The Habit of Journaling Daily

 

“Exploring the thought process through visual journaling is essential in a world that is in continuous change.”_Michael Bell

 

I recently read the words of Hal Elrod, the author of a great book, ‘the Miracle Morning’ on the importance of journaling.

His words highlight the importance of a useful habit of reflecting on our lives, writing it down and reviewing it regularly.

Hal says: “Journaling has become one of the most gratifying and fulfilling practices of my life. Not only do I derive the daily benefits of consciously directing my thoughts and putting them in writing, but even more powerful are those I have gained from reviewing my journals.”

Like me, if you are still struggling to make journaling a permanent habit, this article might prod you to make a necessary change in the positive direction.  

Now, there are many benefits that could be derived from journaling but I want to focus on just one of those benefits in this article.

And it is this: Journaling helps trackers track their progress and course-correct quickly as soon as they notice they are getting off track. This exercise is one of the tools that enables front-runners stay more consistent and nimble than everyone else.

In the words of an award-winning artist, Kay WalkingStick: 

“Journaling organizes your thoughts; allows you to see things in a concrete way that otherwise you might not see.”

By writing things down and going through them over and over, it easier to clearly notice an area that’s working and other areas that need more attention. 

An English business magnate, Richard Branson even said he couldn't have built his business empire without the help of a notebook and pen.

 

 Simplify the Practice

 

If you haven't been able to make journaling a habit in a long time, I think the following tip can help you get started today. I read it in the book entitled: ‘Essentialism’ written by Greg Mckeown.

Greg says if we want to overcome our ineptitude towards the good habit of journaling, we should start by writing a few lines at the exact same time— every day.

In other words, we need to anchor the practice after an already established habit and then write a lot less than we feel like writing at the moment.

On writing less, a French novelist, George Sand had this to say: “Writing a journal means facing your ocean, you are afraid to swim across it, so you (should) attempt to drink it drop by drop.”

Remember, when people take a hard road in the formation of good habits, failure is usually inevitable. But when we make the process easy and attractive, it is much more likely to stick. This is true for journaling as well as for any useful habit.

So, replace the difficult route with a smart way, and get going today.