Recently, I had this interesting conversation with @glecerioberto about journaling. In his reply, he mentioned that he prefers good ol’ journaling with a pen and paper. Like him, I love journaling, both digital and the good ol one. I often journal before bed but in the past, it was before I started my day. This conversation led me to the times when I was at the co-working space in Bali. Almost everyday, I saw at least a few people with a journal and a pen in their hand, scribbling something. When I asked some people that I know, they told me that they were journaling. According to them, journaling helps them reflect and make decisions for the future. And I couldn’t agree more.
I’ve been journaling since I was in elementary school but it was more like a dear diary kind of thing. As I grow older, it is filled with my hope, wishes, and the struggle that I am going through. So, I sort of had an account of how my life was in the past. It helps me reflect as well as to if I am progressing or regressing.
When I was in university, I adored Tim Ferris as much as I loved Gary Vee. Tim Ferriss habit was something that I tried to mimic and implement in my life. He was into journaling as well and has this famous journal called the five minutes journaling a la tim ferris. At some point, I also heard him and learned a term called monkey mind. So basically, in his journal he included things that he’s grateful about, what would make the day great etc. For more you can watch it in this video How Tim Ferriss does the Five Minute Journal. In short, his journal ideas are something that I implemented in my life for quite a while. However, after I got used to journaling, I had my own ways to journal.
Nowadays, I just write whatever I had in mind but also include the things I am most grateful about.By doing this it actually lifts my mood and makes me positive about my day. On days when I feel crappy about my lack of accomplishment, knowing that I am grateful for something as simple as breathing creates a huge difference in my day.
Journaling also helps me track my accomplishments and manifest my dreams. For some reason, I’d like to believe there’s something called the law of attraction. It's woo-woo stuff to my logical and rational mind but I keep seeing things that I wish to have become reality. Even last year alone, 5 out 10 things I wanted have become a reality. Perhaps by writing it down, we are also telling the universe about it? I don’t know. Have you ever had such an experience?
Journaling is also common among those who are successful. I don’t know why but I’ve met people that I consider successful in my life who do journals. Though it’s not as extensive as many others, at least they keep some sort of note about their life, and mundane things that they do not talk about in public. In my opinion, perhaps this relates to venting out frustration so that once they go out there, they can make more rational and sound decisions as they left the emotional side in their private journal.
Journaling also helps me cope with my struggles. As I found tremendous help from journaling and how it healed me. I told my mom to do the same. I’ve been seeing her more grounded and more accepting ever since she journal her thoughts and write about her “Why(s)”. Sometimes I find some scribbles laying around my working table and it melts my heart. Overtime, I can see her progress towards healing which was wholesome to witness.
Journaling is a great way to find ideas too. If you are a content creator, blogger, writer, sometimes by journaling we have a tangible way to recount the things that may be interesting for others. I carry my journal everywhere with me and I like to write keywords of my travel experiences or even my day. These keywords sometimes help me formulate what I want to write in my blog especially when I am running out of ideas. Do you use journaling as a way to store ideas too?
With all the tremendous benefits of journaling, no wonder that even high performers advocate doing that. I saw the benefits myself and I think if you haven’t started, you’ve got to feel the magic from journaling. Let me know in the comment section about your journaling experience!
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 | Mac is a jack of all trades. A typical introvert in love with literature, books, technology and philosophy. She is also into nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated. |
Having a personal journal is great and it is exactly as you describe it. I have had a private blog on Blogspot since 2010: there I wrote my teenage adventures every day, everyone could read it. But progressively it became my intimate place, I made it personal and now only I can read it. When I need to download my thoughts I go there and I also read the things I wrote a long time ago: I like to see how my situation has improved, or not 😂. It is a great way to see our personal development.
I also believe in the law of attraction, in the universe, materializing thoughts and all that. You know, when I joined Hive one of my first posts was about my desire to get to know Argentina and I put it here. I didn't even imagine that thanks to this same platform that would be happening now. I like to think I intended it and it happened. I am also a logical and rational person, but I like to believe in the truth of these invisible energies 😅.
I used blogspot too until they became obsolete. I am not sure if they still exist because at some point, I moved to wordpress. I am so happy that your situation has improved and that now you're in Argentina. You're also traveling a lot more and discovering the country too. So, maybe after all, that law of attraction works 😃
Journaling has so many benefits! Personally, it helps me unload my thoughts and better process my (usually negative) experiences. I also use my journal to update my dreams and my goals. I'm also a believer in the Law of Attraction and it's a surprising experience to flip through the goals and dreams you've written and realize that some of them have come true.
My girlfriend keeps a bullet journal but I find that it takes a lot of effort to maintain and update it. I want a more freeform journal although I read the book Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams to find more ideas on what to write and how to write journal entries.
I am so glad to read that journaling helps many people manifest their dream and making it reality. I haven't read that book yet, it seems interesting and I wonder what would be the difference between her method and tim ferris.
I sometimes do journaling most especially when emotions are too high — and everytime I've done it, I always feel that I unloaded a lot of emotional burden. In times of joy and whenever I really feel elated, I do also write. Even if I didn't do it in a daily basis, I still find it very helpful to go back those memories.
I find the old school one very therapeutic. Right now, I maintain a personal diary app in the phone because of it's portability. I get to re-read them easily.
