One of the better habits I have implemented into daily practice is journaling. Self Improvement seems to be habit-based, and keeping good habits and daily practices are the building blocks to a better life. Over the course of my recent attempts to upgrade myself, journaling has been nearly essential. I write half a page in the morning and half a page at night - one page a day - and I’ve maintained this for almost nine months now.
Before I get into the reasons why I think journaling is important, I will briefly discuss the strategy I try to keep to.
The morning entry is essentially outlining what I would like my day to be like, transcribing any lingering thoughts from the day before, and setting up the goals I wish to dedicate time towards on that particular day. It can get repetitive, but that’s not always a bad thing. Having time set aside in the morning to write down what you want to have said about that day is a nice way to start said day.
The night entry is usually right before I get into bed. I will go over the things I needed improving on that day, trying to be as honest with myself as possible without stepping into the self-hatred zone. I recounted things I was proud of and anything valuable I wished to remember.
My earlier journal entries were tipping a little too far into self-hatred, as I would frequently belittle myself for not sticking to goals or doing something I shouldn’t have like wasting time. It took me very little time to realize that belittling myself wouldn’t be a long term solution, so I adjusted my language accordingly. Mistakes were mistakes, and I would show myself grace for them if I owned up to them on the paper.
Why Journaling is a Good Habit
Journaling is effective in three key areas: It keeps a record of your life’s narrative, it keeps you accountable over a long time scale, and it lets you vent lingering thoughts before you go to sleep.
We Live In a Story
Our lives are essentially stories that we live out. We are telling our tale with each breath, and so many people I know are very disconnected with their story. They are either connected to the stories of other people, or they aren’t connected to much of anything. A potential remedy for this is journaling, as it forces you to keep track of your daily events and aligns the goal oriented part of your brain with the reflective part. This tracks your life over a long enough time scale and you’ll see your story emerge. Once you know (or at least have some inkling of an idea) to what story you are telling with your life you can slowly adjust your day-to-day to match it.
This has worked really well in my experience. Journaling has helped me stay on track with exercising, dieting, focusing on work, and removing bad habits from daily practice. But it has also made me realize that in this current moment in my life, I am living out the story of the Man training for the battle. I don’t know what my future holds but I know I need to be ready for it, and in my head and in my journal that plays out like a Rocky style training montage.
It may sound silly, but it gives me some degree of enthusiasm for day-to-day life knowing that I’m preparing for something. I don't know what it is, but I know it’s important.
Whatever stage of life you are in, it’s important to figure out what story you are telling with your time and your actions, and journaling (and reviewing your past entries) is a way to do that. It’s easy, but time consuming.
Accountability on Paper
Try writing day after day after day “I didn’t go to the gym today. I didn’t work on my project today. I just sat around staring at YouTube.”
If you are in a reasonably good place, you won’t be able to stand it. Slipping up feels like losing Health in a video game, a ding, a -1. If you are goal oriented and want to better yourself, continually breaking your own rules and writing about it will be very difficult to maintain.
While going to the gym for the sake of being able to say so in your journal that night isn’t the best reason for getting in the gym, it still gets you through the door. There are days that going to the gym feels like such a hassle, but I do it anyway because of that damned nightly entry. I tell myself “Imagine if my grandkids were reading this after I’m dead and they are struggling with the same thing I am. Would they get any motivation at all from me going to the gym when I really didn’t want to go?” I know the answer to that question - so I go.
This works with most anything you are trying to accomplish. It quietly forces you to confront yourself at the end of the day, and doing that enough times will develop a bad taste in your mouth for when you slip up. You will definitely slip up, but journaling will assist in your attempt to rise after a defeat.
Quiet the Inner Critic Before Bedtime
I used to stay up until 12am, staring at my ceiling, letting the inner critic keep me up until I passed out. Getting out any lingering thoughts before I hit the pillow really quiets down the inner monologue.
Writing out your thoughts and putting them on paper allows your brain to address them specifically, and remembering them individually isn’t as important since you’ve got it written down. It allows your brain to think clearly.
It’s like blowing dust off of a CD before putting it back into the DVD player, or clearing the pipe of a blockage, allowing the water to run smoothly.
Writing down lingering thoughts is one reason why I’m now able to get in bed at 9:45 and be asleep by 10:15. That allows me to get up earlier, do more things in the morning before work, which sets me up better for the day, which sets me up better for tomorrow, and so on and so forth. Gaining momentum like this is really helpful for whatever you are trying to do and if you are attempting to get sleep with lingering thoughts then you’ll have a hard time getting started in the first place. Get those thoughts out and go to sleep.
Journaling: A Habit for Eternity
Think of the wisdom you will gain from merely tracking your thoughts on a day to day basis. Think about how you can help your kids, grandkids, great grandkids, and so on, by doing this small thing.
I never got the chance to meet one of my grandfathers, but I would have given anything to have journals of his to read. They don’t exist, so my connection to him is vague and defined by what people who knew them tell me. I want to be able to pass down everything I learn in life in a tangible manner, so that those who never knew me can still learn from my mistakes.
Consider doing this for a month to see what happens. It takes about ten minutes in the morning and ten at night, and all you need to do is just be honest with yourself on paper.
You never know where it could lead you.
Fantastic!