How/why you should journal daily

"Journaling"  is the most effective form of personal growth. 

But most people who claim to journal daily, don't. 

And 99% of those who actually do, do it wrong.

See, Journaling isn't writing the next day's to-do list that you personally don't give two fucks about or even care to tick them done at the end of the day. 

It's about getting every clutter out of your head and coming up with better solutions to lead and improve your life. 

Hence why it's a form of personal growth. 

Think of it like organising yours thoughts on paper so you can have a clear, calm and collected mind. 

Done right, it resembles meditation. 

Let me illustrate that... 

Here is what everyone thinks Journaling entails: 

"Johnny wakes up early. He performs his morning rituals. Among the tasks in this morning ritual is Journaling. So, what does Johnny do? He sits down on his desk to do exactly that -- journal. He checks his to-do list that he wrote last night. Affirms to himself that he'll actually do them today. He then scrimbles some usual cliché gratitude nonsense like, 'grateful to be alive, safe and not starving.' Closes his Journal to go about his day. Later that evening, he sits down to do the usual -- he he writes down the best and the worst thing that happened that day. He closes the journal again and goes to bed, thinking how, 7 years from now, he'll look back to his journal and be proud of how far he's come. Voila!!" 

Now, here is how I think Journaling should be done: 

But before i show you how, a disclaimer; 

I don't care what time you wake up or the time you do your Journaling for that matter. Journaling should be done anytime you feel like it. As long as you make it a regular thing. 

As for credibility... 

Skin in the game. 

I have journaled almost daily in the last two years and that is long enough to spit out some wisdom on the same, how I do it best and most importantly, why my methods works. 

That being said, let's roll, shall we? 

Right... 

Let's take Ruby as our character... 

"Ruby wakes up one morning happy, and the first thing she does is a journal entry, just like our mutual friend Johnny. So what does she enter in her journal? You probably guessed it right...Happy memories -- hopefully 2030 good ole days. But she doesn't stop there. The next thing that follows is a question of judgment. 'What did I do the night before that made me happier this morning?' What can I replicate the following morning? If the trend continues, she creates a "happiness vibes" system so she can do it forever without much of an effort. The opposite is true for sad/dull mornings (...or any scenario for that matter) Later that day, she, like Johnny, asks the most obvious questions: What is the best and the worst thing that happened to me today? But she doesn't stop there, she goes ahead and asks the most IMPORTANT questions...How can I make sure I get more of the best things and less of the bad things? Sometimes, these most crucial but often missed questions are tough for Ruby. So, she contemplates them on a 10 minutes night walk. Works like charm!" 

You might ask, what about a to-do list?

(To-do list and the likes of affirmations and morning manifesto are an extra. Do them if you want.) 

Now, for Johnny, journaling is just a routine like any other. 

For Ruby, journaling is a form of personal growth.

Its not just dumpimg clutter on a piece of paper, its building a clear, calm and collected mind. And you know what that means? Its means your quality of life improves. That's the end-goal of daily journaling -- wrestling with your mind, thinking through problems, coming up with to-be tested solutions and offcourse freezed memories for the good ole days. 

Sure, it sounds like a lot of time but it only takes 30 minutes. (Including a 10 minutes walk) 

Try comparing Ruby and Johnny 5 years from now -- big difference!

Journaling is not to be underestimated, ask Ruby...

Make it a regular habit. 

P.S 

Johnny represents who I was two years ago, while Ruby reflects my current self as I write this.

Ruby on the other hand is the upgraded version of Johnny—think of it as a massive “software” upgrade. 

P.P.S. 

If you are finding it hard to journal consistently, then build a public journal. 

Highly recommend Substack. 

You will not only be consistent but you'll also be accountable for your growing audience. Plus the quality of your writing improves a great deal as this time you aren't just doing it for yourself, you are doing for public. 

August Lamm does it best. Check her Substack here... https://augustlamm.substack.com/ 

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I hope this helps! 

Talk soon, 

Dennis