How do you journal ?

[Sofiawicz]

I would be interested to know whether people on this forum have a journaling habit and if so, how they execute it. Indeed, many people out there preach about journaling being a key habit for personal development, idea creation and keeping your head straight. I couldn't find any thread on this topic although I could see many people talk about the habit in separate threads (positively or negatively).

So:

• At what frequency do you journal ? Daily, weekly, monthly or from time to time, when the need arises ?
• How do you journal ? Pen and paper, audio, digital (computer/phone), any combination ?
• Do you write about your day / business/KPIs focused / gratitude / ...? Any specific template you follow ?
• Have you felt a change, a benefit out of this activity ? Perhaps it helps you to focus, to structure your thoughts, increase self-confidence or perhaps it helps you to improve your writing (or speaking) skills ?

My way:

• I used to journal every day but it is getting less and less. It bothers me. I now mainly journal when the need arises, i.e. my thoughts are too loud or confused.
• I am a pen and paper person, could never get used to the digital kind of journaling (I feel my screen time is long enough already and didn't like the dependency to technology in the past). That being said, I am currently testing the audio journaling and I kind of enjoy it. Good that it does not bother people nowadays if you talk to yourself in the street If I continue this route, I will need to develop a solution on how to merge audio & pen and paper... I love physical notebooks too much not to use them anymore.
• I talk about my days and thoughts but write about goals in my private life and work related KPIs.
• I feel lighter and remember things better when I journal then when I don't. Besides, it is kind of a measurement stick created for the future. If I ramble too much about one topic (wanting to take something up, change my relationship with somebody,...) I cannot lie to myself about the issue or how much time it takes away..

Looking forward to see your answers!

 

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[random_username]

I would be interested to know whether people on this forum have a journaling habit and if so, how they execute it. Indeed, many people out there preach about journaling being a key habit for personal development, idea creation and keeping your head straight. I couldn't find any thread on this topic although I could see many people talk about the habit in separate threads (positively or negatively).

So:

• At what frequency do you journal ? Daily, weekly, monthly or from time to time, when the need arises ?
• How do you journal ? Pen and paper, audio, digital (computer/phone), any combination ?
• Do you write about your day / business/KPIs focused / gratitude / ...? Any specific template you follow ?
• Have you felt a change, a benefit out of this activity ? Perhaps it helps you to focus, to structure your thoughts, increase self-confidence or perhaps it helps you to improve your writing (or speaking) skills ?

My way:

• I used to journal every day but it is getting less and less. It bothers me. I now mainly journal when the need arises, i.e. my thoughts are too loud or confused.
• I am a pen and paper person, could never get used to the digital kind of journaling (I feel my screen time is long enough already and didn't like the dependency to technology in the past). That being said, I am currently testing the audio journaling and I kind of enjoy it. Good that it does not bother people nowadays if you talk to yourself in the street If I continue this route, I will need to develop a solution on how to merge audio & pen and paper... I love physical notebooks too much not to use them anymore.
• I talk about my days and thoughts but write about goals in my private life and work related KPIs.
• I feel lighter and remember things better when I journal then when I don't. Besides, it is kind of a measurement stick created for the future. If I ramble too much about one topic (wanting to take something up, change my relationship with somebody,...) I cannot lie to myself about the issue or how much time it takes away..

Looking forward to see your answers!

I write daily using Obsidian. I don't have any complicated structure, I just write things I'm grateful for and then write out all the bullshit I want to get out of my head. I used to write 3 things I would do that day, but now I do that the night before. Sometimes I feel like I took a good quality shit. Most of the time it's just a chore I do every morning for 15 minutes. Depending on the period, I sometimes force myself to write 15 minutes daily to get everything out. I think of that like squeezing a shit. I try to get it all out there, whatever it may be, as honest as I can be.

Best effects, at least for me, are always with some distance. That could be later in the day, or when I browse my notes at random. When I see all the stupid shit that passes through your head, and how actually stupid I am every day. It also forces me to accept my actual thoughts that I have every day, instead of distorting my memory of it.

