Do You Journal?

THIS is how you can start | Wisdom Letter 263

Sep 22, 2024

Journaling by far has been the most impactful daily habit I’ve built over the years.

I’ve been journaling on and off for more than 6 years now. I used to do it a lot in the initial few years when I had just started. Every day, without breaking the streak.

Since I started publishing a lot more online, my journaling habit has slowed down a bit, now I write more publicly than privately.

But even now I do sometimes write in my journal, and every time I do it, its an amazing experience.

Benefits of Journaling

I do morning pages style journaling - free writing just after waking up, just getting my stream of consciousness out on paper (or screen)

Do this for 15 minutes a day and I feel so much lighter.

I have more clarity, focus towards my tasks, and also am able to “see” my thoughts more vividly.

I highly recommend morning pages or stream of consciousness journaling to all my friends.

(There are other types of journaling you can do for different purposes like gratitude journaling, bullet journaling, dream journaling etc. I’ll share more about them in coming weeks)

How to Implement a Journaling Habit

Choose a medium: Decide whether you prefer writing in a physical notebook or using a digital app.
1. I prefer digital, have tried many apps over the years, I use Obsidian these days.
2. If you’re on Mac or iPad there’s a great app called Day One.
3. If you need some gamification, there’s a website called 750words.com which is amazing.
Set a consistent time: Aim to journal at the same time each day, preferably in the morning or before bed.
Start small: Begin with just 5-10 minutes of writing.
Use prompts: If you're unsure what to write about, use reflection prompts like:
- What am I grateful for today?
- What challenged me today and how did I handle it?
- What's one thing I learned or realized today?
- How am I feeling right now and why?
Be honest: Write for yourself, not for an audience. Be completely honest in your reflections.
Don't edit: Let your thoughts flow freely without worrying about grammar or structure.
Review periodically: Look back on your entries every few weeks to identify patterns and track your growth.
1. These days I dump my journal entries into an LLM and let it find patterns in it. I use Elephas for this. (my own product :) )

Common Objections to Journaling: Reasons you will say NO

Lack of time: Start with just 5 minutes a day and gradually increase.
Inconsistency: Link journaling to an existing habit, like having your morning coffee. And its okay if you miss a day, just don’t miss 2 in a row :)
Not knowing what to write: Use guided journals or apps with built-in prompts.
Fear of privacy invasion: Keep your journal in a secure place or use a password-protected digital app.

Journaling Challenge

Here’s my challenge to you -

Commit to journaling for 10 minutes every day for the next week. At the end of the week, review your entries and note any insights or patterns you've discovered about yourself.

Share one key insight (without revealing personal details) with a friend or with me (reply here)

🤗 How can we help?

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That’s it for today.

See you next week 👋

We’ll be back with more interesting notes, highlights and curations.

Cheers,

Ayush & Aditi

The Wisdom Project

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