5 Reasons to Start Journaling Today!
Journaling has been an effective method to clear my mind and share my thoughts! On and off, I have been journaling for almost seven years, and it has helped me organize my thoughts into actions and unclutter my mind. Sharing my experience of journaling and how it has helped me to think clearer. Happy reading!
1. Unclutter your mind
In 2005, the National Science Foundation published an article summarizing research on human thoughts per day. It was found that the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those thousands of thoughts, 80% were negative, and 95% were the same repetitive ones as before. Yes, The number seems to amuse me too!
We can organize these thoughts into actionable tasks and check them off! Easier said than done, right? This is where journaling comes into the picture.
For example, you constantly feel the need to buy a new laptop, and you get that thought almost every day.
You can get more clarity on your thought by asking these questions,
- What’s the need and usage?
- What will be my budget?
- What specifications am I looking for?
- By when do I need it? Or Can it wait?
- Should I trade in or buy a refurbished one?
Upon answering these, Researching about these things will be an actionable task;
- Research Macbooks under $1500
- Research Mac vs. Windows
- Compare the laptops at the different specifications and narrow down your need.
By putting these things in writing, you will help yourself in making an informed decision.
2. Daily trackers
When the work gets busier, we tend to forget life outside 9–5, and we won’t realize it immediately!
Keeping track of your expenses, health choices, and daily activities that you love can make your day much productive and balanced. I usually spend 10 min in the morning going through all the daily trackers and how much I could complete yesterday and list out any new tasks for the day/week.
These trackers might be the most straightforward tasks you would like to perform daily, like cooking lunch/dinner, eating a good amount of protein, sleeping before 12, waking up before 8, stepping out of the house, etc. Completing these tasks and marking them physically in the journal will enable you to prioritize your daily tasks. One way to do this is by creating dates vs. trackers table and just marking them upon completion. Keeping this as minimal as possible is very important.
You can use the same method to track your daily diet and expenses.
3. Monthly/Weekly Tasks
Sometimes I feel very unproductive even though I perform many tasks; this can eliminate it by writing down the things you want to accomplish by the end of the week/month and crossing them out once they are completed. You will have a complete picture of your productivity and interests, and if the task is not being completed, you can take a step back and deprioritize or move it to the next month.
If it’s worth giving a shot at your thought, then create a list of tasks and start working on it. If you tend to feel it’s not essential or no more needed at this stage, then you can discard it. In the future, The same thought will never occur to you because you did work on it and you didn’t feel it’s worth your time.
Crossing off the task after completion is a priceless feeling, ah!
4. Manage Anxiety and Stress
Putting things on paper will help you cope with anxiety. Journaling will help you put all your thoughts on the table and prioritize and action them based on the level of importance and need. Sometimes the stress can be eliminated just by writing it somewhere or sharing it with someone, but sometimes you need to work towards it to eliminate it.
For example, the job search can be a tedious task, and it has some stress associated with it. To reduce this stress, you can create a list of tasks and start working towards each one of them.
Action the job search stress into task list;
- Connect with five people every day on LinkedIn
- Apply ten jobs per day
- Start learning ETL, Snowflake, and concepts of cloud since the job market demands these skills.
- Get certified in AWS.
- Please take a moment to revise the things from my classes
By working towards these things, you will feel much better about your position, have maximum mental clarity and eliminate stress.
5. Dump Zone
You have a book to yourself; You can dump anything there. It is mighty!
Keeping a journal helps you create order when your world feels like it’s in chaos. You get to know yourself by revealing your most private fears, thoughts, and feelings. Look at your writing time as personal relaxation time. It’s a time when you can de-stress and wind down. Write in a place that’s relaxing and soothing, maybe with a cup of tea.
How to start?
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfeADdY1rHw&t=5s
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRt8j7H1GvE&t=2s
Keep it short and simple. Enjoy.