 

[Sofiawicz]

Best effects, at least for me, are always with some distance. That could be later in the day, or when I browse my notes at random. When I see all the stupid shit that passes through your head, and how actually stupid I am every day. It also forces me to accept my actual thoughts that I have every day, instead of distorting my memory of it.

Yes, I realized the same. There is nothing better to insure that you are not lying to yourself. And it makes you realize how much you actually do lie to yourself (or forget about things?)...

 

[EMH]

I would be interested to know whether people on this forum have a journaling habit and if so, how they execute it. Indeed, many people out there preach about journaling being a key habit for personal development, idea creation and keeping your head straight. I couldn't find any thread on this topic although I could see many people talk about the habit in separate threads (positively or negatively).

So:

• At what frequency do you journal ? Daily, weekly, monthly or from time to time, when the need arises ?
• How do you journal ? Pen and paper, audio, digital (computer/phone), any combination ?
• Do you write about your day / business/KPIs focused / gratitude / ...? Any specific template you follow ?
• Have you felt a change, a benefit out of this activity ? Perhaps it helps you to focus, to structure your thoughts, increase self-confidence or perhaps it helps you to improve your writing (or speaking) skills ?

My way:

• I used to journal every day but it is getting less and less. It bothers me. I now mainly journal when the need arises, i.e. my thoughts are too loud or confused.
• I am a pen and paper person, could never get used to the digital kind of journaling (I feel my screen time is long enough already and didn't like the dependency to technology in the past). That being said, I am currently testing the audio journaling and I kind of enjoy it. Good that it does not bother people nowadays if you talk to yourself in the street If I continue this route, I will need to develop a solution on how to merge audio & pen and paper... I love physical notebooks too much not to use them anymore.
• I talk about my days and thoughts but write about goals in my private life and work related KPIs.
• I feel lighter and remember things better when I journal then when I don't. Besides, it is kind of a measurement stick created for the future. If I ramble too much about one topic (wanting to take something up, change my relationship with somebody,...) I cannot lie to myself about the issue or how much time it takes away..

Looking forward to see your answers!

Hi Sofiawicz

Currently I journal pretty much every day and have tried many different approaches but this is what is currently working:

In a spiral note book and with a pen

• I like to just write out "Action Plan" on the top left and the date on the top right.
• About three or so critical tasks that must get done which are focused around my side hustle (example: find and import 20 new leads in my cold email campaign for web design and development services).
• Below this I like to write out what I will be doing for Exercise, Reading, and general Health for the day
  • Exercise: go for a 20 minute walk in the morning before starting work
  • Reading: read next chapter in current sales book
  • Health: drink plenty or water, eat good food, don't forget to take allergy pill
• Under that I brainstorm 10 goals (these can change from day to do day but really gets me thinking and focused)
• Then write out 3 things I am currently grateful for in my life (big or small, no wrong answers here!)
• Finally, as a form of self coaching, a blank section with the following question "What did I really do today that matters?" which I answer at the end of my day.

-Edward

 

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[Antifragile]

I write daily using Obsidian.

Same here. Love Obsidian.

But not "journaling" the way most people think.

I use it as part of "Slip Box" a method of note taking.

The Slip Box method, also known as the Zettelkasten, is a powerful note-taking and knowledge management system that was developed by German sociologist and philosopher Niklas Luhmann. This method encourages the creation of individual notes, each containing a single idea or piece of information, which are then linked together to form a network of interconnected concepts.

To implement the Slip Box method effectively:

1. Fleeting Notes: Write down your ideas, thoughts, and observations. These are temporary and will be processed later.
2. Literature Notes: While reading, make brief notes on the content you wish to remember, including the source for later reference.
3. Permanent Notes: Create a summary or your own interpretation of the fleeting and literature notes, making each note self-contained, permanent, and concise. Like writing for someone else.
4. Link and Organize: Connect related notes to each other and use tags or keywords to categorize them. This can be done digitally in Obsidian with little to no effort.
5. Review and Expand: Regularly revisit and revise your notes, adding new connections and insights as your knowledge grows.

This isn't a "journal" but rather another spot for my own ideas to mingle and create new ideas, the connections, concepts. It's great for creativity.

I love the fact that you can create a personal knowledge base that supports creative and critical thinking, and aids in the development of new ideas and insights. It's helpful for me personally and for my business.