I hope I can frequently do journaling, even on just some regular days.
A personal diary app is helpful too but sometimes I can't type too much on my phone. So, what I use is notetaking apps that are crossplatform that can be synchronized with my laptop. Some days, I don't really write much, only a few sentences sometimes even 2 when I am too lazy to write. Thanks for sharing your experience with journaling!
Mi esposo, quien también se llama Gary (@garybilbao), siempre me está diciendo que escriba un diario. Aunque no llevo uno si he escrito de vez en cuando cosas que tengo atormentandome. Cuando lo hago me siento mejor. Esos beneficios que dices me gustaría experimentarlos. Si me animo a hacerlo te mencionaré como esa persona que me animó con su post a llevar uno. Me gustó tu publicación y como nos cuantas tu experiencia. Saludos.
¡Gracias por leer mi publicación y espero que esto pueda inspirarte!
My Journal is my offline version of Hive. hahahha. I love writing my thoughts and emotions. Just like you, I use journaling to process my healing and share my struggles. Great write up Mac!
hahah yeah! same thing. I am happy that you find this interesting & happy to read others get huge benefits from it.
Just right now, I finished writing the things I am grateful for. Ahahahah
This is a very interesting read actually, it makes me realize that pen and paper works better for me. I journal a lot in digital form, especially on my phone just before bed. But I always happen to lose them.
Like now, I took my phone for repairs and they wiped out everything. I'm very sure I didn't have my notes backed up. The same has happened with every phone I have used in the past. I keep losing memories.
Yet I still have my physical journal from 14 years ago with me. Also the one from 4 years ago, although not consistently used because that's when I transitioned to digital journaling fully.
I should stop deceiving myself and get an actual journal this time.
Yep! Happened to me.
I used to backup everything I have online on evernote or similar apps especially for my digital journal. I opt this because just in case I lost my phone it'll still be somewhere. For me, a notebook like that usually sticks for 2 years which is nice because I don't have to buy them constantly 🤣. It's awesome to hear that manifesting what you want including writing it down can make it happen!
A journal is a great way to organize and clarify your thoughts, and as you mentioned, put out to the universe what you want to attract into your life. My negative journal entries always resulted in unhappy life experiences, but when my writings became more positive, it was reflected in my life.
That's another interesting experiment with journaling. I write only a few negative entries that I always include the possible resolution to it. But you're right, when the entries is more positive, somehow it can be reflected into our life too.
I was journaling in elementary school! Unfortunately my older brother found it and learned all my unfulfilled pre-adolescent loves! Haha. This was traumatic and then I did not continue! Maybe it's my fault that I read that many great people in history did not leave writing (Socrates, Jesus and others), so I saw it as futile
oh no! I get it that sometime traumatic events led us to stop doing things we once loved. Also yes, there are also great people who didn't leave writings that I wished they were; instead, we get to hear it from their disciples who wrote it 😃
I am a huge fan of keeping a journal. It's been an invaluable tool for tracking growth and progress, and seeing change in myself.
No doubt! when the going gets tough, the journal helps us to keep going 😄.
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So sad for me, I don't have a journal and I'm not even sure I can keep up with one but from what you've written about having a journal, I think I'd consider it.
Shockingly to me, I just found out that there are many benefits of having a journal. Keeping track of how fast or slow we are moving is really necessary and important to track our growth.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful idea with me.
Just give it a try and if you don't like it,drop it!
Sure I will give it a try. Thanks for the advice 🤗🤗.
Monkey mind is a Buddhist idea, referring to our internal dialog, or in other words the monkey in our heads that never shuts up. Is that how he was using the term?
I'm not sure if I could do just a 5 minute journal 😳 I spend 5 minutes just on my first sentence. haha
Yeah! that's how he was using the term. I think he has a degree in Asian history or something. Many of his practices and habits also stem from Buddhism. Thanks for checking this out and sorry took a while to get back here 😂 the weekend is always chaotic.
Super nice article of you @macchiata !
I bookmarked it few days ago and and I have just read it now ! I'm already convinced by journaling. Can't go to bed without writing at least a line, but for ideas, as they fly away too quickly if you don't grasp them in the moment !
I've been doing this every day for almost fifteen years and I can't even imagine how I would do without it ! I'll post an article here every hour ^^ haha
thanks you for sharing 🌟
You're right about ideas flying away quickly if it's not noted or written down(at least for me). It's also awesome that you've been journaling for that long! Do you still keep all the journals? what do you do after you run out of pages in a journal?
of course, I kept them all ! personal archives :)
I just start for a new one ! I bought a lot of same size and shape journal, tend to prefer average one, those you can put in your jacket's pocket...
I've recently organized all the different pieces around a nomanclature, it's quite efficient to see directly if it's a poem, an idea, or the piece of a character !
thanks for your reply, have a good evening !
Actually, I was thinking how to store mine that's why I asked. I have about a few by now and yours is a good idea to do that. Thanks for this awesome tips!
Ah, you mean digital storage ? for the material aspect, I put them in a big wooden box... sometimes I open on and read few lines, but I always thought to read them all if I start to loose memory! but my really first so-called “goal” was to imagine my grandchildren opening the big crate haha !