or, The Many Ways Journalling Can Help You Find, Keep, and Develop Your Great Ideas - Journalling isn't just a way to record your ideas - it's also a space to develop them.
Interesting and fitting article. I read my old journals after NYE (from 2020, 21 and 22) and was sad to see I journaled less and less, so I started again. It's just short notes on the day.
The key is somehow to make it a habit and I still struggle with it.
I find that time is always a factor too -- sometimes, we're in a rush at the beginning of the day or we're tired at the end of one. Daily is great, but it's one of those things that sometimes Life gets in the way of...
Sounds like journalling works for you in general though! New Year's is a great time to reflect.
Journalling is also a way to "brain dump" - clear all the writing and non-writing thoughts to make a clear pathway for creative work. No one needs to see those journals... (grocery lists, complaints about the MIL, angsty analysis of why-do-I-have-writer's-block, plot ideas that go nowhere on one or many projects, a short poem, affirmations, responses to critique, processing of goals, etc.) Get it out and get on... but feel free to burn them after. The reason all those things can be purged is the very fact that no one will see it.
That's a great point - never thought of the whole brain dump thing to cleanse the mental palate...! And I'd forgotten the whole "burn after writing" thing too -- another great reason to journal. Thanks Jean E!
I do not journal, and I’ve always found the concept a bit bewildering. I don’t enjoy writing by hand, so that’s out, and I find that when I write it is with an end in mind, not just to “play.” I jot down notes from time to time, in either Google Keep or in a Google Doc, and if I keep coming back to it, I know it’s got me. Mostly I chase ideas around in my head. I notice, Graham, that you don’t say much about your own journal ... do you have one? What’s your practice?
No, I'm not a journaller either (if that's a word -- it is now... lol). I've tried, but I just can't be bothered. So much I probably missed, especially during my travels. But then, when I'm travelling, I'm usually going, going, going until I fall asleep. Most travels lately have been renting cars and driving, so I don't even have the downtime of train rides anymore...
If I did these days, it would probably be into a laptop. I don't mind writing by hand, but it is SO much slower. And, harder to read later... lol
Journaling is empowered even further by the right prompts that make you think in positive ways.
Yes, like gratitude journalling. I've always thought this could be combined with regular journalling -- why not do double (or triple) duty?
Interesting and fitting article. I read my old journals after NYE (from 2020, 21 and 22) and was sad to see I journaled less and less, so I started again. It's just short notes on the day.
The key is somehow to make it a habit and I still struggle with it.
I find that time is always a factor too -- sometimes, we're in a rush at the beginning of the day or we're tired at the end of one. Daily is great, but it's one of those things that sometimes Life gets in the way of...
Sounds like journalling works for you in general though! New Year's is a great time to reflect.
Journalling is also a way to "brain dump" - clear all the writing and non-writing thoughts to make a clear pathway for creative work. No one needs to see those journals... (grocery lists, complaints about the MIL, angsty analysis of why-do-I-have-writer's-block, plot ideas that go nowhere on one or many projects, a short poem, affirmations, responses to critique, processing of goals, etc.) Get it out and get on... but feel free to burn them after. The reason all those things can be purged is the very fact that no one will see it.
That's a great point - never thought of the whole brain dump thing to cleanse the mental palate...! And I'd forgotten the whole "burn after writing" thing too -- another great reason to journal. Thanks Jean E!
I do not journal, and I’ve always found the concept a bit bewildering. I don’t enjoy writing by hand, so that’s out, and I find that when I write it is with an end in mind, not just to “play.” I jot down notes from time to time, in either Google Keep or in a Google Doc, and if I keep coming back to it, I know it’s got me. Mostly I chase ideas around in my head. I notice, Graham, that you don’t say much about your own journal ... do you have one? What’s your practice?
No, I'm not a journaller either (if that's a word -- it is now... lol). I've tried, but I just can't be bothered. So much I probably missed, especially during my travels. But then, when I'm travelling, I'm usually going, going, going until I fall asleep. Most travels lately have been renting cars and driving, so I don't even have the downtime of train rides anymore...
If I did these days, it would probably be into a laptop. I don't mind writing by hand, but it is SO much slower. And, harder to read later... lol
TY for covering this topic! And definitely Yes! Journaling is a brilliant tool and it is free:))
It is a great tool for a lot of things, and as you point out, costs nothing at all. Lots of people find it highly useful!