 

[S.Y.]

Same here. Love Obsidian.

But not "journaling" the way most people think.

I use it as part of "Slip Box" a method of note taking.

The Slip Box method, also known as the Zettelkasten, is a powerful note-taking and knowledge management system that was developed by German sociologist and philosopher Niklas Luhmann. This method encourages the creation of individual notes, each containing a single idea or piece of information, which are then linked together to form a network of interconnected concepts.

To implement the Slip Box method effectively:

1. Fleeting Notes: Write down your ideas, thoughts, and observations. These are temporary and will be processed later.
2. Literature Notes: While reading, make brief notes on the content you wish to remember, including the source for later reference.
3. Permanent Notes: Create a summary or your own interpretation of the fleeting and literature notes, making each note self-contained, permanent, and concise. Like writing for someone else.
4. Link and Organize: Connect related notes to each other and use tags or keywords to categorize them. This can be done digitally in Obsidian with little to no effort.
5. Review and Expand: Regularly revisit and revise your notes, adding new connections and insights as your knowledge grows.

This isn't a "journal" but rather another spot for my own ideas to mingle and create new ideas, the connections, concepts. It's great for creativity.

I love the fact that you can create a personal knowledge base that supports creative and critical thinking, and aids in the development of new ideas and insights. It's helpful for me personally and for my business.

Ah. That is interesting. I have a similar approach for things I want to understand, distilling idea to their core aiming for one idea per note. I started with zettlekasten but find mindself capturing ideas just to capture them. Canvas is what I live in.

As for journaling, it depends:
- I carry a slim pocket notebook to jot down things I want to capture. Nothing complicated, just getting the essence down. Life changing
- if I want to process an emotional events, I have a bigger notebook for that. I will tend to write about the same topic over few days (Pennebaker method)
- I am experimenting with one daily approach for seeing and capturing problems to solve. More do come.
- I am trying to do more negative visualization type of meditation. Being inconsistent with that

 

[random_username]

Same here. Love Obsidian.

But not "journaling" the way most people think.

I use it as part of "Slip Box" a method of note taking.

The Slip Box method, also known as the Zettelkasten, is a powerful note-taking and knowledge management system that was developed by German sociologist and philosopher Niklas Luhmann. This method encourages the creation of individual notes, each containing a single idea or piece of information, which are then linked together to form a network of interconnected concepts.

To implement the Slip Box method effectively:

1. Fleeting Notes: Write down your ideas, thoughts, and observations. These are temporary and will be processed later.
2. Literature Notes: While reading, make brief notes on the content you wish to remember, including the source for later reference.
3. Permanent Notes: Create a summary or your own interpretation of the fleeting and literature notes, making each note self-contained, permanent, and concise. Like writing for someone else.
4. Link and Organize: Connect related notes to each other and use tags or keywords to categorize them. This can be done digitally in Obsidian with little to no effort.
5. Review and Expand: Regularly revisit and revise your notes, adding new connections and insights as your knowledge grows.

This isn't a "journal" but rather another spot for my own ideas to mingle and create new ideas, the connections, concepts. It's great for creativity.

I love the fact that you can create a personal knowledge base that supports creative and critical thinking, and aids in the development of new ideas and insights. It's helpful for me personally and for my business.

Yeah I went through that phase shortly, but ended up doing moving away from it because it annoyed me too much. I will never go back to any top down system ever again. I'm doing my hacky version of a private digital garden. I just write daily and whenever something pops up. Once a week, when I'm doing my regular routine, I trim and sort it, or not. I made my own plugin to help me find unconnected, unsorted, oldest and random notes. I love this system because I just throw shit in there, like people actually thinkg about things. It's a proper bottom up system that I can always improve, so it doesn't matter if some things are overgrown, I will trim it later, as long as I can easily find something I need. Instead of a rigid top down hierarchy in which I can never find anything, and break easily. I just wish they fix graphs at some point.

 

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[StrikingViper69]

A5 notebook.

I have my list of tasks for the day on the right page. Tasks are allocated the night before at the latest.

If I have an important observation or need to make notes, that goes on the left page.

