Hi ,

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

- Socrates.

I think journalling gets a bad rep.

I never thought I'd be someone to say that.

Or that they've journalled for 8 years straight.

But now, I cannot really imagine a life without it.

For your sake, I'm gonna jot down a few bullets for you about

a) why it's a good idea

b) what 'journalling' can be

c) what it isn't

d) what I do personally

e) ideas of what you might want to try

Grab a tea, I wouldn't be sitting down to write this if I didn't think it was important.

a) why it's a good idea

• We think fast, but write slow.

By writing things down, it trains our frantic, stressed and confused brains to process things and write them down coherently.

Half the problems in our heads can be solved (on our own) just by actually working out what they are.

You can do this with a coach (like me) but can often do this independently - if you're brave enough to write down what's actually on your mind.

• Life happens to us very fast and we struggle to find time to keep track.

There's only 16 hours in your waking day. Often it's rammed full with noise, work, people, movement, cooking etc.

You might find - if you truly pay attention - that the only time you currently give yourself to be 'in your mind' is 5 mins in the shower.

Yet, our lives are full of challenges, conflict, stress, indecision and so on. Many of us haven't the time to even notice - before we're trying to get back to sleep it do it all again. (No wonder so many of us can't fall asleep). Journalling ensures reflection time.

• You can track many things using a structured framework.

If you want to start healthier habits, a practice like this can help you track. Gratitudes, diet logging, sleep tracking, exercise tick boxes. Even more miscellaneous things - conversations with a manager about a future promotion, thoughts about your future...

• It's a great way to remember.

This one is quite personal to me, but my memory hasn't been the same since my accident - and I journalled my hardest after my brain injury: I didn't want to forget all the things that were happening.

Consider this: 99% of your day yesterday will never be remembered again. Not even once.

I've had some pretty incredible experiences, and I'm sure you're the same. So why not put 15 mins aside to double the highlight experiences.

Journalling takes each 1-time memory and doubles it - but also allows you to recap any time in the future.

I read days from 2019 and still remember them like they were yesterday.

b) what 'journalling' can be

• Daily gratitude lists (ie. 'three things I'm grateful for today')

Proven to be an amazing way to improve your mood in studies I've read

• Habit tracker (more on PEDRO below).

• Future to-do list logger

I had a client who just wrote down any list she wanted as a way of getting things out of her mind when she couldn't sleep.

ie. Cities she'd like to visit, recipes she's never tried, favourite artists etc.

• Therapy/introspection tool.

Probably what most people think of journalling as. It's a (free) tool to see what you write down. You'd be amazed at what you read after you let your mind write without paying attention

• Sleep aid

Something's on your mind? Write it down. Writing is tiring, as well as cathartic. Much better than reaching for your phone.

c) what it isn't

• Unproductive time 'wasted'
• Only for women
• Only for non-busy people (Churchill, Marcus Aurelius, Benjamin Franklin, da Vinci, Oprah have all kept journals)
• Only for when times are bad or your feel sad.
• Good for some people, but not you... (Personally, I'm the least likely person to have kept this practice up: I'm disordered, disorganised, irregular and have a positive personality. Traits that go against being a 'journaller')

d) what I do personally

I write about each day: What I did, who with, and how I felt. I usually write one page of an A4 book. I score each day out of 25 for Productivity, Exercise, Diet, Relationships and Order (PEDRO). I write something I'm grateful for each day. I try to write down a few emotions I felt each day.

I'll also add a grid to the front of each exercise book that shows a summary.

e) ideas of what you might want to try

If client's tell me they feel sceptical about this much journalling,

"I haven't got enough time for that!"

I suggest they start with something smaller/shorter: Keep an A5/6 book under their pillow. When they get into bed, write about a few things they're grateful for that day.

I've worked with other clients who just want to score their day. They might not choose PEDRO but replace in their own letters: Stretching, Sleep score, Phone use, Mindfulness etc. It's totally up to them on want to track, and how they score it.

One last thing.

I don't journal because I need to.

I do it because it's the best way for me to think.

I really notice when I go a few days without it. I'm unclear and disorganised.

You might read this and think 'that sounds like dependancy'

But I see it as leverage.

I'm also dependant on this computer, and my car and internet banking. But they allow me to live a better, more deliberate life.

I suspect you'll be just the same.

Try it for a week and see.

No, really.

Surprise yourself!

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

I always welcome people hitting reply to let me know if they've done this.

Best of luck.

J

PS: I'd personally suggest NOT using technology to do this.

Journalling should be time away from other distractions, focussed time where you truly let repressed thoughts and emotions come up to the surface. You cannot do this if WhatsApp is popping off on another tab.

Equally, to save time, I've considered moving to voice notes - which I can do when I'm moving around and also provide voice intonation, more words per minute. But decided against. We talk a lot of nonsense and waffle (just listen to your voice notes with friends) - and I've decided the practice of writing slow is a feature not a bug.

Cheers

Live by design, not default.

James - humans BEING

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