On Journalling

I've been journaling every day now for almost a month and it's been one of the gratifying habits I've ever practiced. I wanted to highlight three different ways that journalling every day has been changing my life.

Comfort

"Paper is more patient than people, we should put our angry thoughts down on the page, leave them there. Rather than projecting them, or hurting others with them.’ - Anne Frank

I've found the pages of my journal to be a great source of comfort - especially during this stressful pandemic. Friends & family can get tired of you saying the same thing over and over again, whereas journals do not. We all are experiencing different things and emotions right now - write them down in your journal and write them down truthfully - you don't have to impress it.

Reflection

"The unexamined life is not worth living" - Socrates

You can't bullshit yourself in your own journal. Doing morning and evening pages every day forces you to examine your life - and also examine your life truthfully. We've all gone through stages where the days blend together and I've found that the simple act of reflecting every day is a great way to keep track of your life and where you were at different points. Sometimes you can’t even recognize yourself from old entries.

Growth

"When you have to use your energy to put those words down, you are more apt to make them count." - Raymond Chandler

When you journal every day, you see yourself grow write before your eyes (write haha). Using journaling to make sure you complete tasks and keeping yourself accountable is probably the most helpful aspect. Using my journal to keep myself accountable to the tasks and habits that I need to accomplish throughout the day forces me into growth and also helps me dissect the things that I am getting right so I can continue implementing them in the future.

In conclusion:

"Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter. And lead pencil's markings endure longer than memory." - Jack London