Most journaling is a waste of time, “business busy work”. It belongs in the list of morning routine BS that people use to avoid doing work.

By all means do it if you want, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re being productive.

 

[Sofiawicz]

The Slip Box method, also known as the Zettelkasten, is a powerful note-taking and knowledge management system that was developed by German sociologist and philosopher Niklas Luhmann. This method encourages the creation of individual notes, each containing a single idea or piece of information, which are then linked together to form a network of interconnected concepts.

Thanks for pointing that one out, I had never heard of it, will definitely be looking into it. My challenge is and has always been the organisation of thoughts, ideas and tasks. It is difficult to keep them apart at times. I am also currently using Amplenote for all notes and tasks related topics - no journaling about my life there, though. It's quite good for all task oriented thoughts, it allows to capture it super fast, work on them and drag and drop into your calendar to ensure you will actually work on them.

- I carry a slim pocket notebook to jot down things I want to capture. Nothing complicated, just getting the essence down. Life changing

Yes I have a small one too for that purpose. But it's so unorganised, an outsider wouldn't get a thing out of it (and sometimes even I don't know what I was talking about ). Didn't know the Pennebaker method...

Once a week, when I'm doing my regular routine, I trim and sort it, or not. I made my own plugin to help me find unconnected, unsorted, oldest and random notes. I love this system because I just throw shit in there, like people actually thinkg about things.

Can you elaborate on what your plugin does exactly ? Sounds interesting - of course I kind of do the same (if I udnerstood it well) with my notebooks - I sometimes just open one randomly and enjoy (or not) each word of what my past self was thinking about.

Most journaling is a waste of time, “business busy work”. It belongs in the list of morning routine BS that people use to avoid doing work.

By all means do it if you want, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re being productive.

For me journaling has two purposes:
1) helping me figuring out what to do in structuring my thoughts, i.e. it ultimately support me in leading a meaningful life; and
2) making me realize how far I have come or how stuck I am, i.e. remind myself that I have been leading (or try to lead) a meaningful life.

Regarding nr 2) I am truly amazed about how much I forget about the past. Most recently, I gave birth to my second child and was depressed about how though the first months are. Well, it's good I journaled about the first time because it made me realize that it actually was not easy the first time around either (strange times in the middle of the lockdown in January, when the climate is cold and grey around here). Plus, when I look at our eldest now, I can really see the difference and how much easier it gets with time and that gives me strength in the present.

... I would argue that there is something in journaling that helps to be productive. But even if I am wrong about that I don't mind, I don't believe we need to be productive in everything we do - do you ?

 

[random_username]

Can you elaborate on what your plugin does exactly ? Sounds interesting - of course I kind of do the same (if I udnerstood it well) with my notebooks - I sometimes just open one randomly and enjoy (or not) each word of what my past self was thinking about.

I simply add stuff when I need it. Daily journals and weekly reviews go into Calendar dir, new notes that are added by default to Inbox dir, and everything that I consider handled goes into Atlas dir. I have few maps of contents, nothing special, it was inspired by Linking your thinking guy. Plugin just helps me find the weeds to trim, if I didn't have the plugin it would be hard to maintain it. I just created 4 actions that I assigned hotkeys F4-F6. I have about 1.5k notes, and I don't think how else would I maintain it. After hotkey click, I either add it to some Map of contents, edit it, or delete it. That's what I mean by trimming the weeds.

Get me some random note, just gets me a random note.
Get me oldest unmodified note is so I constantly take care of the old stuff.
Get the unsorted file just looks at default Inbox dir, and gets me a random note from there.
Get the unconnected notes just finds some file with the least connections, which probably means it's not linked properly yet.

It's really simple, it grows organically, and when I need something, most of the time I can find it with quick search. And if quick search fails me, I just go to closest MOC and it's probably there. Key is to find yourself a way to easily periodically "trim the weeds", which is why I created the plugin.

 

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[JaaYu]

I just yap about whatever on notion whenever im overthinking something

its fun to see my old thoughts plus it helps articulate my thoughts

 

[Sofiawicz]

@random_username: that's really interesting. I particularly like the "Get the unconnected notes just finds some file with the least connections, which probably means it's not linked properly yet." that really ensures you get to something with value over time..!