“For the last time, no. No, I don’t want to read about the last year of my life?” - Jamie.
Over a year ago I committed to journal every morning before starting my day. This month marks the one year anniversary of writing at least a page a day and clearing my mind daily. I am happy to report that I believe journaling has helped me stay organized, departmentalize and prioritize what is most important; as well as helping me to clean my minds slate every day.
Benefit: Getting Rid of Problems
Journaling has helped me get over silly issues. I feel as if once it is on the page and out of my head, the issue is gone. There is no reason to give it any more attention. I have often gone back to specific dates throughout the year to see my progress or what I was doing in a specific timeframe. Going back in time makes me giggle about how concern I was about something that does not currently matter anymore. It gives me a sense of affirmation that I was right about the issue in the first place. Journal has given me a sense of reassurance.
Benefit: Staying Organized
I have gone through a different version of how I have set up my journal. A piece that has helped me stay on target has been dedicating a section to tasks that need my attention now and what can wait. I have been working on prioritization for a while now and know that keeping a daily log of what I need to get done has helped me. It feels great to go back through the week or month and see what I have accomplished. If there are things I haven’t done, I can see them and decided if they are still important and if I need to accomplish them.
Benefit: Staying Thankful
We have a lot to be thankful for. My incredible friend told me about something that he does every morning before getting the day started. He thinks of three things that he is grateful for and tries to think if he did not have them. These are simple things like a coffee mug. Imagine if you did not have a great coffee mug, it would suck, wouldn’t it? There can also be incredible things to be grateful for like clean running water whenever you want it. Now, imagine if you couldn’t get up right now, go to the faucet and turn on the water. How bad would that suck? Starting your day with a thankful headspace gives you perspective on the day and has helped me deal with some crazy situations like our cross-country move to LA to planning our wedding.
If you have ever wondered about journaling, I have included some great resources below to help get you started and some links to the journals I find the most useful. Give it a try. Write something every day no matter what it is and see how you feel at the end of the week. If you hate it stop, but if you find value at picking your own brain than it may be a useful tool for you to change your life.
Or not. Either way.
-YourFriendMatt
