#94 Journalling will change your life

Author

Alex Joshi
November 17, 2024

Hi friends,

Greetings from a SWISS Airbus A220 from Geneva to London. My lungs and mind feel clearer after a weekend exploring a picturesque Gruyères in the Swiss countryside.

As we near the end of the year, many of us begin reflecting on the months past. This week, I’ve been revisiting my journals from the last nine years, and it's been eye-opening.

Since 2016, I’ve written about a page per week, and in 2024, journaling has become a daily ritual. It’s the first thing I do each morning and has become the most important part of my daily routine.

I highly recommend it to everyone, and today, I share why.

How I journal

I write first thing in the morning, about whatever comes to my mind, before I have had any input from the outside world.

I write in a plain notebook and I don’t use any formal prompts, though I may well be indirectly prompted by something I read or heard or discussed the prior day. I typically write one page.

Why I do it

I’m a very firm believer that writing helps clarify thoughts. When you put something into words on paper, it forces you to articulate what you’re thinking or feeling, which often leads to deeper insight. The more I journal, the better I understand myself.

  1. Achieving goals - I start every year writing down my goals for the year, and then track my progress against regularly, and do a full review on Dec 31st.

  2. Replaying significant moments - I recount particularly memorable moments like holidays and delve into significant observarions and conversations that had an impact on my outlook on life. It's not a factual description of what I got up to, but more about what I learnt or how I changed as a result of the experiences.

  3. Exploring my thoughts and feelings - Delving deep into why I'm thinking or feeling certain things. For example; if my mood dips, ill ask why? What about that weekend made me feel so great? How do I feel about that conversation yesterday and why? This forms a large part of my daily journalling, and is like having therapy with myself (more on this next week).

Key benefits

  1. Awareness - Understanding how I really feel. It’s easy to go through life without pausing to assess our emotions.

  2. Accountability - I'm my own worst critic and use my check-ins to keep myself on track with reaching my goals, spurring (or berating) myself on to do better each day.

  3. Gratitude - #2 can be draining, so to counter it I take time to write about the positive things in my life, allowing me to take time to feel grateful.

The awareness I’ve gained through daily journaling has helped me become more sensitive to changes in my mood. When I notice a shift, I can drill down to pinpoint why it’s happening and take action. It’s like having a dashboard on my emotional state.

I read a book in my early twenties that said that in life there are few truly unexpected events, but there are usually amber warning signs alerting us to danger ahead. The issue is that we don't see, or don't want to see them when they first appear. The daily reflections make it easier to identify those signs early and take proactive steps to stop them escalating.

Tips

  1. Be honest - Write exactly what you're thinking and what you're feeling. Don't hold back. We typically filter what we say to ourselves and to others, perhaps because we don't want to hurt someone with the raw truth, or don't want to admit something to ourselves. But if we can't be open and honest with ourselves, what hope do we have of doing so with others? The journal should be a safe space, like a church confessional.

  2. Don’t think about others reading it - This should help with #1. If your are afraid of someone reading it, you'll never be truly open. When I was younger I'd frequently worry about this; as a result would focus a lot on the goals and achievements bits, but much less about deeper feelings, typically skirting around issues or discussing them indirectly, and never writing about individuals (at least by name). Overcoming this concern changed the experience completely, and I get much more value now.

Implementation idea

It's time for some pen and paper.

— AJ

On my bedside table:

📰 Article: Should smartphones be banned in schools? Financial Times

💬 Quote: "It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”- Socrates

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