
There are few times that we can genuinely say this is just for us. If you have children, that diminishes even more. Your journal is that area.
Shockingly some of you might be reading this and thinking, yeah, but I have nothing to say. Well, I am telling you that you are more interesting than you think. So, write down your life lessons, and use these stories in your creative pursuits. It helps people connect with you.
Stream-of-consciousness writing is a technique that many writers talk about. That is because it is a powerful method of self-improvement. The concept is simple: you sit down with a timer and write for your allotted time.
You do not edit or read back on what you have written; you just write. No stopping. Thoughts you never knew will come into your head. Studying these will help you develop all aspects of your life.
If it is a problem that you encounter, then a technique called weeding will help. First, summarise the problem in one sentence. Then keep working down from this sentence on how to solve the problem. Again, work downward, and you will find a solution.
This solution may not be what you want to do, but asking yourself the tough questions will help you find the knowledge inside your brain to move forward.
Journal for creativity
Most people I have met are creative in one way or another. Some might write, others paint, and some, like my sister, make amazing cakes. So note-taking is essential whether you are an academic or a home cook.
Note-taking helps mental health because it frees your brain from remembering too much. It is also a place to save all the advice and tips you learn to improve your life. It is something I have mentioned in many other articles.
Simply put, it makes a massive difference in focus, learning, retention, reflection and thinking.
To this point, though, we have discussed written forms of journalling; however, many people have an art journal. A place to create collages and other little pieces of art; again, no one sees it but you.
Travel journalling can be a form of this as you can collage tickets, photos and other exciting things you pick up on your travels. I have one of these travel diaries, and although very thick now, it is a treasure trove of memories.
Using your hands helps you be more creative. It is one of the reasons that I use paper and pen to handwrite my journals. I have computer-based journalling around note-taking, but my journal is always handwritten.
When I struggled with the plot of my last novel, I wrote all the key concepts on Post-it notes and stuck them around the room, moving them into a physical order. The process of moving helped move the project forward.
Journal for productivity
There are several types of journals you can adopt to improve your productivity. I have tried many; some I have kept doing, and others are not for me, but they may be for you.
Keep a notebook beside your computer. Each time you take a break from working, write down what you have been working on. What have you accomplished? Write about how that work period went and your plan for your next focus stint.
What can you improve, and what hampered your session? You can use this to improve your next session. Noting the time on these entries will also help you see how much you have accomplished.
Look for the areas that took you longer than you anticipated and those that were accomplished faster; this will help you manage your time in the future.
You could use a journal to plan what you will achieve in the day, week, or month. This is an elaborate type of To-do list. A good productivity tip I have adopted is to put a highlight for every day. This is the only task I want to accomplish in a day.
If I accomplish this, I will be happy; everything else is the icing on the cake. Most of the time, you will accomplish more.
You are in good company
If you keep a journal, you are in good company; many famous people in history have kept journals. Many more probably did, but we have not heard of them.
Virginia Woolf kept a journal of her thoughts, what she had read, and her process of writing some of her best sellers. Her family have shared these thoughts with us, providing a unique look into the life of a very talented writer.
Tim Ferris, who I quoted above, is very open about the fact that he has several journals he regularly contributes to. Ryan Holiday is another prolific journal writer who has used it to study stoicism and calm his mind.
The list is endless; Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Darwin all kept journals. Much of Darwin's theory of evolution was journaled before it became a book.
I do not promise you will have the career these people had by just picking up a journal, but I do promise that it will improve your life.
Why do you journal?
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Sam!
I have been using my 50+ years of journals as a daily writing practice for some time now. Starting in 1965, I add whatever “layers” are available for the same date and then add where I am today. In November I started doing it on Substack.